Annals of Charlottetown Mercantile

G. and I went up to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore (an excellent resource for used building materials with profits going to a worthy cause) to pick up a chair he had acquired earlier in the day. On the way back downtown we stopped in at the new Shoppers Drug Mart on University Avenue — the one that occupies the space vacated by Pizza Hut.

Wow — it’s exactly the same as the other “new” Shoppers on University Avenue, the one that opened last year at the corner of Kirkwood Drive. It’s as if a giant fleet of trucks from the Shoppers plant pulled up one night and unloaded a pre-manufactured retail clone. Except that, for some reason, it took them months and months to construct. And the front door faces the other direction.

I’m not exactly sure why Charlottetown needs another giant Shoppers Drug Mart 4 miles from one with exactly the same layout and products. Is this a Shoppers vs. Ray Murphy fight to the death?

Speaking of things ablutionary: has anyone else noticed the sudden popularity of foaming hand soap? It’s everywhere these days, and seems to have come out of nowhere. In our house it started when we were sucked into the Kandoo frenzy, complete with its custom tailored soaps and bum-wipe dispensers for kids. I must admit, I’m a fan: there’s something magic about regular everyday liquid in a bottle being transformed into voluminous foam. A warning, however: don’t try to refill one of the special foaming soap dispensers with regular liquid hand soap: it won’t work, and you’ll be left with a door stop.

Elsewhere in the retail environment: I’ve decided to try to avoid shopping at Future Shop and Staples out in West Royalty in favour of using the Radio Shack (or whatever it’s called these days) downtown. Although their selection at Radio Shack is considerably less broad, they’ve got most of the electronic thingys a guy could have need for, the staff is surprisingly helpful and generous, and I think supporting a business that allows me to buy capacitors (should the need arise) that’s a block from my house is a Good Idea.