EDITORIAL – Loss of the iconic Bay stores is a national tragedy

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

WHEN A MAJOR RETAILER closes its doors, it’s unfortunate. Not to mention an inconvenience.

But when a retailer like The Bay (as it’s still commonly known) goes down, it’s a tragedy. The Bay isn’t just another department store; it’s a major part of our history.

You could even say it had a lot to do with the creation of Canada as a nation. It was in our country long before we became a country, almost 200 years before. And long before it became a department store, it was a fur trading company, acquiring vast tracts of land around Hudson’s Bay and expanding across the continent.

Much of what we know as Canada today was once owned by the Hudson’s Bay Company, which has a history so rich and deep that its identity is tied irrevocably to our nation. The presence of The Bay stores in communities across the land has been a constant reminder of that history.

In recent years, though, The Bay hasn’t been doing so well. As times changed, and shopping habits changed, The Bay lost its edge. It gradually became impractical to maintain the huge and varied stock required of its stores.

Service declined. You could wander around a Bay store for quite some time before finding a clerk or a cashier to help you. Its merchandise became less diverse. Stores began looking a little ragged; in the case of its carpeting, literally so. Attempts to go high end and more niche, rebranding from The Bay back to Hudson’s Bay, and trying to crack the online market, met with mixed success.

Then there were labor issues, like the strike that closed the Kamloops store for quite a while in 2023. The company’s resistance to settling a new contract, even during the all-important Christmas season, was surely a clue.

This is the part where you jump in and point out that The Bay has been owned for quite some time by American interests. Yes, it’s true. Touted as Canada’s oldest company, it’s actually been in American hands since 2008.

But let’s not get too hung up on that. Major companies, including retailers, go back and forth on ownership, from one set of investors to another. Borders make no difference. Like Tim’s, The Bay has always been quintessentially Canadian.

We lost Peavey Mart only recently, too. Now, The Bay. Surely, this is the end of department stores. And a sad end it is.

Mel Rothenburger is a former regular contributor to CFJC-TV and CBC radio, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Webster Foundation Commentator of the Year finalist. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor.  He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.