Nova Scotia To Shut Down
Nova Scotia will be going into a province wide shutdown at 8am Wednesday so all schools, restaurants, gyms, malls, libraries, museums and non-essential retail will close or only offer curbside pickup and deliveries for the next two weeks.
Residents of this province should contact their favourite music retailers for details.
Here We Go Again
Multiple cities and counties in Ontario are back in shutdown at Midnight tonight and a large portion of Quebec is already shut down, including the major cities of that province.
This means cinemas are shut down as are non-essential businesses, many businesses running at 35-50% capacity and/or reduced hours until further notice, with measures to protect the public including the mandatory wearing of masks and use of hand sanitizers in safe and customers. Call your local stores for details.
If possible, you should probably use delivery, curbside and pickup services if they are available. I’ve personally used these since March 2020 and rarely visited stores since then, taking advantage of subscriptions services like Amazon Prime and PC Insiders. But if you need to pick up a prescription at your local Shoppers Drug Mart or Rexall, keep an eye out for discounted masks and hand sanitizers. I’ve noticed a few were available.
Mail order services are available from many retailers so this could be the safest option at this time.
Limited Shopping Reinstated
In store shopping returns in the province of Ontario, with safety measures. And it may also return in the province of Quebec by March 1st.
Contact your local stores for details. And don’t forget to socially distance, wear a mask and wash your hands frequently.
Enjoy. And stay safe.
Measures Extended in Ontario
The provincial government of Ontario has just announced extra measures effective Thursday at 12:01am Eastern.
“All non-essential retail stores, including hardware stores, alcohol retailers, and those offering curbside pickup or delivery, must open no earlier than 7 a.m. and close no later than 8 p.m. The restricted hours of operation do not apply to stores that primarily sell food, pharmacies, gas stations, convenience stores, and restaurants for takeout or delivery.”
Music retailers will therefore operate on reduced hours in the province on Ontario for up to 28 days, many shifting to curbside pickup or deliveries.
Please consult your favourite retailers’ web sites for details.
Quebec Under Curfew
A curfew is now in effect in the province of Quebec for four weeks and this may cause retailers in the province to reduce their hours, possibly delaying shipments both inside and outside the province.
This curfew occurs from 8 PM to 5 AM province wide and is response to the high numbers of COVID-19 infections in the province.
Details in regards to delays and reduced hours of operation should be available on your retailer’s official websites.
Black Friday Week Tips
It’s Black Friday Week and lots is going on:
On Friday, some of your local record stores will be participating in the Record Store Day Black Friday events and will have exclusive merchandise collectors will want to have a look at. Go grab that mask and hand sanitizer and enjoy.
Speaking of COVID-19, Best Buy Canada has decided to offer “Quick and Easy Store Pickups” so you will be able to get your purchases curbside for “in as little as an hour” in some locations. This option should be listed during the checkout process and extended curbside pickup hours are available at some stores.
Curbside pickup and/or free shipping are also available at select Chapters / Indigo book stores, Michaels art and craft stores, The Source and Bad Boy electronics stores, The Bay department stores, Staples Canada office supply stores, IKEA and The Brick home furnishing stores, Canadian Tire and home improvements stores like TSC/Peavey Mart, Lowes, Home Depot and Home Hardware.
You’ll notice that some locations will be open earlier than usual, like my local Lowes location which is open at 6 AM. This is due to the line-ups, which will probably be an issue because of the maximum occupancy rules that have been set up to avoid the propagation of this disease.
To avoid these longs lines, ordering online is a better option (if not the only option). And if you don’t have a credit card you can always pick up gift cards for some of the aforementioned retailers at your local convenience store, gas station or pharmacy.
Amazon Cash is an option for Amazon Canada shoppers, which allows people to load cash or money from their debit card into an account at Canada Post Outlets, MacEwen convenience stores/gas stations, Mobile gas stations and participating 7 Eleven, Circle K and Hasty Market convenience stores.
Paypal and debit options are also available at some retailers, so you might want to investigate what options are listed on their web site.
By the way, professional speaker retailer Sonos, office supply site 123ink.ca and online electronics retailer Newegg Canada are also having Black Friday week sales. And you should also note there are also great deals to be had online from American retailers Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble
and Entertainment Earth, although you should account for delays at customs for foreign orders.
Canada Post had warned of Christmas volumes for some time now but there should only be slight delays for domestic shipments. And some retailers are using independent shippers to deliver locally so look for that option as well.