The Bay

Got an amazing deal on my suitcase. Originally $ 345 but with the Black Friday discount… only $ 85!!! I was amazing, great customer service & staff were on-​hand to help.

This Bay location is definitely dated and needs renovating. I like it because it’s usually not as busy as the Queen Street location and this one is closer to me as well. True, the fitting rooms are small & dingy looking. So my strategy is to bring lots to the fitting room to try on. I’ve actually found that the sales staff are helpful & pleasant at this location. I’ve never gotten lost in this location & I’ve been coming here for years.
At one point I think this was going to become Nordstrom’s but I’ve read recently that the Queen street location will now have the Nordstrom’s. I hope they renovate this location someday. It could be so much better than it is now.

We registered for our weddings gifts at the Bloor street location and it has been a TERRIBLE experience. I would not recommend that anyone else register for their wedding at this particular location if at the Bay at all.
The customer service has been horrible. We have been kept waiting for EVERY appointment we made. The gifts went to various locations — some went to our house, some went to my parents house and some went to Post Offices. Some of the gifts came without any indication of who sent them.
We have currently been waiting 25 minutes for our final appointment to pick up the lasts of the gifts that were not delivered and close out the registry.
Again, I would NOT recommend anyone to their gift registries here.

Convenient location from the subway but I think this location gets a lot of walk ins to cut across to get somewhere than people actually shopping. For such a central location there never seems to be anyone in the actual store.
The layout is a bit confusing and a bit choppy and the staff look bored out of their minds. Selection is of course smaller here but on the plus note if you see something in another Bay and it’s out of stock then check here.
Spend an extra few minutes of your time and head to the Bay by Eaton Centre (yeah i know it’s not called that anymore but I still call it that). Bigger sometimes is better :)

had worst shopping experience ever! trust me when i say this location is the next sears. had to return something from online shopping and it took half an hour for the sales/​cashier lady to find the reference number for return (she did not find it after all and ask me to call customer service wtf) so i went back home and emailed customer service to ask them resend me the invoice. and they told me i can still return stuffs without invoice, any cashier should be able to do that. i went back to the bay, the cashier dont even know what the reference number is. so i called customer service again on site, passed the phone to the cashier, finally got refund for another half an hour. that cashier lady was not feeling sorry at all for wasted my time and she was like «so i learned sth today, you do not need to invoice to return things» i am like «shouldn’t you know that already?» she should have get fired srsly.
note: the cashier above= a black lady in her 40s, first floor accessories area, bay and bloor The Bay.
if you want to earn a customers respect, do well on our job and be professional
never going back to this location for shopping, plus nothing trendy going on here. will stick with holt renfrew

I recently went shopping at the Hudson’s Bay (Yonge and Bloor) location. I wanted to buy a pair of jeans but found the helpfulness of the staff lacking. I went to their downtown location on Queen St and found the expertise and helpfulness of staff much better by far. It may be because they get a lot of tourists downtown. Note that Andrew in the Deisel jean shop was very knowledgeable and helpful. Also I received a personal tour of the new Kleinfeld shop. Certainly worth visiting and shopping. The Queen st Hudson’s Bay store vs the Blood location.

I do so enjoy the Bay but this location is lacking. I prefer the Eaton (Yonge and Queen) location… But this Boxing Day I was in the area so I hit the store, bright and early.
Warning, some over-​sharing may follow so kids, go tweet something.
The plan was to go down a very short post-​Christmas list.
For BUSINESS:
Work Trousers
Business skirts
A USB equipped tape recorder
Boots and booties
As for PLEASURE:
Bed sets
Lingerie
Perfume and cosmetics
TBD Gifts for the siblings
While department stores can bring everything under one roof, they aren’t always the best choice for unique selections and gate-​crushing sales.
I had a hard time finding suitable plus size work clothes, even with brands such as Jones New York in the house.
The tape recorder was also a fail. I’ll try an electronic store.
Boots and boogies were hard to sift through in store. The bay is often understaffed, even on Boxing Day, so if you have picky tastes or difficult shoe sizes (too small or too large), go in with low expectations
My biggest disappointment was the home section. All I wanted was a nice new duvet, maybe a collection if the price was right the duvets look great online but are lacklustre in person. And the prices are a sham. I selected what I thought was an OK duvet and bedsheets combo, with two euro shams and was surprised to see it add up to $ 700+. Hard pass!
Also must say the dressing rooms in this bay are DISGUSTING. I’m talking soul crushing, cringing-​inside-​out bad. Who wants to try on lingerie in a place in slum conditions. Does no one care? Plus the staff in fitting kept dropping the lingerie on the floor when she was setting up my changing room. I didn’t try half of it on. Really gross state of affairs.
On the (meagre) upside though:
The lingerie selection is beyond brimming. Lots to pick from. Terrible pricing (buy one bra, get 50% off on the second is not good enough on Boxing Day when all bras start at $ ⁴⁵⁄₅₀) and some of the sizing is way off from bra to bra and pantie to pantie, but it’s worth a look ladies (and gents– no judgement!).
Perfume and cosmetics– can’t go wrong at any Bay, obvies, but don’t count on the staff to help. They are pretty clueless on the whole. Better prices elsewhere– Perfume is perfume wherever you get it (and I say look online).
Lastly, I’ll say I found lots of other things that weren’t on my list but were very well priced. Scarves, gloves, furs, sweaters, jeans… There was lots to pick from and lots of gift ideas came to mind.
I RECOMMEND– checking out the Jessica Simpson items. Was pleasantly surprised at the quality and variety. Bring it, girl!
EXTRA TIP– always check Hudson’s Bay online first. As many store clerks confirmed to me, pricing is usually better online and with free delivery after $ 99, it’s worth a gander. Easy returns y’all.

Went to visit this store for a Bay Day sale.
I was looking for men’s wear and went to the basement. To my displeasure I could find no one on the floor to guide me as to where to look for various items. After much trying I found what I wanted and lo and behold on the entire basement floor there was only ONE cashier open.
The store wasn’t busy, on its biggest sale of the year but there were still about 10 people in front of me in line. I was really miffed.
Also, forgot to mention that I had to try on a few things (pants, sweaters, etc) and no where could I find someone to open a change room door for me. Finally when I approached the cash with the lineup I was told i could use the dressing room behind the cash.
What a slum the dressing room was. Pins strewn all over the floor, the stuffing torn out of the chair so you would be sitting on the chair frame and dust and trash on the floor.
Well when they say you get what you pay for they weren’t kidding.

I’ve been a loyal Bay-​shopper, starting from the days of my undergrad years when I actually used to work there. This store has everything you need but what throws most people off is the chaos inside the store: disorganized, dirty, old looking, and with merchandise thrown all over the place. But I’ve been able to find some really good deals during their Bay Days. Will continue shopping there but this store needs a serious facelift.

A great department store with a nice selection of clothing ranging from mid-​range to fairly high-​end. The store is organized well and it’s pretty easy to find most of the things one would need. Most of my time was spent in the Men’s department and the customer service was very good — there were very helpful and friendly staff throughout the store, which made for a much more pleasant shopping experience.
I would definitely recommend this place for any shopping excursion.

I’m not sure if I’m getting that old, but I actually like to buy my work clothes from The Bay. Sometimes even normal clothes because they are usually good quality. However I absolutely dread this location for the following reasons:
a) Poor layout — I feel like when I try to find men’s clothes, they are all on different floors — can’t I just go to one section and find everything I want without going up another flight?
b) Seems to be short-​staffed a lot. I feel like this is the Wal-​mart of The Bay’s and you have to go hunt someone down for help.
c) I always get lost because of it’s complex layout
The only pro about this place is that it’s food court (which is like on the top level) has good roast beef.
I’d rather shop at any other The Bay then this one although this one is the most convenient for me since I work across the street.

This is by far the worst Bay location in Toronto. The customer service is appalling –any time I’m there, the staff is either too busy chatting to acknowledge your existence or look at you like you just crawled out of the trash if you dare ask them a question or for help. The store is really dated and desperately needs a facelift and they definitely don’t have the same selection as other locations. Even though I live a few blocks away from Yonge and Bloor, I would way rather go to the Eaton Centre location where the employees are helpful and friendly, and there is significantly better choice in products.

I like this location because they have a lot of selection in the discount racks. The way The Bay discounts, things can sometimes get very cheap (25% off less another 25% off less another if you have a Bay card …).
They need to get some more customers to fill out the place, but I think they will when those huge condominiums next door get built.

Anyone who knows me will tell you — I LOVE THE BAY! And I’m 27, the demographic they’ve been trying to re-​secure after the decline of the department store. This is a TERRIBLE location.
To begin — they don’t have a lot of stuff. Compared to the Bay at Yorkdale and Queen they’re lacking, particularly in housewares. I went to get a Le Creuset pot and had to drive all over looking at other stores because they had 2 colours and no sizes.
Their dressing rooms are awful. One time, I went with my friends and the whole room smelled like BO. They are often short staffed in all departments AND, there is one employee who totally makes up rules about Friends and Family events and VIP discounts.
I really wish they’d give this place a facelift. It is my local Bay and it is not a shining example of how awesome the Bay can be.

Overall I like this store and most of their departments. I just hate shopping there during the holidays.

The Time Shop. My review mostly concerns The Time Shop, it’s the watch repair kiosk and I’m pissed off at them like supafly TNT.
Here’s some copy from their website, for context. Spelling errors are theirs. «In most cases, your watch represents a substantial investment or strong sentimental value so you can’t afford to leave it to just anybody. We at The Time Shop, take pride in providing you, the Bay customer, with the finest quality workmanship to protect your most personal prized posessions.»
Back in December, I took my girlfriend’s watch in for a new battery. The girl at the counter took the watch into a back room, we heard a loud banging noise, and she brought it back out, handed it to me, and said «that will be fifteen dollars». Looking at the watch, the face was shattered. I don’t know if she smashed it with a hammer or what, but it would not have been easy to cause so much damage in such a short time. I said it was broken, and she said «it was like that when you came in». I insisted it wasn’t, and she told me it would be repaired, free of charge.
She did not apologize for lying, or for breaking it.
It has been about eight weeks now, and they have not returned the watch.
So, The Time Shop. Come in with a watch, leave with no watch. The exact opposite of how a watch store should work.

This store makes me cringe. With their offices just above it you’d think they’d have it together… but you’d be wrong.
Not only is this place under staffed but when you finally do find someone they know nothing about their products. Seriously here’s an example:
Me: Which of these frying pans is the best?
Sales person: This one.
Me: Why?
Sales person: Because it’s the most expensive.
Me: …
Sales person: And it has a celebrity on it.
This all after a long hunt for the staff member that actually worked in the aforementioned section.
I’ve been here dozens of times for many different reasons (including to register) and just about every time I’ve left frustrated and/​or unimpressed. To be honest, apart from the reason ‘everyone else does’ and ‘there’s one in every city in Canada’ I can’t understand why people actually choose to register here at all.

Like ‘The Spotted Dick’ and ‘Peridot’ across the street, this store has always baffled me. :-?
Why? Or more importantly HOW, is this store still in business? I can understand the Women’s makeup, perfumer/​cologne and maybe the accessories sections as they are right there on the main/​second floor when you walk off the street. But seriously who was the last person who bought a Washer/​Dryer machine from this location?
I had a gift certificate for The Bay a while ago and I decided to go a few times to see what I would like to purchase and I found and have always found this store *almost* deserted on every floor both of staff and customers alike.
The merchandise and the presentation seems to be completely out of touch with most people. The Bay tries to go for a slightly above middle class vibe, yet the place screams «prettied up Zellers.» So they lack the luster and cache of Yorkville, however it is as if they want to be seen as Holt Renfrew’s small brother, which they are not.
However that approach this not work for Simpsons or Eaton’s. No wonder we lost The Bay to the US a few years ago. They just have not kept with the times.
I personally avoid this store.

The Bay is decent but could be so much better. Essentially it has three functions for me: underwear, bedding, and towels. Everything else you’re better to get somewhere else.
Socks and underwear are a no brainer. Prices are good and they have a huge selection. In terms of the bedding and towels, they have a pretty solid selection and they always seem to have a good sale going on.
I’d really like to see the Bay be a good mid-​range department store. Somewhere in between Sears and Holts. Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening.
Staff generally don’t bother you but, if you ask, they’re helpful. I’ve always been pleased with their return policy.

I tend to do a lot of shopping for random things like socks and neckties at this location because it always seems to be on the way home from something, or sometimes I dip in there last minute on my way to some event. With it being located directly at the Bloor-​Yonge subway transfer point I can easily hop off the train, do some shopping and get back to my travels.
Most department stores are far from being special, and the Bay is similar to all the rest with countless cosmetic counters and a sea of clothing racks. But I have a soft spot for the Hudson Bay Company — not only is it North America’s oldest company but it’s proudly Canadian. And with stores like The Gap and H&M moving into the Yonge-​Bloor territory I feel as though I need to do my part to support.
This particular location is pretty huge, but not as big as the flagship store on Queen. Multiple floors for you to get lost in, but I just hang out in the men’s section and grab my socks and underwear. I’ve never had a problem finding anything and I have to say the staff has always been super nice to me. The people working in the men’s section are usually middle-​aged so I get very little attitude from stuck up 20-​somethings. The best experience I can recall is when I bought a new dress shirt and the woman took the time to measure me. All my life I really never knew what size of dress shirt to get and now I will always know: 17 ½.
Prices are always reasonable. You can splurge on some Calvin Klein skimpies if you choose but it’s nice to know there’s always going to be a bargain table close by. And they have about 100 different brands of socks. Much better than places like H&M where they only seem to carry one kind of everything. Support the Bay! They’re Canadian!