The Real Canadian Superstore

The first time I came across The Real Canadian Superstore, I found the name to be amusing. I mean, not only is the name long, but did they really need to differentiate themselves even more from their competitors by adding "the real" to their name? My initial reaction was "hmm... interesting name. The Real Canadian Superstore... as opposed to 'The Fake Canadian Superstore???'" Imagine the following conversation between a husband and wife or whomever:

"I'm going out for a little bit to buy a few things."

"Oh, where at? Can you pick up some of that special gourmet pet food?"

"Oh... no they don't have that at The Real Canadian Superstore."

"Why don't you go the fake one? They've got better deals over there since everything's fake." 

Canadian Superstore as a name would have done just fine. Really who even calls it by their full name?  It's so silly.

The other silly thing is The Real Canadian Superstore has a policy where they charge you for their bags. Well, that's not the silly part. What is silly, is they don't tell you why. The first time I shopped there, I had a basket full of stuff and when I got to the cashier, she asked if I needed any bags. Well obviously! How else could I carry all the crap I bought? I had over ten items and they were not small. Then she asked how many bags I wanted and told me I'd be charged for each bag. Well, I dunno... enough to fit all my crap in I suppose. Why ask me these silly questions? No other place I shop does. It must be a Canadian thing... I thought. 

It wasn't until I was at a different store when I was speaking with a sales rep about my "Superstore" shopping experience that I found out why they had the policy of charging for their bags. The concept is to encourage customers to bring and use their own bags to reduce waste on the environment. Nothing wrong with that concept and a great way to promote a greener planet. However, I believe the communication is not clear and it's a missed opportunity to market the initiative and put the brand in a positive light. There's no indication whatsoever inside the store and near the registers that market this initiative. The cashier only explained that I'd be charged extra for bags, but did not explain why. I had a negative perspective of the store, but once I understood the "real" reason behind the whole bag thing it made a lot more sense.