When was the last time you ordered a cup of coffee, an Egg McMuffin, and a bingo card? It’s may not be your typical Extra Value Meal, but at one McDonald’s in Maine it’s become a weekly breakfast tradition.
It may seem like a strange story, but it’s something that I’ve seen pop up at more than a few McDonald’s in the past few years. Many Mickey D’s seem to be offering special events on certain days of the week to cater to different kinds of crowds. In my neck of the woods, certain locations have a “Family Night” on Thursdays from 5pm-7pm. I’ve yet to bring my kids to it, but I believe there’s a good deal of coloring and crafts involved. It’s a neat idea, and while at it’s base it’s really just another ploy to bring people into the restaurant, it’s still nice to see a restaurant try to actively be a part of the community.
In the Economist’s “Pocket World in Figures” Canada ranked 2nd amongst countries with largest computer ownership with 87.6 computers per 100 people. Not too bad compared to say Finland which only has 50 computers per 100 people. But Israel ranks in first place with 122.1 computers per 100 people so we’re going to have to buy computers like crazy to catch up 😯 .
Ladies and gentlemen, let your Boxing Day shopping commence!!
Ah – who am I kidding? If you’re a deal-hound (and if you’re reading this site, you no doubt are) you’ve been lined up in front of your favorite store for hours and are only reading this upon your return trip. The picture above is a quick snapshot of Toronto’s Eaton Centre on Boxing Day 2007, and it’s a perfect reminder of why I like to stay indoors on the 26th. Luckily I usually overspend on Christmas and have nothing left come boxing day anyways, so I never feel too put out.
This year though — I get to be on the other side of the counter. As I type this I’m quickly wolfing down a breakfast bagel and getting my shoes togther to head in and fight the good fight at my retail job for the next 9 hours. Wish me luck everybody! And if you got any great deals today, let us know here!
Is there someone on that list that you still haven’t bought for? Tsk tsk. Don’t worry. If they’re gamers, you can still get it done without leaving the comfort of your seat.
Digital downloads have become all the rage in gaming over the past few years. It may sound geeky, but it really just translates to “buying games online.” There’s no physical media involved (ie no disc, no case, etc..) as the products are all downloaded. So what does this mean to you, the last minute shopper? Easy gift giving is just a click away.
Several services out there allow you to purchase items as gifts, which then email the recipient (often with a personalized message from you) about where they can download their item and who it’s from. We’re going to highlight just a few;
Steam: For PC gaming, Steam is a one-stop shop with easy gift giving capabilities. With some games as low as $3.99, there are stocking stuffers and big ticket purchases all over the place.
PopCap Games: The makers of casual classics like Bejeweled, Bookwork Adventures and Peggle, PopCap doesn’t offer gift purchases directly but does allow for the purchasing of virtual gift certificates. An excellent option if you’re not too sure what they’d like to play. PC and Mac games available.
WiiWare/Virtual Console: If you’re a Wii owner, you can easily purchase any Virtual Console or WiiWare games as a gift for anyone on your friends list. As soon as their console gets the message it’ll be blinking blue to let them know there’s a surprise waiting for them!
Xbox Live Marketplace: Something similar to the WiiWare option is rumored to exist for Xbox 360 owners, but it seems as though either A) it’s no longer offered or B) it’s region specific. That being said, it never hurts to boot up your 360 and take a peek. If you do, let us know!
Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. What digital distribution sources do you use? Do they offer a “gift” option too?
The Office is one of my favourite TV Shows. At the beginning of some episodes they have a little fun office prank. This week’s prank was Christmas related 😀
Yes I know this isn’t a politics blog and I’m really not into politics either, but I can’t help but notice the chaos going on behind who should be Canada’s Prime Minister. I’m not with or against the coalition since I don’t know enough details to choose a side. I just find it strange that we cannot choose who we want as our leader in a fair democratic process. US citizens got to vote for who they would like to become their leader, why can’t we do the same?
I also don’t understand why we wasted our time voting if the results meant nothing? and how on earth can a parliment do nothing for over 2 months (not to mention the time wasted during the elections) and maintain a leading role in the world and a strong local economy?
If you’re a fan of popcorn cinemas and summer blockbusters, I probably don’t need to tell you that The Dark Knight — the biggest film of 2008 — is coming out on DVD this Tuesday December 9th. If you’re planning on picking this up (and really, who isn’t?) Empire Cinemas is hosting what could possibly be the coolest DVD release event ever. Instead of giving away movie-related tie-in’s or a bonus discount, Empire is inviting you to see the movie on the big screen one last time.
Select cities throughout Canada will be hosting the event which will kick off at 9:30pm on Monday, November 7th. Traditional DVD’s will be $25 and Blu-ray’s will be $30, and you’ll have to pay the price of admission on top of that. When the movie ends at 12:01, the cinemas will place a copy of the film in your hands to take home with you.
The Dark Knight is one of those rare films that everyone should see on the big screen. Take a peek at the list of cities hosting the event and see if one is close enough to make it happen;
AB – CALGARY – Empire Studio 10 Macleod Trail
BC – SURREY – Empire Studio 12 Guildford
MB – WINNIPEG – Empire Grant Park 8 Cinemas
NB – MONCTON – Empire 8 Trinity Drive
NL – ST. JOHN’S – Empire Studio 12
ON – KITCHENER – Empire Studio 12 Gateway Park
ON – NORTH YORK – Empire Empress Walk 10 Cinemas
ON – ST. CATHARINES – Empire Studio 8 Pen Centre
She sang one of her favourite songs ” I Will Always Love You.” and someone on youtube added a video of the song in a Christmas context entitled “I will Always Love you Christmas”! Lovely!
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Coincidentally, Connie has released a brand new album called “Connie Talbot’s Christmas Album” which has an awesome collection of classic and modern Christmas songs. Here’s “When A Child Is Born” from her new album:
Today i’d like to talk about Country Crock and the overnight dissapearance of this marvelous spread.
Years ago I’d buy this odd margarine for a change of pace, it always tasted different then other spreads and was nice for a change.
One cold morning years ago after walking through 10 feet of snow to my local grocery,(OK Im exaggerating a little ) Â I was shocked. Â Country Crock was no longer on the shelves! It had completely dissapeared.
How could this be?
A few years ago I contacted Country Crock asking why this product was no longer available in Canada. Was there something in the oils that is now prohibited from Canada?
The response was as follows:
Hello and thanks you for taking the time to contact Country Crock. This product has never been available in Canada, please ask your local grocerer to carry our products. Â Thank you.
 Obviously, that got me nowhere. I’m not crazy, well for the most part i’m not. I know this product was once sold here, then suddenly dissapeared.
Perhaps the company changed hands, it wasn’t profitable enough in Canada, or one of the ingredients is prohibited.
Can anyone out there shed some light on Shedd’s Country Crock and its dissapearance?
Just in time for the holiday shopping crunch time, December 1st marks the first day of 24 hour Wal-Mart shopping at many of the stores in our country. While many stores will be choosing to keep these late hours it’s not an every store thing. Make sure you call your local Wal-Mart before making that 4am trek.
Am I crazy, or is it kind of nice to be able to get some holiday shopping done in the off hours when you’re not fighting your way through the crowds?
I’ve been straddling the gift card fence for far too long, and I’d love to know what everybody thinks about them. Are they tacky to give a a gift? Something that says “I didn’t know what to get you, so buy it yourself”? Or are they a considerate “I didn’t want to get you something you might not like, and now you can pick out whatever you want”?
And what’s an appropriate value to place on a gift card? Too little and they’ll have to chip in their own cash to buy anything. Too much and your wallet is going to start to ache.
Gift card ettiquette time folks — how much, how many, and how appropriate?
I’m going to try and not repeat themes too often, but after seeing this photo of Obama I couldn’t resist. Besides, at 40 captions and counting on our first post it seems like everyone here at SmartCanucks is eager to put words in the mouths of US politicians.
So what say you? Who’s the real Superman in this picture?
Some of you might have heard about this already. Metro Inc. will start changing most of its grocery stores’ names to Metro to help make it easier and more economical for them to brand and market the stores. Once the transformation is complete by the end of 2009 Metro will become the most common supermarket name in Canada, boasting 376 stores in Quebec and Ontario. The only banner not included in the change is Food Basics, which competes in the discount food segment of the grocery market.
To Quebecers that’s good news since they’ve always had Metro grocery stores (which I find are ridiculously overpriced – but that applies to all grocery stores in Quebec). It will be nice for Quebecers to see Quebec’s grocery store brand spread all across Ontario.
I personally have mixed feelings about this. Although they’re now owned by Metro Inc, A&P grocery stores have been around for almost a century and were operated by the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company. On August 15, 2005, A&P sold A&P Canada and Food Basics Canada to Metro Inc. of Quebec. I guess Metro waited for a few years before going with the name change to avoid getting too much attention to the handover. It’s just sad seeing another well known and historic name in Ontario vanish. A&P, although originally American, did leave its finger prints in Canada. On the other hand, I find current A&P and Dominion stores are pricier than Loblaws. The stores also seem to have an infamous reputation so it’s nice seeing some fresh blood and change. I just hope the change doesn’t mean crummy cramped aisles and ugly store designs like the Metros currently in Quebec.
Why do I bring this up today? Well Metro Inc. has started changing the name of grocery stores from Dominion to Metro in Toronto and probably other Ontario cities too.
