I miss the Christmas windows at Eaton's at the downtown Winnipeg store. It opened there in 1905 and I didn't start seeing those magical windows until 80 years later. So awesome!
Eaton's was a Canadian Icon for hundreds of years. Sears got a hold of it and tried to reposition it as a luxury specialty department store so it would not directly compete with them, and there began the end of it all. A similar thing happened to Simpson's when The Bay bought it.
I was talking to my sister about how much Sears sucks and how I missed Eaton's. Thanks for posting my memories.
I remember when this came out. Splendidly executed, however, the idea itself was hollow. No real concept to this whatsoever, I felt, but it looked super pretty.
Love the little scenes with all the women posing towards the end! And how there was a slightly modern twist in all of them.
Sears Canada was responsible for the re-launch of Eaton's as "eatons". The Eaton family sold the brand to them. Sears Canada then spent $250 million to refurbish the 6 prime downtown locations across Canada. Four months after the launch CEO and visionary Paul Walters was dumped and Marc Cohen was brought in from the US to deconstruct eatons and convert the newly renovated locations to Sears stores. Now Sears Canada is gone . Sears has retained control of these prime locations.
I just never understood why Eaton's folded: they offered wide selection, quality, a no-hassle return/exchange policy, and great customer service. I guess they were just too Canadian for Canadians to bother appreciating & supporting. Sad. It was another Canadian institution, Joni Mitchell, who said "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone".
Anyway, I recall this ad's splashy debut. It's a splendid production & still fun to watch.
@paulmercy it shut down because it stopped offering a wider range of more affordable clothing and appliances. It started offering too many high end products and began to stop its private brand label. That lead to loss of money and misdirection away from what it traditionally offered. In the end high prices turned it into a giant luxury store which just could not sell all its product
i remember being there on the grand opening on november 25 2000. i was 10 and very confused, but it was really cool in retrospect. there were choreographed dance numbers, matching costumes and everything.
Thanks for posting this - I have been missing Eaton's more and more these days. This was a great effort to relaunch a wonderful Canadian business; I am still saddend to think it didn't make it.
i LOVED this! its like better than sliced BREAD! i LOVED eatons. It was my favourite store, and honestly, nothing really replaced it. I have the fondest memories of Eatons. I only went to the old store tho. I never went to the Eaton's this commercial advertised :(
Wow! Wonderful to see this again! Sears Canada's excellent (though futile) attempt to breath life into the Eaton's name (which they bought when the company became insolvent in 1998). Buy this time it was like giving oxygen to a deadman. ...40 years of Eaton family incompetence and mismanagement had sealed a truely great 130 y/o department store's demise.
In 1983, I was 9 years old.... My family went on a trip to Toronto for the first time. We went to the Eaton Center...
The only thing I remember from the Eaton's store was a $53 price tag on a turquoise nylon bathing suit....
And people wonder WHY they went bankrupt? You gotta be kidding me....
LanceCampeau 4 months ago
I miss the Christmas windows at Eaton's at the downtown Winnipeg store. It opened there in 1905 and I didn't start seeing those magical windows until 80 years later. So awesome!
likethepear 1 year ago
Eaton's was a Canadian Icon for hundreds of years. Sears got a hold of it and tried to reposition it as a luxury specialty department store so it would not directly compete with them, and there began the end of it all. A similar thing happened to Simpson's when The Bay bought it.
I was talking to my sister about how much Sears sucks and how I missed Eaton's. Thanks for posting my memories.
cherri1berry 1 year ago
I remember when this came out. Splendidly executed, however, the idea itself was hollow. No real concept to this whatsoever, I felt, but it looked super pretty.
Love the little scenes with all the women posing towards the end! And how there was a slightly modern twist in all of them.
Existantia 1 year ago
Sears Canada was responsible for the re-launch of Eaton's as "eatons". The Eaton family sold the brand to them. Sears Canada then spent $250 million to refurbish the 6 prime downtown locations across Canada. Four months after the launch CEO and visionary Paul Walters was dumped and Marc Cohen was brought in from the US to deconstruct eatons and convert the newly renovated locations to Sears stores. Now Sears Canada is gone . Sears has retained control of these prime locations.
luapenat 2 years ago
@luapenat
Sears was smart though. They gave up a whole floor of the downtown Eatons store,
Why didn't Eaton's think to do that when they first felt that things were getting troublesome financially?
Tungzout 11 months ago
@Tungzout
Sorry, I meant Downtown Toronto.
Tungzout 11 months ago
I just never understood why Eaton's folded: they offered wide selection, quality, a no-hassle return/exchange policy, and great customer service. I guess they were just too Canadian for Canadians to bother appreciating & supporting. Sad. It was another Canadian institution, Joni Mitchell, who said "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone".
Anyway, I recall this ad's splashy debut. It's a splendid production & still fun to watch.
paulmercy 2 years ago 7
@paulmercy it shut down because it stopped offering a wider range of more affordable clothing and appliances. It started offering too many high end products and began to stop its private brand label. That lead to loss of money and misdirection away from what it traditionally offered. In the end high prices turned it into a giant luxury store which just could not sell all its product
Thisisadarkride 1 year ago
Comment removed
bobfartsalot 1 year ago
Eaton's failed because of grossly incompentent management
bobfartsalot 1 year ago 2
i remember being there on the grand opening on november 25 2000. i was 10 and very confused, but it was really cool in retrospect. there were choreographed dance numbers, matching costumes and everything.
titaniarox 3 years ago
Thanks for posting this - I have been missing Eaton's more and more these days. This was a great effort to relaunch a wonderful Canadian business; I am still saddend to think it didn't make it.
VintageCommercialFan 3 years ago 7
i LOVED this! its like better than sliced BREAD! i LOVED eatons. It was my favourite store, and honestly, nothing really replaced it. I have the fondest memories of Eatons. I only went to the old store tho. I never went to the Eaton's this commercial advertised :(
thestoriesofbob 4 years ago
Comment removed
bobfartsalot 4 years ago
NAOMI !!!!
GREAT !
Robi
jazzrobot 4 years ago
OMG - Thank you SO MUCH for putting this ad up! I really loved it even if it did fail miserably for them.
gtey 4 years ago
Eaton's was pretty cool. I loved this ad and people started singing it in my class. Weird.
Anyway, thanks for the memories.
rockeye69 4 years ago
"We need a miracle!" Heh...no kiddin'.
RailroadJerk 5 years ago
I miss the old Eaton's. I've been to the new eatons only once (at Eaton Centre in Toronto), didn't care much for it actually.
cpowers94 5 years ago 2
The last gasp of a Canadian institution.
golddustwoman83 5 years ago
Wow! Wonderful to see this again! Sears Canada's excellent (though futile) attempt to breath life into the Eaton's name (which they bought when the company became insolvent in 1998). Buy this time it was like giving oxygen to a deadman. ...40 years of Eaton family incompetence and mismanagement had sealed a truely great 130 y/o department store's demise.
Barndancer61 5 years ago
eatons was the best-
nothing compares! i wish someone would open a chain that was designed in the same style as the old' eatons stores.
ryanmichaelnyc 5 years ago
Ironically enough, it was because Eaton's failed to change with the times that it died a slow death.
Barndancer61 5 years ago
Nicely done. I miss Eaton´s.
SenhordoBonfim 5 years ago
Nicely done. I miss Eaton´s.
SenhordoBonfim 5 years ago
what the hell?
Bjoggie 5 years ago
What do you mean what the hell?
littlepiaf 5 years ago
do you care about it?
Bjoggie 5 years ago