While it makes environmental sense to not print the Canadian Tire Catalogue any more, it is also a loss. Not everyone prefers to look items up on the Web.
Sometimes I just don’t want to look at a computer screen. Sometimes I just like to sit outside with a catalogue that I can hold in my hands, turning the pages one by one and holding it up close to get a better look if need be. Sure, I could take a laptop for the same purpose, but the whole event just is not the same. And I can’t fold over the screen to mark the spot and take it to the store with me to find the items I’m looking for. Such is the loss of the glossy Canadian Tire Catalogue. Just announced this week, the catalogue published for nearly 80 years has gone the way of the wind to save costs on printing copies for 9 million households.
Canadian Tire began publishing a catalogue in 1928 to sell automotive supplies to distant customers. It was a superior idea for the times. The Billes brothers John and Alfred, owners of the young Canadian Tire store in Toronto, were considered early leaders in the mail-order industry. Their catalogue of auto merchandise was a big success and sales grew year after year.
I understand the environmental and transportation concerns of manufacturing and distributing catalogues to every household. Not everyone wants to shop by the Internet. Sometimes doing something without electricity use is good, too. How about getting a list of customers who really want the Canadian Tire Catalogue? Or have a certain supply of catalogues in-store that could be picked up? These methods would save money and forests, and yet still satisfy the needs of customers. Well, at least I still have last year’s catalogue to browse through. It looks like I should start treating it like the rarity it’s about to become.
