If you’re a Canadian millennial, you know Zellers wasn’t just a store. It was the Promised Land. It was the place that hosted every single item on your Christmas wish list, it’s where your mom took you for back-to-school shopping, and for my mid-90’s babies — it was where you could find Stuff by Duff and the Mary-Kate and Ashley clothing line.
Zellers had the stock of Walmart, the cache of Sears, and most importantly, the prices of Giant Tiger. Or more simply put? The Canadian Target. But better. Because we had a mascot. And his name was Zeddy. And he was as cuddly as he was creepy.
If you remember growing up in Canada when Zellers was still king, these core memories will make you nostalgic AF.
The Zellers diner was a cross between Denny’s and Paradise.
As a kid, I remember seeing the cool teenager employees on their break sharing fries and dreaming of having my first date in the same booth. However, at 9 years old, I resentfully had to settle for dining in with my Grandma, who was low-key addicted to the Zellers’ restaurant.
You built your CD collection here
I bought my first CD with my very own money from Zellers. It was Nirvana’s “Nevermind”.
And by Nirvana’s “Nevermind”, I mean “Metamorphosis” by Hilary Duff.
They also sold exclusive (and FIRE) compilations. For the Gen Z’s reading this for your paper on Canadian history, this was a massive flex. We didn’t have Spotify. You had to choose between Destiny’s Child’s “Writing on the Wall” and Jennifer Lopez’s “On the 6”.
So, if you found a compilation with “Say My Name” and “Waiting for Tonight”? It was over for these b*tches.
Your mom loved their layaway program
If you’re not a 90’s kid, you probably don’t know what layaway is — but think of it like Klarna. You could go to a store, make a down payment on a pair of jeans, and then they would hold the item for you until you could purchase it.
This sounds ridiculous now, but back when we used to shop at actual stores, finding the right pair of jeans, in your size, ESPECIALLY if they were a hot item, was like finding the Holy Grail. There was no SHEIN, kids. The stakes were high, it was now or never.
Zellers was one of the few department stores that were down with layaway. It was reserved for bigger ticket items — so you wouldn’t have to destroy your credit — and so they did turn me down when I tried to put Mermaid Barbie on layaway, but it would have taken months for me to pay it off with my $3 allowance, so — for the best.
A trip to the toy aisle was your reward for trying on shoes
Idk what it was with kids and shoes, but trying them on felt like the 9th circle of hell. I think it’s because kids are impatient, and your size would MAYBE be in the back, and if your mom was like mine, she would make you try BOTH on and walk to the end of the aisle and back, press for where your toe was – it was a whole production. It felt like hours.
Retrospectively, probably 10 minutes. But she wasn’t about to drop $13 on kicks that you were gonna say gave you blisters an hour later.
But after the sneakers, you’ve got to go to the toy aisle! And that made it all worth it. Also, if you were a Barbie girl like moi, you KNOW they had the best selection. An entire aisle of blondies in hot pink boxes. I was a dense little Italian girl with curly black hair and glasses — so I obviously HAD to have her.
They were also really on their sh*t when it came to stocking up on when it came to stocking up on whatever the latest TV commercials were selling. I’ll never forget the $17 voice activated lock diary that I absolutely needed for my sacred 9-year-old thoughts, absolutely nobody was trying to read.
The Club Zed card felt like swiping an AMEX
The Club Z card was the kid’s AMEX.
Listen, a lot of points programs or marketing tactics are B.S.— I’m looking at you, Canadian Tire “money” — but Club Zed wasn’t messing around.
First of all, it was a club. As in “nightclub”. So there was no way my 12-year-old mall rat a** wasn’t joining — and the best part was? No cover. Yes, Club Z was free. And, of course, the card game with perks that were too good to pass up.
The smell of rubber boots upon arrival
Don’t know what was going on here, but upon entry, it’s like the Zellers were jet blasting you with the extremely specific scent “eau de rubber boots”.
I don’t know where it came from. But whenever I smell a fresh pair now, I get the sensory trigger and immediately see red, white, and that tiled floor.
Your mom was a Zellers bag hoarder
Idk if this one is too deep cut — but if your mom was as thrifty as mine, 9/10 chance you can relate to the Zellers bag hoarding.
Back when plastic bags were FREE (as they should be) after I’d help my mom unpack the Zellers haul, she’d do some advanced space-conserving sailor’s knot with each Zellers bag, and store them under the sink.
A few would have made sense, but the supply didn’t match the demand. Because the demand was virtually zero, but any opportunity to bag something in Zellers was one she’d take.
My lunch box? Not even a box. A Zellers bag.
Dirty soccer cleats? Zellers bag.
These bags were the backbone of my childhood. That logo is forever burned in my brain.
You were an adrenaline junkie for the Zeddy wheel
Ah yes. To be under 10 years old during the ’08 crash and harassing your mid-bargain-bin-hunt parent for a loonie to ride the Zeller’s Zeddy ferris wheel with absolutely no regard for your fam’s financial situation.
This is the beauty of being a kid, by the way — you have no financial burdens, because you ARE the financial burden.
Zellers was the last stop at the mall
I don’t know if there was ever a Zellers that wasn’t an end cap at the mall — but if they were, I never saw it.
The drill was clear. Park as close to the Zellers entrance as you can. Cut through the Zellers to get to the rest of the mall. Run all your errands. And then hit the Zellers right before you go, so you’re not carrying your haul around — because ultimately, there was almost nothing you were trying to buy that you couldn’t find for cheaper at Zellers.
But of course, your mom had to give it the college try. In the 90’s, we had class and coupons, and no one was ashamed to use them.
Zellers closing gave us false hope
When Zellers closed in my town, it was heartbreaking, but there was a silver lining. The rumour was that Target was going to take its place.
This was an absolute bald-faced lie. Never saw a Target in my town.
And I actually feel slightly guilty for stanning Target, because I know it’s a US corporation and we gotta shop local, BUT they both had a red-and-white colour scheme? So it didn’t feel as sacrilegious.
But you know how they say, “If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it’s yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.”
Well, even though this is reserved almost exclusively for that one ex we fumbled and who will never come back because we did them dirty and they actually will resent us until their dying day — it really does apply in the case of Zellers, because in 2025, Zellers made history opening a new store in 2025.
Shout out to Londonderry Mall in Edmonton, AB. You’ve just made my bucket list.
After reading this back, I think we really need to give it up for mom’s, OK? Or grandmas. Or whoever took one for the team during your entire childhood.
Backbone of this nation.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
