Aug. 9, 1996: Consumers Distributing closes the book on catalogue shopping

Customers who enjoyed catalogue shopping were disappointed when Consumers Distributing announced the closure of all 129 stores outside Ontario and Quebec.

"If this is closing due to Walmart moving in, that's unfortunate," one Consumers Distributing customer said.

The shopping model for the chain was to have customers browse through a catalogue to select items and then have an attendant retrieve the items from the warehouse. The idea was to keepcosts low by not having a large display of products in the store.

The retailer struggled to keep up with larger chain stores like Walmart and Zellers, with losses pegged at $15 million the the year before the closures were announced.

More than 60 employees from 16 locations in Alberta found out they would soon be unemployed, but not all of them learned the news from their employer.

"I heard it this morning from a customer," one Edmonton employee said.

Consumers Distributing had hoped the remaining 90 stores in Ontario and Quebec could continue on.However,the company couldn't make thatwork andendedits 38 years in the Canadian marketplace.

In the video,CBC's Brett Harris visits an Edmonton location of the doomed retailer on the day customers and employees found out Consumers Distributing stores were going to close their doors.