Canadian Tire in Toronto. Right: Shopping at Canadian Tire.
Canadian Tire is renowned as a one-stop shop for everything from outdoor gear and home goods to automotive parts and kitchen accessories.
It's no surprise that shopping at Canadian Tire can sometimes feel time-consuming and complex as you hunt for that perfect item you need at a reasonable price. However, by using savvy shopping tips, you can unearth amazing deals and discover the best products available.
Narcity interviewed a Toronto-based Canadian Tire employee to get all the tea and insider hacks on how to make the most of your shopping experience. They asked to remain anonymous due to privacy concerns.
Don't go without checking Canadian Tire's flyer
CT flyer for March 2023.
According to the employee, the tradition of using flyers is a long one among loyal customers. But, he sees newer and newer customers not knowing about it and admits that he didn't either until he started working for Canadian Tire.
But considering the "tremendous" discounts available, they strongly recommend all buyers check out the flyer on Canadian Tire's website before coming to the store to shop or for online shopping.
"In the modern era, it’s a teeny-weeny button at the top right of the web page," they said.
Canadian Tire's Loyalty Program will save you money
Canadian Tire has a rewards program called Triangle Rewards, through which customers can earn "Canadian Tire Money" on their purchases. It's like earning a special type of money that you can use to buy things at Canadian Tire or trade in for other rewards.
"[It] used to be actual paper money that the company would issue, but now it’s more like a loyalty points program that can be done separately or through one of the Mastercards," the employee said. "If you’re not collecting it, you should be."
The more you buy, the more Canadian Tire Money you can earn which will enable you to cash it in for products at the store, he said, adding that the company's flyer includes days where you'll earn more Canadian Tire money when you shop.
"You can then redeem that on pretty much anything in the store. My last redemption was a $150 steam iron. [I] didn’t pay any real money for it."
When you go to Canadian Tire is important
For the customers that are using flyers, the employee recommends that the best time to shop is at the "beginning or end of a flyer's validity" since these are often days when you can earn more Canadian Tire money if you're a member of Canadian Tire's loyalty program.
Flyers are changed weekly, and their start and end dates can be found on the top right of each flyer.
Canadian Tire also has many seasonal sales that customers should check out on the website before shopping at stores.
Another hack, according to the employee, is to change the location on the website to your local store, as they sometimes put certain items on sale themselves in the clearance section, which aren't as widely advertised in the flyers.
Look for products with a 'tested' badge
Canadian Tire has a program called "Tested for Life in Canada," which tests products to make sure they are suitable for use in Canada's harsh weather conditions, terrain and usage. If a product passes these tests, it gets a badge that says "Tested for Life in Canada."
The employee recommends going for products that have the "tested" badge.
"The company maintains a large panel of reviewers around the country who get sent products to test and share their reviews," he said.
"There are pretty strict criteria for keeping a tested badge, so most products with it are of good quality."
According to Canadian Tire's website, the program covers a wide range of products, including outdoor gear, car parts, home appliances, and electronics.
It's worth looking up the online reviews and comments of products
According to the employee, Canadian Tire takes the online reviews and comments of products seriously and uses them to monitor the success of their items. This is why they recommend that shoppers check out the reviews online first for what to buy before picking it up.
"If you want to jump quickly to a specific product, put the product code (usually 7 digits near the barcode. Looks like 000-0000) in the website search bar, and you usually jump to the right product page immediately," they said.
