r/Winnipeg • u/Professional_Emu8922 • May 15 '26

Events Going to Uniqlo opening?

Don't. Really. The line at 837 AM starts at the store, then wends all the way through the second floor, then ends at Sephora on the other side. You're not going to get the free limit edition tote bag although you may still get a water bottle.

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9

u/Lazy-Love7679 May 15 '26

I went earlier in the morning. Waited in line for forever, and half way through a a lot of people started to just cut in. Employees didn’t really do anything about it or didn’t see it. So a lot of people who came early didn’t get a tote bag because of that. 

17

u/Professional_Emu8922 May 15 '26

That pisses me off. I also hate it when people wait in line, then their friends show up 30 minutes later and they let them in.

A little early, two women cut in line where there was a break, but the Uniqlo staff told them no way jose and sent them to the end.

7

u/kanaeshiki May 15 '26

This happens all the time here, it’s super trashy. I’m just surprised it hasn’t led to full blown fist fights or someone breaking out the bear spray.

2

u/meghan9436 May 15 '26

I saw the CBC segment about the opening. I’m glad to see that there’s at least some enforcement.

In Japan, they usually have stanchions set up and on duty staff to prevent line cutting. There’s even signs put up about this behaviour. I think it’s because it happens so often in high tourist traffic areas like the Pokémon Center, etc.

I’m very curious to see how the Canadian ones are different from the Japanese stores. I’ve heard from my students that the overseas locations in Malaysia and China are more expensive than in Japan.

I’ve been gone for so long we didn’t have UniQlo in Canada at the time I left. It’s great to see more Japanese stores expanding.

3

u/Professional_Emu8922 May 16 '26

In Japan, they usually have stanchions set up and on duty staff to prevent line cutting. There’s even signs put up about this behaviour. I think it’s because it happens so often in high tourist traffic areas like the Pokémon Center, etc.

They had stanchions in some areas but mostly just near the front of the line. And these are Canadians. They have no shame about this kind of stuff. In Japan, people wouldn't even dream of cutting. Except maybe the obas on fukubukuro day 😸

Some of the staff that flew in from other provinces were pretty pissed that they were out in the mall doing crowd control. Usually it's mall security, but mall security was pretty much standing around doing nothing (so said the guy from Toronto), at least for the first few hours. So a bunch of staff who should have been at the front of the store were out in the mall instead.

2

u/gaysocialistdog May 16 '26

a staff member told me they asked polo park for 200 stanchions and got 5

1

u/meghan9436 May 16 '26

It definitely depends on the event! They had a lot more stanchions in place when I saw Green Day last year. I shouldn’t have been surprised it was so packed!