Toronto is similar to New York in the way people shop for sundries (love that word!) like toilet paper, shampoo, etc. in that we generally buy them at smaller stores like drug stores (or even the grocery store) versus going to a place like Wal-Mart. This is because stores like Wal-Mart are farther out in the city making it a big trip to visit one versus somewhere you stop on your way home from work. In Toronto there are two main drug store chains - Rexall and Shoppers Drug Mart - as well as many independent stores. We live right down the block from a Shoppers so that is where we go most often for everyday necessities and prescriptions. It is open until midnight and has a Canada Post location inside making it very convenient to buy stamps and mail letters.
My favorite part about Shoppers is that in addition to the traditional mass cosmetics/skincare brands like Maybelline they sell a lot of European brands or the brands you can only buy at department stores and Sephora (Lancome, Elizabeth Arden, Smashbox, etc.) or in dermatologist offices (La Roche Posay)in the US. They have someone who works in the cosmetics area helping you select the right product for you which makes it a little like shopping in a department store, but more convenient since it is right down the street.
Shoppers seems pretty expensive, but I don't have a lot of data besides some make-up I purchased which was about 20% more expensive there than Sephora. I need to do a more detailed comparison among stores in Canada for certain items to really comment with any certainty though. Sometimes my perspective is skewed because everything in Canada is expensive.
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