"We had to close the doors at 10:30 this morning and let people in as other people left." It was the kind of problem every store manager dreams of, especially on opening day. The first nofrills prototype store had swung open its doors in East York, near Toronto. The reaction on the part of shopppers was enthusiastic, to say the least. "The rush never stopped," explained Loblaws manager Robert St. Jean, back in July 1978. "We're really excited about it ... really excited!"

The original nofrills store was just that, nofrills. No product advertising, no store displays, no meat counter, no clerks to bag your groceries, and you had to bring your own bags or pay 3 cents for each. "It doesn't bother me a bit," replied first day customer Frank Atlas when asked about bagging his own groceries. "I've saved a couple dollars with this order."

nofrills introduced some highly innovative retailing concepts to Canadian consumers. While most grocery stores carried thousands of items, that first nofrills featured only 500. And many of the products were themselves nofrills, namely no name, the line of generic products launched by Loblaws just months earlier. With their distinctive yellow packaging, bold lettering, and low prices, no name was proving a big hit with consumers. "They're a lot cheaper than name brands, most of them are just as good and some of them are even better," commented one Toronto shopper.

When it comes to employment we strive to provide a positive, fast-paced environment where individuals work as part of a great store team.

• Flexible Hours
  
• Competitive Compensation
  
• Paid Training
  
• Secure Employment
  
• Scholarship Program
  
• Opportunities for Advancement (we strive to hire from within)
  
• Various full time and part time benefit programs