I went exactly a week after the public opening and as with new American brands branching their way into Canada, there's always an added level of hype (think Target!).
I'm familiar with Marshalls in the USA, as a family chain to Winners, Homesense and TJ Maxx where name brands are offered at discounted prices. I was however underwhelmed at this Brossard store as it was much smaller than I expected. The size of the building itself is only about a third of that Winners in Dix30. Much more restricted selection, either everything was already bought out on that opening week and they didn't have time to restock, or Marshalls is just truly inferior.
I was able to walk through the whole store and look at everything in the women's section in less than 10 mins.
What differentiates it from Winners at first glance is the way their shoes are presented near the entrance, and not at the back of the store. They are piled and sold with their boxes which is easier to sort through when you're looking for styles rather than sizes. Very few selection of luxury brands, like Jimmy Choo and Fendi, but a nice assortment of fall fashion footwear, like Frye or Coach leather boots. There's less to choose from, same with the purses and overall clothing, which makes Marshalls look a lot less cluttered.
There's a decent selection of home items and beauty products but overall, less of everything. If it were placed directly next to Winners, I don't see why anyone would choose to shop there first, but considering it's neighboring Wal Mart, there's a continuous flow of shoppers who might settle for less.
I'm sure as they bring new stock and eventually have sales, there will be plenty of interesting buys but for now, I still think Winners if the winning option. read more