I love Simon's are used to be one store that was only available I believe in Quebec province. I…read morereally was excited when they announce that they would be opening a shop in Rideau. I have now been in the mall for a few years I know this for a fact but I still love this store very much. They offer Birkenstock sandals Not many places carry them around. They Also have a great selection of doc martens... yes I love shoes! They do offer a lot more than shoes. They have everything from swimwear to professional business wear. I don't even know if professional business where is actually a thing but you know clothing for a businessman and businesswoman. They carry their own brand that is name Twik, I really like it. They carry clothing for almost every style. I consider myself to be either very bohemian or very sporty. Two very different style but the offer both of those. Clothing can be pricey but they always have a discount rack in every section.

Let me start by saying that I do like Simons and shop there fairly regularly. However, I just…read morerecently bought a red Contemporaine cotton T-shirt (made in India) that I had the foresight to wash by hand. And yes, it bled. I guess it's a case of buyer beware, but I expected better from Simons.

I have a very special place in my heart for The Bay (it will forever be The Bay to me despite their…read morerecent-ish rebranding to "The Hudson's Bay") as it is the last standing department store from my childhood. Over the years, I have watched them all shutter, Simpsons, then Eaton's, then Sears. Even the discount department stores like Kresge, Woolco, Towers and Zellers, all gone. Only The Bay remains. Anyone remember The Bay Scratch and Save Days? Lol. Totally dating myself, haha. Anyway, The Bay is a department store with some higher end items and some more affordable items. Some of the flagship stores in larger cities like Toronto and Montreal have luxury items, but not the ones in Ottawa. This location at the Rideau Centre has a nicer selection than the locations at St. Laurent Shopping Centre or Bayshore Shopping Centre. This location also has a Forever 21 section (Forever 21 pulled out of the Canadian market a few years ago, so there are no free-standing brick and mortar stores in Canada, but their items can be found at select The Bay stores). It's where the Topshop section used to be before Topshop pulled out of Canada completely. This location has an optical that sells prescription glasses and contact lenses. There's also a Sunglasses Hut inside this The Bay location. There's also a hair salon called Hair Republic on the second floor, as well as a cafe on the main floor called Market X, but it is independently run, and the prices are high, it's not like the cafeteria that was at The Bay in downtown Toronto from days past (like 20 years ago, lol) that had affordable hearty meals for the downtown office workers, and the kids working a summer job downtown, like I was. Everything is vegan at Market X and it caters to the environmentally conscious well-heeled customer. Market X is where the Lindor Shop was before they closed. I like the mix of items available at The Bay. They sell lots of Canadiana, which make great souvenirs for tourists. They sell State and Main items, who doesn't want some Ketchup Chips socks and Poutine Christmas ornaments, right? Lol. This The Bay is actually across the street from The Rideau Centre, but it's connected by the bridge on the third floor. Street parking or paid parking lot parking only. No private free parking lot like at Bayshore or St. Laurent malls.

I have visited this store (Hudson's Bay now, but I always call it The Bay) a couple of times. The…read morefirst time was back in November 2015. I had a good chat with a woman in the HUE leggings section. I was wearing a pair of corduroy ones. I was literally a walking example of how comfortable they were and are. The Bay is a store that I used to frequent when I first joined the workforce. It gave me a $500 credit card and I managed to get a decent wardrobe for my business office attire. I also learned that it's a ripoff getting a departmental store credit card where interest rates go through the roof. I eventually paid it off and cancelled it. Anyway, The Bay had pretty good deals on Saturdays. I don't know if that's the case these days. I would buy items that are on sale rather than buy them at full price. This store had a nice selection of size 11 shoes. Some were quirky, such as lemon slip-on sneakers and Doc Martens with embroidered flowers on them. I like browsing around in this store, looking at women's clothing, cookware, and more. I recommend waiting for a sale, as some items are more expensive than they should be. (247)

So this Saks OFF 5TH just opened 2 weeks ago. It is in the basement of The Bay at the Rideau…read moreCentre. I love shopping, I love options and I love bargains, so I welcome it. However, I'm not as stoked about it because most merchandise at Saks OFF 5TH are specifically for Saks OFF 5TH and were never in Saks Fifth Avenue (like how the stuff at the Banana Republic Factory Store was never actually in the Banana Republic retail store). That being said, Saks OFF 5TH does occasionally have some pieces that were in Saks Fifth Avenue for a fraction of the price. However, at the end of the day, 70% off a $2000 dress is still $600, which is still too rich for my blood, lol (this is a real example, although from the Kanata Saks OFF 5TH - it was a beautiful Roland Mouret dress that I still dream about. Luckily it was 4 sizes too big for me, so I didn't have to do any soul searching, haha). Ok, let's talk about this specific location downtown. It's brand spanking new and they are still not completely finished renovating at the time of the writing of this review. Everything is really neatly organized. I was there a little bit before lunch time on a weekday and staff outnumbered customers. Maybe people just don't know about it yet. The change rooms are big and clean. They don't have doors but curtains. However, the curtains have little metal hooks on them and there are little metal rings on the wall, so you can "lock" your curtain. I thought that that was kind of cool. There is a large women's clothes section, a smaller men's clothes section and a smaller still children's clothes section. The women's shoe section is large, and the handbags section is decent. I think there's a men's shoe section as well, but I'm not entirely sure, as I did not check it out. It's a fun place to poke around. I'm glad that Ottawa is getting some new stores.

This establishment has always played apart of my life here as a Ottawan, and I am a colossal…read moredevotee to the fairview malls. Since the closure of the nearby Rideau street McDonalds, there has been fewer suspicious activity around, which is a shame as I enjoyed the entertainment. Whats a nice day at the mall without someone pulling a racoon out of their coat? Regardless, they have a New York Fries, which automatically gives it much more value. Always nicely decorated as well. Beware of the first floor as some report getting asked odd questions by even odder individuals.

Oh gosh this mall was exhausting ! The amount of people I felt like I was in a movie. Non stop…read moreyelling and running around was wild. They did have a lot of stores but it was way to much we left. The outlets was wayyyyyy better

You cannot beat Giant Tiger. I will come here over the bigger equivalent franchises. It's a shame…read morethis is the original store in all of Canada and it looks this way. There's some wear and tear. A fresh coat of paint and perhaps reorganizing the aisles would be do it well. The selection is minimal since it is a smaller store. If there is something on sale from the flyer and you don't go the day off, forget seeing it the whole week. I do appreciate you can ask for a rain check. The staff are always friendly and greet you at the cash. A bonus here is when it gets busy they will have all 3 cashes open. There is no self serve which I don't mind but perhaps not for the person who has social anxiety.

The selection is small - as is the store. The customer service is terrible. The staff are all…read morelocated by the cash registers i.e. not on the floor. I had questions for Almira T. Could I ad match? Her answer was yes. How does it work? Almira T. says the product must be identical. My question concerned an ad match for a Beatrice branded product and all this tiny store had was Nielson. Almira T. refused. No deal, no way. Adieu Giant Tiger.

The Glebe, and the area south along Bank Street, is a real trendy, upscale neighbourhood. The…read morehouses are expensive (a few million dollar homes, believe it or not!), the residents well educated and well-heeled. Plus, there are Carleton U students living there too, giving the area that urban chic, bohemian feel. So, it makes total sense that a shop like the White Box would flourish here. White Box markets itself as a not-your-ordinary shopping experience. They sell home decor items (furniture, drapes, lamps, wall-hangings, knick-knacks), bath and body toiletries, fancy baby and pet stuff, cards, gift baskets, etc. And all of it is high-end. No Walmart cast-offs here. It really is the kind of place you would shop for that person who has it all - but, only if you are made of cash. Parking is strictly street, but you can just ask your chauffeur to circle the block!

I purchased a Greek salad from the deli this morning. Firstly, it was, obviously, yesterday's from…read morethe look of the lettuce. I would have liked to see its price reduced. Secondly, the base/butt of the romaine bunch was included in the salad. I won't buy a salad from the deli at 7:00 a.m. opening again.

SMART STYLE, Walmart Trainyards, Ottawa…read more My hair stylist move over to Smart style at Walmart maybe 3 years ago. NO ONE cuts my hair nearly as well as she does! I have seen her cut other people's hair each person is delighted with the result. :D including me. The selection varies from person to person. The price is good - For shampoo and dry is $36. When my haircut is done she by picks up the mirror to show me how she did the back. I value the hair stylist tremendously and pay for my haircut and give her a good tip.

Sale, sale, sale! This was my 1st experience at Hudson Bay Company. They sell brands like Katy…read morePerry, Fergalicious, Clarks, and much more. They're having a liquidation sale so lots of shoes are 60% off. Many of the prices are still pretty high. This place connects to the Rideau Centre mall through a bridge. I had trouble finding a lot of the sale shoes in my size (6). Downstairs are the shoes and upstairs is where the clothes is. They had some brands here that I have never seen anywhere else. Right now, a lot of the sale shoes are organized by foot size and color. They sell lots of high heels, slides and trendy styles. I didn't get a chance to look upstairs. I parked in the Rideau Centre mall and it cost $19 for 4 hours.

I purchased a Glucksteinhome sheet set (regular price $199.99, but on sale for $79.99),a few months…read moreago and they are already starting to deteriorate. Threads are sticking out and the cotton has started to ball. I have other sheets that are many years old that are in better shape. I contacted the Bay and someone named Jane Arda replied with a pathetic offer of $10 off my next online order. What a joke! I responded saying that that wasn't acceptable, and never heard anything back from them. Normally the Bay deals in only quality items, but I guess that has changed, sadly.

I ventured over to Ottawa Trainyards to check it out. I didn't really need anything, but I did get…read moresome cool items. While waiting for the traffic lights to change, I liked seeing a store directory. I came here without any knowledge of the stores here. I liked coming here to figure it out. The Trainyards is like Heartland Town Centre in Mississauga. It is a bunch of stores that cover a lot of land. Think of it as a neighbourhood of stores. You have to strategically figure out where to park and walk to the stores that are around you. During my visit, I parked a grand total of three times. I stopped by Michaels and got some good items that were on sale. I was a happy shopper! I then parked in front of the Gap outlet. I also visited Old Navy and Sail that were on either side of the store. I then decided to drive and check out what other stores were there. I spotted Kettleman's Bagel Co. and parked to have lunch. The selection of stores is cool. If you are more of a mall shopper, this setup may not be for you. If you do like box stores, you'd like it here. My only problem I had was dealing with a woman in a minivan who was waiting for me to leave my spot to pull through. She actually honked at me. I didn't appreciate it and gave her a signal to say that I was staying. I was pulling up my GPS and I was under no obligation to move out of a parking spot to convenience an impatient idiot. (289)

Hey! This is a big mall! Way bigger and better than I remembered it. I guess it's been a while…read more.. and about time we came back! There's a Kettleman's Bagel shop here; wish we had one in Kanata / Stittsville! The mall was big enough to be inviting to return. We will definitely come back! And I will update this review when we do.

The BGGO Boutique is above the Second Cup on the corner of Beechwood and Springfield…read more The owner imports clothes and accessories from Asia and LA several times per year. Pieces are limited, she only imports a few of each. The styles are trendy and original and the service is excellent. Wine and cheeses are held seasonally for VIP customers to get first pick of new styles.