With the arrival of fierce competition from used car mega-centres that are open on weekends, pre-owned sales have seriously dropped in car dealerships.
Desmeules Chrysler, in Laval, opened the doors of their used vehicle department last Saturday. Questioned about the impact of this decision on the staff, co-owner Daniel Bourgon said that "certain employees voluntarily chose to work on Saturdays". Of course, he consulted his staff before making the move.
Fortier Occasion, in Montreal, have opened their doors about 2 months ago, on Saturdays and Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm. "We had a few manifestations the first weekend, but it wasn't our employees," stated Fortier's Daniel Rioux. The staff has also decided voluntarily to work on the weekend, in exchange for days off during the week. Fotier also had to hire additional employees.
Pie IX Chrysler, in Montreal, decided to open their pre-owned section since last Saturday, from 9 am to 5 pm. According to Maxime Camarena of Pie IX, "there was a few people manifesting and blocking the street, salespeople of other dealers who don't want to work on weekends." Things were kept under control.
Pointe-aux-Trembles Chrysler, in Montreal, is also open on Saturdays since this week, from 9 am, for their used car department.
Why open on weekends? According to all of the representatives mentioned above, it's a better time for shopping. People who have families finish work, pick up the kids from day-care and head for home. After supper and the kids' bath, it's already 7 or 8 o'clock. The dealers close at 9 pm, so shopping for a car a weeknight, and having to bring the kids along, is complicated. After a day at work, we're tired. For this reason, opening on Saturday makes sense.
Will they open their new car showrooms? No, at least not for now. "It's a different market than pre-owned vehicles, and peoples' needs are not the same", stated Mr. Bourgon.
Ironically, there is a few dealers in St-Raymond, in the Quebec region, that sell new cars on weekends, including Luxoto (Hyundai) and Futuroto (Toyota). It seems they have been open on weekends for ages.
A good guess is that within a year or two, we will be able to shop for a new car on weekends pretty much everywhere in Quebec.
Desmeules Chrysler, in Laval, opened the doors of their used vehicle department last Saturday. Questioned about the impact of this decision on the staff, co-owner Daniel Bourgon said that "certain employees voluntarily chose to work on Saturdays". Of course, he consulted his staff before making the move.
Fortier Occasion, in Montreal, have opened their doors about 2 months ago, on Saturdays and Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm. "We had a few manifestations the first weekend, but it wasn't our employees," stated Fortier's Daniel Rioux. The staff has also decided voluntarily to work on the weekend, in exchange for days off during the week. Fotier also had to hire additional employees.
Pie IX Chrysler, in Montreal, decided to open their pre-owned section since last Saturday, from 9 am to 5 pm. According to Maxime Camarena of Pie IX, "there was a few people manifesting and blocking the street, salespeople of other dealers who don't want to work on weekends." Things were kept under control.
Pointe-aux-Trembles Chrysler, in Montreal, is also open on Saturdays since this week, from 9 am, for their used car department.
Why open on weekends? According to all of the representatives mentioned above, it's a better time for shopping. People who have families finish work, pick up the kids from day-care and head for home. After supper and the kids' bath, it's already 7 or 8 o'clock. The dealers close at 9 pm, so shopping for a car a weeknight, and having to bring the kids along, is complicated. After a day at work, we're tired. For this reason, opening on Saturday makes sense.
Will they open their new car showrooms? No, at least not for now. "It's a different market than pre-owned vehicles, and peoples' needs are not the same", stated Mr. Bourgon.
Ironically, there is a few dealers in St-Raymond, in the Quebec region, that sell new cars on weekends, including Luxoto (Hyundai) and Futuroto (Toyota). It seems they have been open on weekends for ages.
A good guess is that within a year or two, we will be able to shop for a new car on weekends pretty much everywhere in Quebec.