It is no April Fools’ Day joke, but Target Canada is indeed already closing some stores by April 1. Target has a total of 133 stores for its Canadian operations, all scheduled to close down. About 16 locations have winded down last week.

The following locations of Target stores are scheduled to close on these dates:

Closing March 27:

· Montreal (Alexis Nihon Plaza).

Closing March 30:

· Toronto (Centerpoint Mall).

· Orillia, Ont.

· Sudbury, Ont.

· Maple Ridge, B.C.

· Vernon, B.C.

· Saanich Tillicum, B.C.

Closing April 1:

· Dartmouth, N.S.

· Sherbrooke, Que.

· Lasalle, Que.

· Saint-Bruno, Que

· Québec City, Sainte-Foy.

· Saint-Jérôme, Que.

· Montreal (Place Versailles).

· Saint-Laurent, Que.

· Gatineau, Que.

· Hamilton, Ont. (Meadowlands Power Centre).

· Welland, Ont.

· Bowmanville, Ont.

· Thunder Bay, Ont.

· Kanata, Ont.

· Nepean, Ont.

· Pickering, Ont.

· Ottawa (Billings Bridge Centre).

· Ottawa (Place D'Orleans Shopping Centre).

· Saskatoon (The Mall At Lawson Heights).

· Nanaimo, B.C.

· Courtenay, B.C.

· Prince George, B.C.

· Surrey, B.C.

All stores will still accommodate shoppers in the morning and will finally shutdown at the end of the shopping day. CBC News, citing an unidentified Target Canada store manager, reported the latest batch of stores to close will be offering varying discounts. "They are going to be more aggressive, but selection will likely be a lot less," the Target Canada store manager said.

Target Canada is advertising liquidation sales in all its stores, with discounts ranging between 40 and 60 percent. Signs of “Time is running out!” are also on display signalling a countdown of its looming final shutdown.

In the portal rabble.ca, an unidentified Target Canada employee has taken to the site to write and express his/her frustrations and emotional breakdown brought by the retailer’s sudden exit from Canada. The person is documenting the last days of work at the store during its liquidation.

“The physical breakdown of Target departments, with workers hauling clothes racks and shelves out of the building on a daily basis, is mirrored in the people who work here. The social fabric of the employees has been torn as well. That, in turn, is impacting our interaction with the guests.”

The person narrated that the looming closure has greatly impacted their lives. Today, in the final days, they couldn’t care less, but still ask for patience from people around. “In my experience, before the takeover of the store, our camaraderie was strong. Instead of asking who left what behind, or who didn't finish a task, we picked up what was left behind and finished tasks for one another. Now, we tend to be short with our time and patience. Our nerves are raw. Those of us left behind have a job to do and we are doing our best to perform it from beginning to end. Please be patient.”

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