The three Target pilot stores have been at times overwhelmed by demand since opening in Guelph, Fergus and Milton, leading some shoppers to complain on Facebook and Twitter of empty shelves, higher prices, and in one case, spoiled food.

They opened two weeks ago — and those are growing pains the discount chain hopes to sort out as it moves forward, opening 17 more stores in Ontario on Tuesday at 8 a.m., said John Morioka, senior vice-president of merchandising for Target Canada.

“We definitely were slammed,” said Morioka, speaking at a media tour of the two-storey Target at the East York Town Centre that opens Tuesday.

“We thought that there would be an initial bump and what I would say is that the bump has not levelled off to the degree that we thought. That has probably been the most surprising part of it and we haven’t been able to recover.”

Morioka said Target has tweaked their systems as a result, improving truck-to-shelf delivery and making checkout faster for customers.

“We’ve been tuning the dials, so to speak, for the past two weeks,” he said.

Target opened three pilot stores in Ontario on March 5, at Stone Road in Guelph, Milton Mall Shopping Centre in Milton and Gates of Fergus in Fergus.

Morioka didn’t have any firm news for Canadian suppliers. Although Target has struck limited-time partnerships with iconic Canadian retailers including Roots and Umbra, he made no promises that Target will source Canadian.

“Our goal is always to bring the Target brand experience to Canada. That is the mandate we heard loud and clear from our Canadian guests,” he said.

“I think it will depend on the guests and what our guests tell us they want from a consumer perspective.”

Target plans to open 124 stores across Canada in 2013. This is the Minneapolis-based discount retailer’s first international expansion.

It operates 1,778 stores across the U.S.

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Other stores opening Tuesday are: Durham Centre (Ajax), Aurora Shopping Centre, Shopper’s World Brampton, Millcroft Centre (Burlington), Cambridge Centre, Cloverdale Mall (Etobicoke), Centre Mall (Hamilton), Lindsay Square Mall, Masonville Place (London), Westmount Shopping Centre (London), Upper Canada Mall (Newmarket), Orillia Square Mall, Centrepoint Mall (Toronto), Flamborough Power Centre (Waterdown), Devonshire Mall (Windsor), Taunton Road Power Centre (Whitby).

Four stores are scheduled to open March 28: Brampton Trinity Common; Burlington Mall; Mississauga Square One and Toronto Shoppers World Danforth.

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