Oshawa Centre — Attraction in Oshawa

The Decline of Oshawa Centre: Poor Management by GDI and the Sticker-Plastered Reality

Oshawa Centre was once a shopping landmark, representing convenience and community in the Durham Region. But in recent years, it has become a symbol of decline, disorder, and disappointing management — especially under the oversight of GDI, the outsourced facilities and cleaning contractor. While the usual complaints about cleanliness, safety, and staff morale are common, one surprisingly visible and symbolic problem keeps popping up — the proliferation of cheap, ugly, and badly placed stickers.

What was once a respectable, modern shopping centre is now a space cluttered with unprofessional sticker notices, peeling labels, and makeshift signs that do more than just look bad — they reveal the cracks in the system, both literally and figuratively.

1. Stickers on Every Surface

The most glaring visual issue in the Oshawa Centre today is how stickers have taken over:

Warning stickers, "do not use" labels, taped-up notices, and "under maintenance" signs printed on thin sticker paper or crooked A4 sheets—plastered on everything from elevators to bathroom mirrors. Outdated promotional stickers from past events still stuck on entrance doors or mall directories, faded and curling at the edges. Utility stickers, hazard labels, and directional signs stuck in random places — some overlapping, others ripped halfway off — giving the appearance of a neglected warehouse rather than a public shopping space.

This "sticker pollution" makes the mall feel chaotic, ugly, and poorly managed — especially when many of these stickers are not even removed after their purpose is gone.

2. Stickers as a Symptom of Poor Management

Stickers may seem trivial, but in reality, they are a direct reflection of the management style at Oshawa Centre under GDI:

They indicate lazy problem-solving — slapping a sticker on a broken fixture instead of fixing it promptly. They show disorganization — multiple, conflicting stickers on a single wall, some handwritten, some typed, none uniform. They reveal a lack of standards — professional malls use standardized, branded signage. Oshawa Centre uses whatever someone printed five minutes ago on the office inkjet.

If GDI or mall management can’t even handle something as basic as professional signage, how can they be trusted with health, safety, and public experience?

3. The Hygiene Sticker Illusion

Adding insult to injury, some cleaning staff apply “This was cleaned at [time]” stickers to bathrooms or food court tables — but:

The times are often left blank, or show the same repeated times every day. The stickers themselves are dirty, peeling, or left in place for weeks, undermining the whole point. They’re placed randomly: on stall doors, sinks, garbage bins — without any consistency.

Rather than reassuring customers, these stickers become symbols of performative hygiene — more about checking a box than Conclusion: Stickers Are a Red Flag

The overuse, misuse, and abandonment of stickers in Oshawa Centre is more than an eyesore — it’s a red flag that speaks volumes about the sloppy, unaccountable, and uninspired management by GDI and mall leadership. Every dirty corner, broken fixture, and outdated sticker shows a lack of pride, ownership, and urgency.

It’s not just about how the mall looks. It’s about how it’s run — and right now, the Oshawa Centre feels like it’s being run with a glue stick...

The majority of staff at the Bonkers here are just lovely but I was very disappointed by the owner. I'm on a fixed income and so had been watching a plush toy so I could buy it for Christmas. One store employee offered to put it on hold for me and said there was no issue with the time. This was on a Thursday and I was going to pick it up on the Tuesday. I called Tuesday to see if I could extend it until the next day and when the staff member went to look for it it wasn't anywhere to be found. They said they would have a look and call me back shortly. She didn't call me back and by 5/5:30 I called back and spoke to Micheal, the general manager and owners husband who was very friendly and helpful and said he would look around and call me back my 6pm or the other manager would call me in the morning.

I never got a call back and since I needed to go to the mall anyway I just went in. When I went in I was told they had looked and couldn't find it but it was still in the system. Micheal was very helpful in store and called around to find one but the nearest one wouldn't arrive before Christmas. I left with them saying they'd reach out if it was found or could find one.

I went back to see if it was still in the system if I could pay for 8t and then pick it up when it came in after Christmas. Micheal started to say something but was cut off by his wife, I believe her name was Janice, who told him no, absolutely not. I asked if they had a rough window of when it would come in and was told no she couldn't give me one. Micheal started to offer something but was again cut off and told not to promise anything. I said I wasn't looking for promises as I'd already had several things ÷!fall through (I was told it had been very busy that morning which is why I didn't my @follow up phone call. Which I understand as@sssshappens, especially at this time of year but then you+ shouldn't be saying you can do something if you know it will be difficult.) To this Jnice said very rudely that they could have sold the item several times over and that they had already been holding it for quite some time. I said yes since Thursday but if that was an issue the offer shouldn't have been made to hold the item and that was a store issue and not something I had control over.

I later called back to find out if the woman I had spoken to was a manager and found out she was the owner.

I called today to follow up and see if they were able to have one of the other two in stock at another store moved to their location and was told that they weren't going to be able to get them and they had no information on when or if they would ever get more.

The two stars I've given for the stellar employees there, they're always super friendly and helpful. The store is always clean and well stocked with interesting and diverse items, some that you can't find elsewhere. I will likely return to the store because it usually is a very pleasant place to shop.

This was very disappointing as this was the main Christmas gift for someone on my list and I was so excited to know it was on hold for me to be able to get. I hold out hope that if the sheep turns up they really will still call me, and if they do I will update my rating to...

This star is not a reflection of Oshawa Centre but if the stores in your mall who employ confrontational, rude, and privileged staff. My horrible experience was my daughters when she visited Ardene on Friday. So yesterday my daughter and her friend went to Oshawa town centre since they had a PD day. I picked her up from the mall and on our drive home she told me of an incident she experienced in Ardene. She wanted to try on 5 items in the change room and once finished deciding to buy two of the five items and return the other three to the store associate. The store associate asked her where the other two items were, which my daughter responded she was going to purchase them. My daughter had already purchased a few items from another store so she had a bag on her wrist and the two item’s hanging over the same arm. The store associate assumed she was going to steal the items, threatening to call security and making a scene. My daughter didn’t know how to react and said she was so nervous she was shaking but still proceeded to purchase the items. Afte she purchased the items and her and her friend were leaving the store the associate told them to not come back. So I called the store and requested to talk to the manager who after describing the incident and the women who was threatening to call security I find out that it was the manager. She had already left for the day so I explained the situation to who answered the phone and let them know I would be contacting them tomorrow. I will be calling Ardene head office...