Numerous visits.
I have been a MEC member for as long as I remember, and they have gained my trust and loyalty. I am not loyal to very many stores, but MEC is one of the best in the city. The official store grand opening Sat April 22 with tons of giveaways from what a staff member told me. The soft opening is to work out the kinks, so previous reviews take them with a grain of salt. I have talked at length with numerous staff members about running shoes and rain jackets before purchases and they are extremely knowledgable. Ask questions!
Had my bike tuned up, took 2 days and $30. There are numerous clinics and classes in the upstairs room.
Pros
Gait analysis before buying running shoes.
The best prices (low to high-end).
Canadian brand and has their own MEC branded products.
Washrooms on first floor, fountain on 2nd floor.
Cons
No plastic bags, which is good for the environment. Bad if you didn't bring a reusable bag.
Protip
Free community runs on Wed and Thur!!! I don't know of very many free community runs in the city, and I'm training for my first marathon. Runs are led by MEC staff, each week is a bit different and last about an hour.
Wed is interval training and led by Jim is an experienced professional runner. This group is fairly fast less 5-6min/km.
Thur is more straight distances 5km to 7km and a bit slower 6 to 7min/km and it rotates through 4 staff members.