There has been a crap load of stuff going on here but I have decided not to go there tonight. But I can't promise it won't surface here eventually :)
Instead this post is about shopping! And a sore point I have about it. You know I like to shop and I'm sure you've heard about Canadian shoppers flocking across the border to the US for bargains. I'm sure everyone who lives in the New England is familiar with us greedy Canadian shoppers.
Now I'm going to share why. This was prompted by a fun email exchange I had last night with an American blog friend. She emailed me a link to a pair of boots. Seriously gorgeous boots! She knew exactly my style. I told her I loved them but not for $569. She quickly replied, No, they are $389. So I double checked again. Nope - still $569. They are priced differently on the Canadian and US site of the same store! That is a $180 difference. INSANITY.
I looked at a different style boot, same store. Canadian page $639. US page $448. That's a $191 difference.
When my Vermont family visits every summer they always say the same thing after going for groceries. "How do you afford to eat with these high prices?" So I thought I would share a few samples of the prices at my grocery store for basic staples.
4 litres of milk (close to a US gallon) - $7.80
1 loaf of Ben's white bread - $3.49
1 box of Oatmeal Crisp cereal (regular size NOT family size) - $5.29
1 pound of butter - $5.19
1 block of Cracker Barrel cheddar cheese (almost a pound) - $8.99
Honestly I cannot understand the wide variance in prices. So now you may understand a bit better why you see so many Canadians across the border.
P.S. as HOT as those boots were, I am not buying them ;)
Hi Kim, to bad about the boots, love me some boots.....Oh Ya, love grocery shopping across the border, can't believe the price of their cheese, it's criminal as is other items....Blessings Francine.
ReplyDeleteMy sister-in-law used to work at a mall in Niagara Falls (US) and she sai the amout of clothes thrown away in the mall trash cans or left in the parking lot was incredible. Canadians wore them to the US, then wore the new clothing purchases back to avoid paying on them. I could not believe the prices when we went to Canada last year. I guess my days of shopping were when the exchange worked in our favor! Incredible!
ReplyDeleteI hate to say it but most of that has a tax doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteThis country wants all that you have but not pay for it. Like free health care (which is not free) We lived near the border when I was a kid and I heard all about the help your government gave fishermen and businesses etc it is not free and you are all paying dearly for it. I have no idea what the exchange rate is but I believe it is pretty close. We struggle on this side of the border with heating oil and gas.
Cathy
Well Kim, you live in a beautiful country with nice people and you just can't have everything. You have a wonderful community and you live by the ocean. The only price I knew was I paid 2.40 for a pound of butter last week. So I guess that is cheaper and I live in Commie California which it getting pretty bad, pretty soon we will be like Cuba. I think our Nutty Governor wants to be like Castro. Oh and no cigars. I do see why people cross the border though. That is just too much of a price difference.
ReplyDeleteSeriously??? People pay that for boots? I think all the boots I've owned in my life (and I'm pretty old) have not equaled the US price! Those are some steep grocery prices. Do your wages reflect some of the differences?
ReplyDeleteHugs :)
Lauren
The boots were a bit pricy even in American price. I always look for good bargains and buy when things are on sale only and stock up and freeze the perishable that can be frozen like butter for example but you are right at the prices being marked higher for us Canadians. Cars are much cheaper bought in the US.
ReplyDeleteKim
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like the prices we paid in the Yukon.
The US dairy products are subsidised by the government, so they can charge less. But the rest of the goods-go figure!
Holy cow!! No one people are coming across the butter. Milk is only 2.58 here (at least at the store I get it from)....
ReplyDeleteI only thought Canada paid higher for magazines.Why the big price difference?It sure seems like everything goes up except wages in the USA.hang in there,hugs cheri
ReplyDeleteGood grief, unbelievable. Are salaries higher too to balance it all out?
ReplyDeleteSaundra
Wow. I had no idea. I do remember having customers in Canada who would have their items sent to an address in the US and then they'd drive over to get them. I just didn't realize why they'd go to all that trouble.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea either - I did know it was a lot to mail and some items we buy say so much in the US and more in Canada.
ReplyDeleteI think that whole link thing stinks! The link should have just stayed at the US BOOT store prices!!! Big Brother snoopin' on your IP address! Maybe Santa could talk the US boot store out of a pair.. :) Those boots would last a lifetime... !!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have been watching(addicted)a kitten cam from Canada and until I heard the foster Mom talk about Canada I had no idea how expensive it is there. And she has been in Canada over a year and came from San Francisco. Good Morning Kim!