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Shopping in US or Canada
We're visiting Alberta and Montana in the summer with two teenage girls.
Flying to Calgary and travelling down to Yellowstone via Glacier NP and back. Is it cheaper to shop in the USA or Canada? Paul |
#2
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"Paul Harrison" wrote in message
... We're visiting Alberta and Montana in the summer with two teenage girls. Flying to Calgary and travelling down to Yellowstone via Glacier NP and back. Is it cheaper to shop in the USA or Canada? It depends on what you're buying. A friend from California found some good deals here in Montreal a while ago, but the USD/CAD exchange rate has significantly changed since then. If the girls are looking forward to shopping, you might want to take a bit of time to go to Edmonton while you're in Alberta. The West Edmonton Mall is bigger than any shopping centre you'll find in Montana, or the entire US, for that matter. Richard |
#3
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Hello you might want to compare prices from a major retailer that has stores
in the US and Canada Sears US - www.sears.com Sears Canada - www.sears.ca We have relatives from britain who find outdoor wear and equipment very favourably priced (see www.mec.ca for a major store in Calgary) Our Canadian dollar is hovering around the 80 cent US mark. If you choose to shop in the US, Great Falls will probably be your best bet given your itinerary. Calgary has close to a million people so you should be able to find pretty much whatever you want here. Have a great trip. If you have time, a stop at Waterton Park is worthwhile. It's the Canadian National Park that sits on the border with Glacier in the States. "Paul Harrison" wrote in message ... We're visiting Alberta and Montana in the summer with two teenage girls. Flying to Calgary and travelling down to Yellowstone via Glacier NP and back. Is it cheaper to shop in the USA or Canada? Paul |
#4
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"Paul Harrison" wrote in message ... We're visiting Alberta and Montana in the summer with two teenage girls. Flying to Calgary and travelling down to Yellowstone via Glacier NP and back. Is it cheaper to shop in the USA or Canada? Paul; You won't find much selection in Montana as there are no sizable "cities", like Calgary. If the girls are going to be looking for "fashion", Calgary will have the best selection you are going to see on your route. I won't suggest that you drive 3 hours north from Calgary to visit a mall in Edmonton, like the other poster does - Calgary has almost 1 million residents and you can find whatever you want there. For some reason, Edmontonians take some strange pride in having the world's biggest mall in their midst. Hey, why do all the trees in Calgary bend north? Cause Edmonton sucks! Guess which two cities have BIG rivalry :-) Having said that, there will likely be some things that you can find cheaper in the US, if you are thinking of standard Wal-Mart type fare. The $CAN has appreciated almost 20% against the $US in the last 2 years - I think the Pound and Euro have done similarly, making more and more things in the US a bargain for Canadians. If you want to do some pre-trip research, check out www.Walmart.com prices online and compare them to www.hbc.com (The Hudson's Bay company - which operates The Bay, and Zellers, Canada's premier regular, and economy, respectively, department stores - for similar items. Or, you could try www.sears.com (US) vs. www.sears.ca (CAN) Do remember that Alberta has no provincial sales tax, so the only tax will be the 8% GST. Have fun - Glacier is beautiful. Remember that it is a trans-border park with Canada's portion called Waterton Lakes Provincial Park. Waterton/Glacier will be much less crowded than Jellystone (sorry, but I love Yogi Bear cartoons!), so look for your "peaceful" time there. |
#5
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Paul Harrison wrote:
We're visiting Alberta and Montana in the summer with two teenage girls. Flying to Calgary and travelling down to Yellowstone via Glacier NP and back. Is it cheaper to shop in the USA or Canada? It depends a lot on what you are buying. A lot of things have the same sticker price. The US dollar is worth more than the Canadian dollar, so that makes them cheaper in Canada, though the difference is not as big as it was a year ago. |
#6
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Paul Harrison:
We're visiting Alberta and Montana in the summer with two teenage girls. Flying to Calgary and travelling down to Yellowstone via Glacier NP and back. Is it cheaper to shop in the USA or Canada? I'm not a person who pays a great deal of attention to prices, but as a rule I expect things to be somewhat cheaper in the US, except if they were made in Canada in the first place. However, Calgary is a much larger city than any place else on your route, so depending on what sort of "shopping" you have in mind, it may be the only place that your group will *want* to do it. Note that in most places in the US and Canada, the prices you see marked in stores have sales tax added to them when you pay. However, you are traveling in a district where these taxes are relatively low compared to other states and provinces. According to the first web site I found listing US sales taxes, Montana has none at all, while Wyoming is at 4%, Idaho 6%, and if you get over into Washington it's 6.5%. Alberta has no provincial sales tax, but the Canadian federal value-added tax (called GST) of 7% is added to the price you pay in the same way. But keep your store receipts, because when you leave the country you can apply for a GST refund on purchases you export with you, and I believe also on your hotel room costs in Canada. -- Mark Brader, Toronto | "What Europe needs is a fresh, unused mind." | -- Foreign Correspondent My text in this article is in the public domain. |
#7
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I'm assuming you comming from the UK based on your email. Somethings will be
cheaper in Canada and other things cheaper in the US. Everything will be a lot cheaper that the UK, I doubt you'll care once your here. Happy shopping. Dwayne |
#8
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In article ,
"Paul Harrison" wrote: We're visiting Alberta and Montana in the summer with two teenage girls. Flying to Calgary and travelling down to Yellowstone via Glacier NP and back. Is it cheaper to shop in the USA or Canada? Shop for what? |
#9
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IMPORTANT: TAX REFUND IN CANADA
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tg/rc4031/rc4031-e.html On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 15:14:55 -0500, "Richard" wrote: "Paul Harrison" wrote in message ... We're visiting Alberta and Montana in the summer with two teenage girls. Flying to Calgary and travelling down to Yellowstone via Glacier NP and back. Is it cheaper to shop in the USA or Canada? It depends on what you're buying. A friend from California found some good deals here in Montreal a while ago, but the USD/CAD exchange rate has significantly changed since then. If the girls are looking forward to shopping, you might want to take a bit of time to go to Edmonton while you're in Alberta. The West Edmonton Mall is bigger than any shopping centre you'll find in Montana, or the entire US, for that matter. Richard |
#10
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"Henry" wrote in message ... Claim Guy wrote: Others have pointed out that some products are cheaper in Canada while other things are cheaper in the US. Leaving that comparative pricing issue aside, however, and just looking at how to take maximum advantage of _spending power_, it would seem that the pound should go further in the US rather than north of the border. A fine technical point, but comparative pricing is where it counts. Who cares if they have gained a few more points in purchasing power vs. the US buck if the pants actually cost less in Canada? Your analysis will work as a general rule only if their was relative equality in the net value, to a UK purchaser, of the items at the beginning of your valuation analysis period. |
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