winston_1

I can't understand why Trader Joe's is objecting to this. Surely sales is sales is profit whoever is buying and wherever it is finally ending up.

scrubbedexpat091

In between trips to the US, I forget just how crappy Canadian grocery stores are, how the selection of items is very poor, and the prices way inflated.

Makes me wan't to move to a border city so I can justify going into the US for groceries and get a job on the US side to be paid in USD, overall I'd be better off that way since the USD is stronger, so I'd actually get a raise being paid in USD vs CAD.

I like to make Mexican dishes, but the selection in BC is poor, and what they do have is high priced. 3.99 for a can of refried beans for example in Canada, 99 cents in the US.

Milk 4.70 or so right now in Canada, was 2.50 in the US.

2.5 pounds of cheese 7.99, would be 17.99 or so around here depending on sales.

With wages in Washington state pretty much on par with BC now for my level of jobs, the only benefit to being north of the border now is healthcare and my girlfriend, had I not met her and were still single, I'd seriously consider moving back to the US, its changed for the better on the west coast and the huge wage gap that once existed between California and Washington compared to BC is no longer there, those states have all done large increases in min. wage which has seen wages go up in general as well, 11 hr in the US goes a lot further then 11.hr in BC does.

Even with the exchange rate taken into consideration almost all food is still cheaper south of the border.

I am just not sure (haven't done the math) if there is any savings from my location once the gas to get there and back is accounted for, costs about 11 dollars in gas one way at today's prices in Canada.

But if you lived on the border and it was only a 30 minute drive, its likely worth it still.

After taking into account the exchange rate today, based on the gas prices I paid last night on the US side, gas is still 1.48 a gallon cheaper, which is a 17 dollar savings vs getting gas in Canada.

I need to live along the border again....lol...

Steve_

Are you just being intentionally dense? He's bringing it all up from Bellingham, which is within easy driving distance of Vancouver, yet he's able to make money by getting people to go down there and fetch it and put a mark-up on it. Strongly indicates (a) prices in Vancouver must be pretty high for that to work and (b) selection in Vancouver isn't that great for people to bother to buy it. And it's in essence an Aldi, not "speciality". Aldi is about as unspecial as it gets, as Oink pointed out.

Oink

But it stinks of hippies.

beckiwoo

I shop at Costco mainly. Occasionally Safeway and the superstore as well. I also go to dollarama for my dry goods.

I can shop pretty cheaply but I don't have the diet I had in the UK (although more healthier without the cheese and meat).

caretaker

Insults?
Read the article in your own link. I know where Bellingham is - I've been there. This guys service is just a shortcut for cross-border shoppers. Does it cost anything to drive there and back with groceries? Are you being intentionally dense? I've worked in stores and they were universally motivated by profit. The population of Vancouver barely floats one little store and you think it proves a point? What do you want? The population of Vancouver which has traditionally contained a large contingent of ex-pats couldn't keep the Marks & Spencer store open there but I wouldn't try to say it's because their goods were trash. Without first hand knowledge that would be stupid.

winston_1

What about the lower crime rate, sensible gun laws, and the fact that Canada feels so much nicer and more relaxed?

Oink

They were a bit shite tbh.

caretaker

I only went in once and never bought anything and it was long ago; specialised market.

bats

There used to be an M and S in Peterborough but they only sold stodgy middle class clothes and a few items of food. Marks and Sparks went through a bad phase and that's when they closed all their Canadian stores.

Shard

Where was the Vancouver M&S located ?

scrubbedexpat091

Canada feels no nicer or more relaxed then anywhere else I have lived. Never experienced crime in 25 years in the US, although I have experienced crime in Canada. Haven't experienced any sort of gun crime in the US, I don't agree with the gun laws there, but at the end of the day, they really don't affect my life daily, and well California has pretty strict gun laws.

I like Canada, my partner is Canadian, and I have a reason to stay here, but financially it would certainly be easier to survive in the US even in a high cost state like California because all the essentials to living is more affordable except healthcare which is really the only sticking point because of its high cost.

I find Costco more expensive for most food items or on par with Save On, I do buy select things there that are cheaper, but I haven't found them to be all that great in Canada price wise. Super Store is decent though, we just don' have one here.

caretaker

Mid Granville east side of the street iirc. The Scottish butcher with the sign "We Hae Meat That Ye Can Eat" was on the west side.

Shard

Ok thanks. Don't remember any of that.

Oink

The supermarkets suck I grant you but the Urban Fare do a tasting food and wine weekend which is this weekend and quite fun if you smile nicely at the girls giving out the wine.