I go a few times a week, I don't buy much in Canada at all if I can help it. There is no exemption if you're away <24hrs though, although at this border crossing you seem to get away with up to about 400 dollars-ish. When we used to cross in Manitoba we routinely had to pay on anything much over 50-60 dollars, so the generosity doesn't apply cross-Canada!

Today I brought back and declared 230 USD, I only had to pay excise/gst/pst/provincial liquor markup fee (what?!) on the wine, the rest was "free".

Edit: you asked about Target - no Target in Canada but ones near the border take Canadian dollars, and they're amenable to Canadian residents having their credit/points card.

Have now seen several stores mentioned for Alberta and Calgary but anyone out there who shops in New Brunswick, particularly the Fredericton/Moncton areas.

Lynne

I agree 100% on the Fashion and Furniture shopping, it seems to be stuck in the 80's at best. But style is available, its in the smaller designer stores, at a high price tag.

But the food here is at least as good as Tesco's was when I went back last month, and far better displayed, and around the same price. We have Safeways (the priciest) then Sobeys then Great Canadian Superstore, plus the likes of Extra Foods. We also have a lot of Asian supermarkets.

What we don't get is the wonderful pre-prepared convenience foods like Tesco's Finest and M&S. Sandwiches bought in a store are CRAP, and I include Subway and Quizno's in that generalisation too.

Many people have responded with specific points, so I'll add some general observations. Canada is a very large country, with a disporportionately small population. There are more people living in California than in all of Canada. This poses a problem for sellers of perishable items like fruit and vegetables. The distances are great, the market is small. Vendors are doing their best in terms of trying to provide a product at a reasonable price. But Canadians are unlikley ever to enjoy top-quality produce at low prices in the winter.

And wherever you live in the world you will never have EVERYTHING!

Perhaps when we start our new life in Canada I will have to have a vegetable patch and grow my own.

Lynne

Thats right! Transporter technology is still a young science in North America so we still use trucks and trains here

Like a lot of people in Canada, I freeze stuff. When local produce is in season and becomes available at the market or in the shops, it's relatively cheap and very fresh. My freezer is full of various berries and veggies.

Hi Lynne

I live in Moncton and though I hate to admit (as everything else is so good) I have found the quality of food at the supermarkets varies a lot. I am usually an ASDA shopper in the UK and though WalMart sells George clothes the similarity ends there. Fruit and vegetables are much more seasonal and the quality varies lots. I never buy on the last day anymore as the stuff turns to mulch pretty quick (probably because it has been shipped from California or somewhere).

We find the quality of the meet is usually better here though price is on a par. Chicken is pretty crap for some reason and comparably expensive. Some of the local farmers markets are over priced but the road side stalls are cost effective and excellent quality. We buy some veg from the farmers market as we try to be environmentally supportive when we can. There are loads of good potatoes (we are close to PEI!) and turnips and pumpkins abound but to a restricted timeline. Carrots and broccoli rule most of the year here. You know what I say, buy the frozen stuff and celebrate the difference!

One thing we do miss is Taramasalata. No-one over here has ever heard of it and I love it. Nothing like popping in to ASDA and picking up a tub and fresh french bread. Better have a Timmies instead.

Final word on shopping - Moncton has a huge shopping mall - people come from hours away to shop at Champlain Mall, there are other out of town shops (mainly at Trinity) and lots of choice. I like Frenchies (a budget chain) which is a mix of second hand and new clothing toys etc. Bought some Calvin Klein jeans there (brand new with label) for $4!

hope this helps.

Tanya

If only....
I used to buy lots of clothes from Primark, my colleagues at work would take the p1ss out of me but for every day work clothes, and for children you could not go wrong.
I spent ages last week trying to find some short sleeved sports 'polo' shirts, in the end I went to the Georges section in Walmart

Well, how to put it? Increasingly in the 21st C, the 20th C practice of trucking or even flying produce half way round the world will just simply have to stop. Get out your pickling jars and use good old 19th C techniques to help fight climate change while you still can.

Novo.

Tanya

Thank you so much for your response, it was a big help.

Don't particularly want to hijack the thread as its a really useful one but would like to know what you think of Moncton and how well you've settled. Would you mind if I contacted you via pm?

Lynne

Plenty of lovely fresh fruit and veg here and great farmers markets too (seasonal of course). My favourite supermarkets are Atlantic Superstore and Sobeys. We get weekly flyers in our mailbox detailing all the local stores best buys of the week.

You can now buy Boots No 7 cosmetics and skin care from Shoppers Drugmart.

I would have to disagree with this post. I much prefer shopping in Vancouver than the UK. Women's clothing is more reasonable and frankly I prefer the fasion. However, it really depends upon your personal preferences.

With regards to food, after reading this forum I presumed that food shopping would be more expensive than the UK. We spend the past 4 years in the UK. Well my husband and I were pleasantly surprised to find out that our shopping bill is cheaper here (in the suburds of Vancouver and the quality of food is much higher). Now we don't shop at Safeway, but rather Superstore and the various local produce markets. The type of food that we eat may differ from other people on this forum, but I can say that the quality and choice from our perspective is so much better than Tescos or Asada. I really didn't like Asadas or Tescos as I could never find what I wanted. Mind you we tend not to buy traditional British foods (we are not British so no baked beans etc) and we don't tend to buy premade foods.

Julie

I entirely agree with this post. Absolutely nothing wrong with the quality or price here, in fact I'd go so far as to say it's superior to anything I found in the supermarkets in the UK (and I just got back from there). But, I will say there is far less variety here. If you like packaged and convenience foods (and who doesn't, be honest) Asda and especially the M&S foodhall is to die for. Here, I shop mainly Safeway for quality, with a regular trip to Superstore for cheaper items and to stock up on cereals and cleaning products. Small corner greengrocers for all my fresh veg and fruit, and nearly all is local produce. But I so enjoyed, in the UK, being able to lay on a 3-course dinner all from packets, and it tasted good!!