A Lot About Nothing

Okay, I promised to update you on my shopping trip to the States that I went on back on the 24th, so that’s what I’m doing (even though it’s a little late ).

I got some amazing deals, and I’m planning on heading back there again before Christmas, b/c not heading my own advice, I forgot my shopping list at home and forgot to pick up some things I planned on purchasing State-side.

The drive down there was good. We left Toronto around 5am and reached the border around 7. Virtually no line up, so we ended up waiting only 5 minutes for customs to check our citizenship. Then it was off to Erie, PA (Millcreek Mall specifically). Reached the mall around 8:30… great selection of parking spots. First stop was Burlington Coat Factory. I love this store. I saw a nice coat there, but opted to window shop a little more to find the right one. Got a nice pair of dress pants for $7. Marshalls had some great deals as well. I bought myself a gold leather Calvin Klein belt for $15 (regular price $45). Also got a BCBG Max Azria white, sleeveless, turtleneck sweater for $10. Guess what the original retail price was? $110!!! Picked up another sweater as well for $7. Got a software tutorial book I wanted at Borders for $40 (over $70 here). Picked up some Revolon makeup at Big Lots for $2 (I paid $10 for the same thing here in Toronto!) We then stuffed our bellies at Wal-Mart Supercenter (love their $8.99 mixed chicken buckets!).

After we were done in Erie we went on a 1 hour drive to Grove City. I wish we headed there first b/c there were even more deals! All the outlets are outdoors, so thankfully it wasn’t too cold, that we were able to visit most of the stores. The Nike Store was great. I ran out of extra spending money so I couldn’t get the nice Shox that were on sale for $39. They also had hoodies for $20. The GAP had a good sale as well. Sweaters 50% off (sooo comfy!). I finally got some BearPaw winter boots (in my size!) for $50. They are so warm!

We left Grove City around 9pm after packing the SUV with our purchases well and trying to avoid deer along the highway. We reached the Canadian border at 11ish… all nervous about our declarations.  We were waiting in the line at the Peace Bridge for about 15 minutes which wasn’t too bad.  We were honest (well, most of us were) and we had to go in to pay taxes, but it was only $20/person (we all claimed between $150-200). Ironic thing is the girl who bought the most stuff end up only paying $11 (she bought a lot of children’s clothes… so there’s no PST).

All in all a good trip! Next time I just have to make sure I get enough sleep the night before!  P.S. The Hyundai Santa Fe SUV is a dream to drive!

The infamous Black Friday begins in less than one hour. People will start heading towards the malls and outlets in hopes of scoring a big deal. For some Canadians who might be asking “What is Black Friday?” Well it’s a lot like Boxing Day… on steroids.

The day after U.S. Thanksgiving is probably the busiest shopping day of the year. Retailers will mark down prices and get ready to brave the crowds of customers that will enter their store searching for discounted merchandise–just in time for the Christmas season.

Personally, I haven’t been shopping in the U.S. on Black Friday… mainly because I value my life. But this year I’m going to take it a little slowly: Instead of driving down State-side for the official start of Black Friday, I’m going to wait 24 hours and head down to the U.S. on Saturday morning. By then I’m hoping the crowds will be less hectic than the day before, but still hoping that many of the specially-priced items will be in stock.

I opted to head to Pennslyvania, namely Erie and Grove City, because the state is a popular destination for travelers who want tax-free shopping (at least on clothes). I plan to get an early night sleep tomorrow night, wake up at 3am, pick up my shopping buddies and reach Pennsylvania by 7am. Hopefully I’ll miss the border traffic and will get there just in time for when the major malls open to continue the sales.

Are you a Canadian hoping to find some great bargains this weekend? Well here are some tips that I’ve compiled if you’re planning on tackling the crowds:

• Leave early. Why waste 3 hours at the border when you can be shopping? Peak travel time is around 9am, so aim to be at the border crossing by 7am to avoid the rush. Shopping on Black Friday? Then you’ll probably have to aim to be at the border a lot earlier. Walden Galleria opens at 7am this Saturday so you can expect line ups for parking and to enter the mall starting in the wee hours of the morning. You might want to even think about leaving on Thursday night, since some shopping areas like Fashion Outlets Niagara Falls open at midnight that day. If you don’t have a particular door-crasher or big ticket item on your list to buy, then I suggest waiting until Saturday or Sunday to shop for the holidays. The line-ups may be more manageable and some of the sales will still be on.

• Prepare for the journey. Wear comfortable clothes. Don’t forget to eat breakfast and pack a snack. The ride may be long, and the lineups even longer. If you’re dressed for the crowds and have a full stomach you’ll feel prepped to shop. Ladies, make sure your purse doesn’t weigh 10lbs because you’ll be lugging it around all day.

• Mind the bridges. For people crossing the border from the GTA area there are three main bridges to use: Queenston-Lewiston (usually the busiest), Rainbow Bridge and the Peace Bridge. Personally, I opt to take the Peace Bridge… I find it the quickest out of the three. If you want an update on border traffic, jot this number down: 1-800-715-6722 or if you have your Blackberry or laptop with you, you can visit the Border Wait Times link to keep up to date on the traffic.

• Have your documents ready. It’ll be rather unfortunate if you spent 2 hours waiting at the border to head into the U.S. for a day of shopping, only to realize that you were under the false notion that you only needed a driver’s license in order to enter the U.S. Be prepared to be sent back if that’s all you have. A passport is your best bet. As of January 31st of next year a driver’s license along with a birth certificate or citizenship card is needed at the border, or you will be refused entry into the U.S.

• Make a list. This is especially important if you’re traveling via one of the many offered bus shopping tours. Share Newspaper (available in many West Indian shops) always has a long listing of chartered bus organizers. There are also bus companies such as, Safeway Tours and Tai Pan Tours that offer multiple-day shopping trips. These companies make a lot of stops, but that also means that time is limited. Know what you want to buy and try to refrain from browsing too much. I remember I had to put back a nice, sterling-silver necklace at Macy’s because the woman in front of me decided to separate her purchases and hold up the line. The bus might have left me if I didn’t hurry up right then and there. Another good thing about making a list is that you can compare Canadian and U.S. prices. So before you leave for your trip, jot down the approximate amount of that item you wanted to buy. If you see the same item in the States and it’s a lot cheaper (taking into consideration the possible taxes and/or duties you may have to pay on the way back) then pick it up. If you know what you want to buy before you go, then you’ll spend less time wandering aimlessly through the aisles, and that could cut into the time you can spend visiting other stores and getting back into Canada before the traffic piles up in the evening.

• Be nice. Yes, it may feel hard to be cordial at a time when adrenalie is pouding and people are dashing down aisles. But if you’re calm and try not to let other people get to you in a negative way, it’ll make your shopping experience a lot better.

• Use cash. Sure it may be easier to swipe that credit card, but the exchange rate you’ll be charged on those purchases my vary depending on when the transaction is made and posted to the system.

• Leave the kids at home. This is only really applicable for Black Friday shopping. These crowds can become a bit dangerous with hordes of eager shopping waiting to burst through the doors of a store in the morning. Putting a young child in harms way just so you can save $50 on a brand new TV isn’t worth it. Find a babysitter, or wait till the hype dies down.

• Don’t dare. Before the dollar reached parity it was a lot easier to bend the truth about how much you declared on the way back to Canada and not be asked to pay taxes or duties. But now since there’s a myriad of cross-border shoppers, CBSA officers are going to be more thorough and your chances of being sent in the building to pay taxes or searched are increased. Be as honest as possible. Custom officers aren’t stupid. They’re well aware of all the tactics used to smuggle goods into Canada in order to avoid paying taxes and duties. If you say that you spent $50 on a day trip, but really spend $300, have several shopping bags with you and are wearing brand new clothes and shoes, chances are that they’re going to see right through you.

• Don’t litter. Thinking about taking off all the tags and discarding all the boxes from the stuff you purchased? Going to wear old clothes and dash them in the trash and put on the new ones you bought? Think again. If you don’t declare these items at the border and CBSA find out, you have a good chance of these items being seized if you don’t have proof of their origin.

• Be honest. The penalty for making a false declaration is very severe. There’s a large fine for trying to smuggle goods across the border. It’s not worth the hassle of being black-listed (records of infractions are kept for six years) or stopped on future visits just because you wanted to avoid paying the $42 tax on $300 worth of (inexpensive) U.S. goods. If you make a false declaration and are caught, your goods may be seized and you’ll have to pay a hefty amount (25-80% of the total value) in order to get them back. Alcohol and tobacco products are seized permanently if they aren’t declared and custom officials find them. Half the time, even if you do end up paying taxes, you still manage to save money on certain items, compared to their price here in Canada. Just keep in mind that in the end paying taxes helps you as a Canadian.

• Know your stuff. For a same-day trip there’s no tax or duty exemption. That means that you must pay the applicable PST and GST/HST on all US-purchased items on your way back into Canada. Duty is separate from sales tax. Duty depends on the type of item purchased and whether it was made in North America or not. Canadian, American and Mexican-made goods are duty-free. For example, if you purchased a television that was manufactured in China, you’ll have to pay 5% duty on it, along with GST/HST and PST. A pair of shoes made overseas will cost you 17% duty plus taxes. Not all items will be charged tax though. Children’s clothes and groceries (with some limits) for example are PST-free. Things like video games, toys and toasters are duty free.

• Stay a little longer. On a trip more that 24 hours but less than 48 hours in duration, you have a $50 tax exemption (not including alcohol and tobacco). Mind you if you spend $50.01, you have to pay full tax and duty on everything. A 48-hour trip has a $400 exemption, and a trip that’s 7 days or more has a $750 exemption. If you want a better chance of re-entering Canada without having to pay some taxes, up your shopping day trip to a couple of days, and make sure you have receipts to back up your length of stay away. But don’t lie about how long you’ve spent in the States just so you can get a higher tax exemption… they know how long you’ve really been gone.

• Keep your receipts. Have them ready and organized when you reach customs on the way back to Canada so that you can show them to the CBSA agent if asked. An envelope and a calculator may come in handy.

• Answer the questions. When you’re on your way back home from your shopping extravaganza, customs officials are going to ask you questions such as: Where did you visit? How long were you there? What did you bring back with you? How much did you spend? Do you have any alcohol or tobacco? This isn’t a good time to lie, so be honest and you may get lucky and off the tax-hook.

• Do some research. Visit cbsa-asfc.gc.ca for more info on what you need to know when cross-border shopping in the United States. If you want to find out what the sales are going to be like for Black Friday, check out blackfriday.info for ads and deal listings for popular stores.

Millcreek Mall (Erie, PA)
Prime Outlets (Grove City, PA)
Fashion Outlets Niagara Falls (Niagara Falls, NY)
Walden Galleria (Buffalo, NY)

I’d like to thank reporter David Friend of The Canadian Press for giving me the opportunity to provide some of my tips in his article on cross-border shopping. Good luck to all of you heading out this weekend. Stay tuned next month for my Boxing Day tips!

Geez, my body has been put through the wringer this week. As if I wasn’t still sore from my Wednesday basketball game, I just spent my entire Saturday shopping from store to store in Erie, PA. Shopping is a great workout!

I usually go on these bus tour shopping trips once a year, or so. But now that the Canadian dollar has reached parity with it’s U.S. counterpart, I may start doing cross-border shopping a lot more often.

As for the bus trip, I went with an organizer named Sandy. Very knowledgeable woman–knows where to shop and most importantly border regulations. She’s been doing bus tours for years. Round trip cost each person $45CAN. We left Toronto 6:30ish, and reached PA a little after 10am. Luckily the bus wasn’t as packed as it usually is. It was about 1/2 full so everyone got their own double-seat to crash on.

Probably the best bargain I scored was purchasing a hardcover Tupac Shakur Legacy book at Borders Books. This amazing scrapbook, complete with photos, stories and removable reproductions of handwritten song lyrics, poetry and other personal papers has a list price of $59.95CAN ($45.00US). What did I pay for it? $4-freakin-99!!! I’m telling you, I cannot believe that I got this book for that price. I was at the cash paying for my cookbooks (not that I need them, because I’m such a great cook ) and then I turned around and saw the bargain section of books on a piled display. There was the Tupac book with a red discount sticker on it for $4.99. I should’ve picked up the other 2 copies that were left (I gave this copy to my friend when I got back to Toronto as a belated birthday gift because Borders didn’t have a different book in stock). My friend who I was shopping with in Erie picked up Inside Hollywood: The Greatest Celebrity Photos from US Weekly for $4.99 from Borders as well.

Big Lots has some great deals on snack foods. I got a lot of stuff that I can add to my lunch bag when I head to work every day, as well as some spice grinders and Revlon makeup brushes ($1.50!).

At the Burlington Coat Factory in Millcreek Mall, I got this super-cute Deréon bag for $25. I wish I had more time (and money) to spend in Millcreek mall, because I saw a lot of other things that I wanted to purchase as well. Plus the Victoria’s Secret store was so tempting! I was going to purchase a sterling silver sterling cubic zirconia necklace with a cruxifix pendant, but the stupid lady in the line in front of me just had to question and double check each of her perchases with the cashier, ponder about whether to get the item or not, and then ask if she got her discount. She was taking too damn long, so I had to put the necklace back and rush to catch the bus before we headed to our next stop.

Marshalls (Like Winners in Canada) has some good stuff as well. My friend picked up a super-nice Baby Phat bag for $59. I was tempted to pick up a trendy Kathy Van Zeeland bag, but I stopped myself (that’s will-power for you!). Got some sexy gold dress sandals and knock-around flats from Payless for $14 and $9 respectively. I’m glad I did, because Payless’ prices in the U.S. is much cheaper than here in Canada–plus they actually have more of a selection of shoes in my big-foot size. Also got some hair products for my happily nappy hair at Rose Beauty and Fashion (although I wish I had gotten a flat iron).

I was disappointed this time around because we didn’t get to stop at the Wal-Mart Super Center: the last time we went to Erie, I picked up this big bucket of chicken–wings, popcorn chicken, buffalo strips–for $8! But I settled for a sandwich from Subway since my belly was rumbling by the end of my hectic day. Next time I plan on going I’ll make sure to suggest some notable stops (e.g. more mall time).

Time management is everything on these types of trips. The bus has to be back at the Canadian border at a certain time, so your shopping stops and hours are divvied up throughout the day. The tour guide will tell you how much time you have at a certain store, outlet complex or mall and then tell you to make sure that you’re back at the pick-up spot at a certain time. Of course you have some of those careless people who hold everyone up by not heading the rules and coming back late… one of these days luck won’t be on their side when they have to catch a cab to meet back up with the rest of the group after the bus leaves them!

After leaving Erie around 5:30, we got back to Toronto at 8:30pm. The borders were smooth sailing both ways. There were no line ups at customs, probably since it wasn’t a long-weekend.

All-in-all a very good trip. I spent about $200, and for all the stuff I brought home, it was well worth it (thank goodness getting back through customs was problem-free!). The next time I visit the States will most likely be for Black Friday aka a shop-a-holic’s dream–the day after Thanksgiving. But I think I’ll rent a car and drive down with my friends, so we can have more time at the stores we’d like to visit.

When most people think about the Canadian National Exhibition, they usually think of games, rides and food. Why is it that whenever I go there I end up shopping 90% of the time? I love a good bargain. The Warehouse Outlet in the Direct Energy Centre is where I spent most of my time today (even though my main reason for going to The Ex today was to see the Toronto Urban Music Festival, and I reached there too late for that ). But I got so many clothes at a fraction of the price I would’ve paid at the regular store!!! 4 pairs of jeans for $60 and 6 T-shirts for $20 at Bluenotes… 6 pairs of dress pants for $30 at Sirens… and a (fake realistic looking) leather jacket, 2 sweatpants and a t-shirt at Fairweather for $28.

The ride home was brutal though. We had to stand the whole ride back to Union station after a 20 minute wait for a streetcar. I felt sorry for the people the streetcar passed by a few blocks away from the Exhibition grounds because it was so packed.

I’m glad I’m home now though. Maybe I’ll snack on the squished Tiny Tom Dounuts that are in my bag. I also need to make sure I have enough money left over to cover rent.

I’m never in so much anticipation for a mini donut than I am come mid-August. That’s right, The Ex is in town once again, and yours truly had the joy of heading down for the opening festivities today.

Now in it’s 129th year, the Canadian National Exhibition once again brings loads of fun, food and entertainment to the entire family. Ferris wheels, midway games and roller coasters have kicked off at the Exhibition grounds in Toronto and will be there until September 3rd (Labour Day).

With over a million visitors each year, The Ex is sure to provide a wide selection of events for everyone. My visit today consisted of a trip to the Food Building (first and foremost of course). This large establishment is definitely not for the calorie-conscious… so make sure you eat a large, healthy breakfast before you leave your house, so you won’t be tempted to gorge out on fair food the entire day. I had myself a nice mixed veggie roti from one of the Caribbean booths in the multicultural Food Building and a mango bubble tea to wash it down. My cousin, who’s up visiting from Jamaica, got some tasty Chinese food. The Food Building is certainly one of a kind with over 90 vendors.

Of course I had to stop at the infamous Tiny Tom Donuts on the way out of the building. $4 for a dozen of the most delectable morsels of dough… you can’t go wrong! Then it was off to the Warehouse Outlet in the Direct Energy Centre to tackle some shopping. Boy was I glad that I went… I picked up the Scene It DVD game that I was looking for–70% less than the regular price! I also scored some nice deals on summer clothes from BlueNotes and Sirens (Bikini bottoms, 3 for $5!).

Nearby was The Farm which houses every farm animal imaginable, including some adorable piglets and chicks. Watching street performers the Aquarêves walk down Princes’ Boulevard was cool (I wish I knew how to skip and bounce with giant pogo sticks attached to my feet). The Canadian Forces Display was very interesting. I got a chance to put my head through an army tank and sit in the cockpit of a fighter plane! We passed through the midway, being very good not to spend our hard-earned dollars trying to win a 5″ tall stuffed animal. I was tempted to purchase a deep-fried chocolate bar, but then I remembered how many calories and saturated fat I’d be consuming so I passed (and the fact that it cost $6). Also walked by the corndog stand, as much as I wanted one.

I wish I had more time (and energy) to visit the rest of the grounds, but there’s so much to see and do. Perhaps, next time I visit I’ll tackle climbing the rock wall they have up, or try my luck at the Casino. I’d also like to see the International Air Show. I’ll be back for sure before Summer comes to an end. After all I have to meet the stars from The Young and the Restless.

Make sure you visit on one of the 17 remaining days left this year. You won’t be disappointed. Tickets can be purchased online at the official site of The Ex, or on site for $14 (adult) $10 (children/senior). The gates are open from 10am to 10pm daily, with the exception of labour day (10am-7pm).