Prices

This lamp is $79.99 at IKEA Canada. It is 59.99 at IKEA USA.




This make-up strip is $21.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart in Toronto. It is $9.99 at Walmart in the US.


When I was little, I used to hear people drive all the way to Buffalo once or twice a year to shop, and I've always been incredulous...can prices be THAT different in the US? The thing is, it's not even the prices, but also the variety.

Ever since I moved into my own place here in Toronto, I've been looking for household items based on my previous experience home shopping in Boston. I was often online looking for things I thought would complement the house, while finding the cheapest prices. Buying things online were also extremely easy. No shipping fees, no tax, straight to the door, cheaper than actually going to the store.

Now? I have resorted to bringing a rather empty suitcase when I have a business trip to the US; drive down to a Target or a Walmart (and sometimes Sephora and Bath and Body Works) and find things that I can lug back to Toronto in my suitcase. Last time, I bought a bathroom shelf that goes behind the toilet from Target for $25 USD. It came dissembled in a box that just fit my suitcase and I lugged it back. If I were to have bought it at Canadian Tire, it would have cost me at least $60 plus tax.

These are the type of things I miss about living in the US...the convenience, the choices, the price. Yes, it's a country meant for consumers.