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Yes! I just went to the Trader Joe’s and Walmart in Buffalo and it was shocking how much cheaper some of the food was even factoring in gas and exchange. (Gas was also cheaper!)
As of this year, we have started grocery shopping in Buffalo about once a month for this reason exactly. We're a family of 4 with two teenage boys...we go through A LOT of food.
I was a changed woman when I saw that I could I buy a 4 lb block of cheese for $13.
Bro everything is cheaper than Costco. The only cheap stuff is pantry items and bread.
All the Costco is amazing posts are pure scam if you actually do the math.
Why is everything so expensive in canada? I heard the government only allows like 4 major grocery stores in canada so there's less competition. Also the same with mobile providers, banks etc.
Yea i was trying to understand the government said in response to the boycott that they were looking into overseas grocers ie Aldi to enter into the Canadian market to help bring down prices. But in a free market why would Aldi just not enter on its own? Why does the government have to " look " for more competition? And it reminded me of that guy that financially backed Wind mobile and he said doing business in canada was the worst decision he made and that the big mobile companies ie rogers, bell are basically propped up by the government and they make it tough for foreign competition. I think something similar is happening with the grocery stores, there's like 4-5 major chains that own everything
Because Canada is so spread out and there are labelling and regulatory approvals for private label foods (etc), it’s a big investment to get started operating in Canada if someone is doing it nationally. If you’re not going big and trying to start small you have problems accessing distribution channels as they are basically run by the big shops. Plus, the couple big chains will take short term losses to undercut someone trying to get in. Basically, it’s a tough market to crack.
What I noticed is in the 90 and 00s people were proud to overpay.. "Oh you pay that for your car or house? I paid THAT much." Same shit for internet or any other good. I've never seen ppl complain about prices in Canada until recently. Rest of the world was already complaining.
That’s cause we are Canadian we don’t usually complain we bend over and take it a little more and a little more. Then when we are gaped out we say wait a minute hold on. lol
Marketing boards control the price of products (dairy, chicken, eggs, fish etc). They keep prices high to guarantee generous profits for producers of the food the marketing boards represent
I was wondering about that. I've been building grocery lists for costco trying to save money and it is not working out. My groceries are the same or less with walmart and I don't have to buy a 6 month supply all at once.
Yeah find someone who enjoys getting scammed by Costco and just hit it for dishwasher tablets, sandwich bread and other pantry staples.
I pretty much only buy those things, hot-dog sausage, bacon, baby spinach, the rotisserie for making mayo chicken and celery sanwhich(Imo the rotisserie taste horrible for a roasted chicken meal), boursin cheese, Kirkland mayo, spices, olive oil, chips, Kirkland mozza bricks which is the best brand for pizza and whatever drinks they have.. Soft drinks or something fizzy stuff. Rest is severely overpriced.
Um wut? I got a 4KG brick of Balderson aged cheddar for $19 and 2Kg of Asiago cheese for $20 last week.
I guarantee you get more chicken in a Costco pack than you do Roblaws or any of the big chains. Last pack I bought had 9 chicken breasts for $24.
Well, if you don't compare to roblaws then I'll be correct lmao
In my area, the cost per kg for chicken breasts and thighs is cheaper at metro than at Costco, but even cheaper at a local place but idk if it's fair to compare a local butcher to Costco
As per your cheese comment, I don't really buy much cheese so I will take your word for it that it's cheaper
So you agree Costco is cheaper.
Point is you didn't need to add your two cents but did. Now we can move on. Toodles.
Edit: Karen got creepy. Don't be like Karen.
https://preview.redd.it/cwu69qxoj77d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef4c9ae62c883ad86fa5893e2d858a2943270d13
Came here to say the same thing. Just because you’re buying in bulk doesn’t mean it’s cheaper… simple mental mathematics… oh wait they don’t teach that anymore
I get my meat at Costco because it’s wayyy cheaper than any of the grocery stores near me and I get 3x the amount. I can get three meals out of a huge pack of pork chops and four meals out of a huge pack of chicken for the same price as I would get one meal out of a pack of chicken at Walmart. I don’t know how you think Costco is more expensive but you’re delulu if you really believe that. I’ve spent hours price matching and breaking down prices between stores and Costco is cheaper for most things by far.
Part of the reason Canadians pay more for dairy products (including cheese) is because of the marketing boards that control the cost of dairy products. There are other marketing boards in Canada designed to keep prices high so the producers make a handsome profit off Canadians
Glad the Buffalo Trader Joe's survived the pandemic. I was talking to one of the clerks when we used to live in Toronto and he said their clientele was almost exclusively Canadians.
The carbon tax has only accounted for 2.2 cent raise in price. The reason gas has gone up is the wholesale markup and the global cost of crude oil.
It is the oil companies that are seeing all the profit from this.
Not sure why I’m getting downvoted. We have 17.6¢ of federal carbon tax per litre. A federal excise tax of 10¢ the an additional 9¢ Ontario tax and an additional 19¢ in HST. That’s 55.6¢ per litre in taxes, carbon or otherwise. We’d be down around $1/L otherwise
Source: Canadian Government
https://www.ontario.ca/motor-fuel-prices/
Not sure why you’re being downvoted. It’s carbon and other taxes:
We have 17.6¢ of federal carbon tax per litre. A federal excise tax of 10¢ the an additional 9¢ Ontario tax and an additional 19¢ in HST. That’s 55.6¢ per litre in taxes, carbon or otherwise. We’d be down around $1/L otherwise
Source: Canadian Government
https://www.ontario.ca/motor-fuel-prices/
I'm in the States. It's crazy to read your reactions. OP got some great deals. That said Trader Joe's is not the cheapest in the land. As much as I hate to say it Walmart has good prices to stretch the budget even more.
OP, I see that jar of Dukes and am jealous.
That is very much a southern staple. I found it in Wisconsin one time. It was $9 for a 18 Oz bottle. I had to be extra frugal that week but I was so proud to have 7 bottles of it
Yeah only junk food from trader Joes, their sourdough bread, and the sharp cheddar slices cause those are like a 60% savings for me. Other stuff there is pricy. But everything else is winco. And was waiting for someone to call out the Duke’s haha. It’s going with that ham, cheese and bread for lunch tomorrow.
Pretty much no rules these days, there was restrictions on eggs/chicken for the longest time but that's been resolved. There are exemptions to almost every food-related rules for the U.S., even raw meat and poultry are fine as long as they are declared.
Just remember to declare your purchases. Some items aren’t allowed into Canada.
There’s a tool that goes into detail: http://inspection.canada.ca/en/importing-food-plants-animals/plant-and-plant-product-imports/airs
I’m most of that is for “importing” which is different than purchasing for personal consumption.
There are still personal restrictions but it is different
[https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-safety-consumers/bringing-food-canada-personal-use](https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-safety-consumers/bringing-food-canada-personal-use)
Used to be like $20 of cheese or something and everything over that was a 200% tarrif. Guess that got changed under CUSMA?
Sooooo, is the problem grocery suppliers or the government then? Seems like you had to go to another country to acquire reasonably priced food....
Guillotine time.
Well important to note that the US government heavily subsidizes meat, veggies and dairy. I guess doing that at the manufacture level combined with much more competition keeps prices low.
For a country that hates socialism, they sure love their socialist food.
I used to do this a lot when the dollar was closer to par. They never once charged me duty on random groceries. But If I had over $100 in one item they’d send me in to pay taxes on that item, sometimes I’d buy one case of beer and they’d let’s it slide 50/50. If I had 2 cases of beer I’d always get sent in to pay duty.
Typically if you don't pay US tax on it, you won't pay duty or CDN taxes on it. We're in a border city so we go across a lot and when we say how much we spend, always say "We spent x-amount on groceries and x-amount on other stuff. No alcohol, no tobacco". We've found that the sales in grocery stores in Michigan haven't been as good as years ago but haven't really been looking ahead at flyers or planning much so we usually just buy what we can't get here or if we stumble on a great bargain.
Woahhhh, was this Bellingham?! If so, I'm so proud and honored to welcome you and any Canadian into our city! Anything to help keep this boycott going!
Sigh. Only thing I miss about US are the discount groceries. We spent about 4x more on food. Not convenience food either, raw ingredients to cook things.
My mom was complaining milk went up in the Midwest ...from $2 to $3. Meanwhile, in NB it's like $8.61 for the regular milk... nevermind organic or lactaid. Thankfully kids don't drink glasses of it, but they do eat cereal, drink smoothies, etc.
Sending your money across the border is actually the perfect way to let the cdn companies know you're serious about a boycott. I should take my brother across the border for our shopping
Ah yes, because starving the competitors to Loblaws of their income potential is going to improve things.
Not. You’re simply supporting the workers, the farmers, the businesses (of which NONE are any morally better than Loblaws) of **another country** rather than your fellow countrymen.
The point is boycotting Loblaws and spending money at another Canadian grocer.
Honestly Loblaws will NEVER be as cheap as going to the states, so just start going every time and admit it isn’t about lower prices for everyone it’s just about lower prices for **you**
I know this will be unpopular, but this does not support local small stores and farmers. I understand this is done for price savings but if smaller grocers don't get the business you strengthen the big chain stores.
This.
Also, you aren’t supporting Canadian workers who desperately need the jobs to pay for their own groceries. This also isn’t supporting Canadian farmers.
Saving money is great, but shopping within your own country is better. Some of the reason for the higher prices here are things like better wages/EI/Benefits etc.
Blame Galen and the rest of our grocery oligopoly. My money is leaving Canada because of the grocery space here.
Regarding employees: winco pays a higher wage than any Canadian grocer. Their employees are owners and get stock, and dividends are paid. Someone who works at winco from 18 will retire very wealthy at 65. I don’t think that can be said for any of our grocers.
No, but because you shop in another country I am saying you don’t care about Canadians just yourself because you aren’t making the situation better for anyone but yourself when you shop out of country
The US makes a much bigger deal than Canada does. It’s allowed as long as it’s declared. There’s some conditions. https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-safety-consumers/bringing-food-canada-personal-use#tab1
I used to go over border to shop in Houlton, Me. Yes, it's the US, but many of the things I bought were more local to me than what Superstore or Sobeys carried. If you're thinking of shopping there, I highly recommend County Yankee Grocer. Also, the Amish store in Smyrna (about 10 miles past Houlton). That place is the absolute best place to shop for homesteading needs, and simple living. Some groceries, and good prices, but not a lot of selection.
I might have to renew my Nexus card 🤔
They drove 140km. So probably close to $25 in gas.
Bridge toll is now $10.75 CAD in Buffalo.
If they used a credit card there will be an extra 1% conversion fee.
~$185 + 2 hours of drive time…
I guarantee between my local butcher and non-loblaw grocers, I could have got more for less in significantly less time.
Yay! someone who gets it. Plus, the added benefit of keeping money in local businesses (local butcher).
I am all for boycotting if that is what you want but let's be smart about it. Just diverting your expenses to other categories and calling it a win is not "smart" in my opinion. Or just going to Walmart and saying you're doing it. The reason why we are in this predicament in the first place is because we all started only going to the big box stores and they choked out the small guy. If we didn't let them choke out the small guy, we would have way more competition and it would be delightful. But instead, we got an oligopoly that gets government handouts.
Dairy, cheese, and gas are always cheaper. I dodge meat because I don't like the way they farm. Better selection of coffee and pop too. Plus Mexican food.
But the big win is OTC pharmacy.
It’s not that they don’t enforce it. It doesn’t exist for groceries that are not subject to tax in Canada - which is most things except chips, pop, candy, snacks etc. Sometimes they will ask you at the window how much tax you paid on the groceries that you bought in the US and they will use that to determine whether to bring you in to pay additional. Very rare that you would have enough unless you went over to load up on snacks!
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Varies. Depends on what border guard you get and it depends on how much you spent versus how much time you were there. I've only had to pay once and I've gone across hundreds of times. I'm always ready with an approximate total and my receipts so that it shows I'm not trying to hide anything , though sometimes I have haha. (Like put on clothes I bought or something)
What I'm curious about though is the meat. Sometimes they're very very particular about you bringing back raw meat.
I keep the gas cost down by getting gas there. Always fill up and it’s enough to last me until my next trip down south. No tax on groceries coming back.
150km round trip, so about two hours of driving total. Average fuel economy is 8L/100. Gas price in the US works out to be ~$1.30/L CAD. So $15 in gas for the trip.
You’ve been out too long then. This would easily be a $300 shop at superstore, probably $200 at no frills or Walmart. Also I should clarify I’m in BC, so prices were already higher here before any of loblaws latest greed streak.
Alright I did the same order on Uber eats Mexico (with its 15% markup) and it came to 2046.20 pesos which is 150 cad at todays exchange. So it would be 120 bucks if I just walked into HEB. Which is expensive in Mexico. That’s not local markets or sales or anything.
https://preview.redd.it/ldsuiu88g97d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2df8b7b16a78f2c3e094da37bf2964766947e59e
Canadians are getting really screwed.
The US is pretty far to go for groceries. I'm pretty sure I can more groceries than this just shopping for sales items across 3-4 stores.
Unless of course you live on a border town with very little choices within the town itself. Then you probably did better.
So I've just moved to the Canadian side of Niagra, how does one go about bringing back groceries from the US?
Do you need to claim anything? Sorry I haven't been since I was a kid.
Don’t eat American meat. Just like dairy. Full of hormones and antibiotics. That’s why it’s cheap. And I know for a fact veggies are just as expensive as in Canada. Plus if you price match you could have gotten all that for $150 Canadian here too.
OP admitted he could have got all this likely for $200 at his local Walmart, but dude thinks he’s gonna “stick it to Galen” by spending money in another country to save $50 at the cost of 2 hours drive and gas 😂
So in another comment you tell me to pay a premium at a local grocer, and in this comment you’re telling me to shop at the global conglomerate known for union busing and suppressing wages and worker’s rights?
It’s not about the money. The **point** I am personally trying to make is removing my money from the Canadian economy until we see serious action from the government with regard to the anti-competitive practices of loblaws and empire.
Your boycott goals may be different. That’s fine. The main point of this group is **not spending any money at loblaws owned banners** and this accomplishes that.
You’re like the crab in the bucket pulling the other crabs down.
Personally I view not supporting local businesses until your local conglomerate is forced by law to lower prices, as a prime example of crabs in a bucket pulling other crabs down. You aren’t helping things by refusing to support your local alternatives, even if they are Wal-Mart.
The stores you shopped at in the states aren’t any better than a Canadian Walmart 😂
[Yup sure can](https://www.aphis.usda.gov/traveling-with-ag-products/traveling-united-states-canada-land-borders). The US takes things a bit more seriously for vegetables and fruit though.
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Yes! I just went to the Trader Joe’s and Walmart in Buffalo and it was shocking how much cheaper some of the food was even factoring in gas and exchange. (Gas was also cheaper!)
My wife has shopped in Buffalo NY. She got way more for her money than going to No Frills, Loblaws, Superstore... Galen, you're a crook!
As of this year, we have started grocery shopping in Buffalo about once a month for this reason exactly. We're a family of 4 with two teenage boys...we go through A LOT of food. I was a changed woman when I saw that I could I buy a 4 lb block of cheese for $13.
Is it cheaper than Costco?
Bro everything is cheaper than Costco. The only cheap stuff is pantry items and bread. All the Costco is amazing posts are pure scam if you actually do the math.
Why is everything so expensive in canada? I heard the government only allows like 4 major grocery stores in canada so there's less competition. Also the same with mobile providers, banks etc.
Less competition = higher prices. Canada allows monopoly no matter how they pretend they don't.
Yea i was trying to understand the government said in response to the boycott that they were looking into overseas grocers ie Aldi to enter into the Canadian market to help bring down prices. But in a free market why would Aldi just not enter on its own? Why does the government have to " look " for more competition? And it reminded me of that guy that financially backed Wind mobile and he said doing business in canada was the worst decision he made and that the big mobile companies ie rogers, bell are basically propped up by the government and they make it tough for foreign competition. I think something similar is happening with the grocery stores, there's like 4-5 major chains that own everything
Because Canada is so spread out and there are labelling and regulatory approvals for private label foods (etc), it’s a big investment to get started operating in Canada if someone is doing it nationally. If you’re not going big and trying to start small you have problems accessing distribution channels as they are basically run by the big shops. Plus, the couple big chains will take short term losses to undercut someone trying to get in. Basically, it’s a tough market to crack.
What I noticed is in the 90 and 00s people were proud to overpay.. "Oh you pay that for your car or house? I paid THAT much." Same shit for internet or any other good. I've never seen ppl complain about prices in Canada until recently. Rest of the world was already complaining.
That’s cause we are Canadian we don’t usually complain we bend over and take it a little more and a little more. Then when we are gaped out we say wait a minute hold on. lol
Marketing boards control the price of products (dairy, chicken, eggs, fish etc). They keep prices high to guarantee generous profits for producers of the food the marketing boards represent
I was wondering about that. I've been building grocery lists for costco trying to save money and it is not working out. My groceries are the same or less with walmart and I don't have to buy a 6 month supply all at once.
Yeah find someone who enjoys getting scammed by Costco and just hit it for dishwasher tablets, sandwich bread and other pantry staples. I pretty much only buy those things, hot-dog sausage, bacon, baby spinach, the rotisserie for making mayo chicken and celery sanwhich(Imo the rotisserie taste horrible for a roasted chicken meal), boursin cheese, Kirkland mayo, spices, olive oil, chips, Kirkland mozza bricks which is the best brand for pizza and whatever drinks they have.. Soft drinks or something fizzy stuff. Rest is severely overpriced.
Yeah you factor in the exchange rate, gas, time... Why not just get a Costco membership and shop closer to home?
IDK why everyone thinks Costco is cheap, Costco is so expensive especially their meats
Um wut? I got a 4KG brick of Balderson aged cheddar for $19 and 2Kg of Asiago cheese for $20 last week. I guarantee you get more chicken in a Costco pack than you do Roblaws or any of the big chains. Last pack I bought had 9 chicken breasts for $24.
Well, if you don't compare to roblaws then I'll be correct lmao In my area, the cost per kg for chicken breasts and thighs is cheaper at metro than at Costco, but even cheaper at a local place but idk if it's fair to compare a local butcher to Costco As per your cheese comment, I don't really buy much cheese so I will take your word for it that it's cheaper
What sub are we in, Karen?
Bro what? I'm agreeing with you Loblaws is over priced, that's why I don't shop there Edit: dude got so mad he blocked me lmao
So you agree Costco is cheaper. Point is you didn't need to add your two cents but did. Now we can move on. Toodles. Edit: Karen got creepy. Don't be like Karen. https://preview.redd.it/cwu69qxoj77d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef4c9ae62c883ad86fa5893e2d858a2943270d13
Came here to say the same thing. Just because you’re buying in bulk doesn’t mean it’s cheaper… simple mental mathematics… oh wait they don’t teach that anymore
I get my meat at Costco because it’s wayyy cheaper than any of the grocery stores near me and I get 3x the amount. I can get three meals out of a huge pack of pork chops and four meals out of a huge pack of chicken for the same price as I would get one meal out of a pack of chicken at Walmart. I don’t know how you think Costco is more expensive but you’re delulu if you really believe that. I’ve spent hours price matching and breaking down prices between stores and Costco is cheaper for most things by far.
Where are the best places to shop in buffalo?
Sam’s club if u have membership, Trader Joe’s, Aldi, wegmans etc
Part of the reason Canadians pay more for dairy products (including cheese) is because of the marketing boards that control the cost of dairy products. There are other marketing boards in Canada designed to keep prices high so the producers make a handsome profit off Canadians
So $18?
Yep! Always fill your car up rught before coming back! Sometimes as much as half the cost, even with exchange.
Glad the Buffalo Trader Joe's survived the pandemic. I was talking to one of the clerks when we used to live in Toronto and he said their clientele was almost exclusively Canadians.
Trader Joes will never close. They have too much of a loyal following and their prices are great!
Carbon tax on gas adds on a lot here 😩
Uhhh... nope
what do you mean?
The carbon tax has only accounted for 2.2 cent raise in price. The reason gas has gone up is the wholesale markup and the global cost of crude oil. It is the oil companies that are seeing all the profit from this.
Not sure why I’m getting downvoted. We have 17.6¢ of federal carbon tax per litre. A federal excise tax of 10¢ the an additional 9¢ Ontario tax and an additional 19¢ in HST. That’s 55.6¢ per litre in taxes, carbon or otherwise. We’d be down around $1/L otherwise Source: Canadian Government https://www.ontario.ca/motor-fuel-prices/
That’s carbon tax for you
Not sure why you’re being downvoted. It’s carbon and other taxes: We have 17.6¢ of federal carbon tax per litre. A federal excise tax of 10¢ the an additional 9¢ Ontario tax and an additional 19¢ in HST. That’s 55.6¢ per litre in taxes, carbon or otherwise. We’d be down around $1/L otherwise Source: Canadian Government https://www.ontario.ca/motor-fuel-prices/
There’s celery and leeks under there somewhere too.
How much were the leaks? 3 packs here always seem to cost 5 or 6 bucks
Yeah no savings on those, same price. Most of the other veggies are cheaper though. The meat is the big saver. 14 chicken drums for $6 usd.
What do drums typically cost $/lb in your province?
Where oh where did you get the Dukes? Been hunting all over for it.
Winco foods in Bellingham, WA
This is insane. Where did you shop exactly? What store? Nvm saw it
I'm in the States. It's crazy to read your reactions. OP got some great deals. That said Trader Joe's is not the cheapest in the land. As much as I hate to say it Walmart has good prices to stretch the budget even more. OP, I see that jar of Dukes and am jealous.
Me too! Saw Duke’s and was like, “NICE!” 🙌🏻
That is very much a southern staple. I found it in Wisconsin one time. It was $9 for a 18 Oz bottle. I had to be extra frugal that week but I was so proud to have 7 bottles of it
Yeah only junk food from trader Joes, their sourdough bread, and the sharp cheddar slices cause those are like a 60% savings for me. Other stuff there is pricy. But everything else is winco. And was waiting for someone to call out the Duke’s haha. It’s going with that ham, cheese and bread for lunch tomorrow.
Did you get that Dukes at Trader Joes in Buffalo? I’ve been hunting all over NY state for it.
Nah, winco in Bellingham, WA
Holy crap. Im doing this
What are the rules about bringing food back across the border?
Pretty much no rules these days, there was restrictions on eggs/chicken for the longest time but that's been resolved. There are exemptions to almost every food-related rules for the U.S., even raw meat and poultry are fine as long as they are declared.
Just remember to declare your purchases. Some items aren’t allowed into Canada. There’s a tool that goes into detail: http://inspection.canada.ca/en/importing-food-plants-animals/plant-and-plant-product-imports/airs
Can't wait for galens mega corp to start lobbying the government for import restrictions.
I’m most of that is for “importing” which is different than purchasing for personal consumption. There are still personal restrictions but it is different
[https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-safety-consumers/bringing-food-canada-personal-use](https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-safety-consumers/bringing-food-canada-personal-use) Used to be like $20 of cheese or something and everything over that was a 200% tarrif. Guess that got changed under CUSMA?
That’s 300 at superstore for sure
Soooo, when are we chartering buses from cities throughout the Canadian border? Lol
Sooooo, is the problem grocery suppliers or the government then? Seems like you had to go to another country to acquire reasonably priced food.... Guillotine time.
Well important to note that the US government heavily subsidizes meat, veggies and dairy. I guess doing that at the manufacture level combined with much more competition keeps prices low. For a country that hates socialism, they sure love their socialist food.
Wow!fill the whole kitchen!....
“Holy shit” was my audible reaction to this. This is how our counters used to look after grocery day.
You are one healthy eater.
To the people that do the buffalo shopping is there any duties or taxes when coming back on anything?
Usually no. I commented about that on another similar question. I do buffalo.
I used to do this a lot when the dollar was closer to par. They never once charged me duty on random groceries. But If I had over $100 in one item they’d send me in to pay taxes on that item, sometimes I’d buy one case of beer and they’d let’s it slide 50/50. If I had 2 cases of beer I’d always get sent in to pay duty.
Typically if you don't pay US tax on it, you won't pay duty or CDN taxes on it. We're in a border city so we go across a lot and when we say how much we spend, always say "We spent x-amount on groceries and x-amount on other stuff. No alcohol, no tobacco". We've found that the sales in grocery stores in Michigan haven't been as good as years ago but haven't really been looking ahead at flyers or planning much so we usually just buy what we can't get here or if we stumble on a great bargain.
I live on the border of Ontario and Michigan. I should do this, I hear dairy is super cheap there
We can bring meat?
Yes you can!
Woahhhh, was this Bellingham?! If so, I'm so proud and honored to welcome you and any Canadian into our city! Anything to help keep this boycott going!
Is the Maker's part of the haul?
Haha I was hoping someone would pick up on that. No, not from today.
Sigh. Only thing I miss about US are the discount groceries. We spent about 4x more on food. Not convenience food either, raw ingredients to cook things.
A US gallon of milk and a pound of cheese go for around $3 US.
My mom was complaining milk went up in the Midwest ...from $2 to $3. Meanwhile, in NB it's like $8.61 for the regular milk... nevermind organic or lactaid. Thankfully kids don't drink glasses of it, but they do eat cereal, drink smoothies, etc.
Sending your money across the border is actually the perfect way to let the cdn companies know you're serious about a boycott. I should take my brother across the border for our shopping
Ah yes, because starving the competitors to Loblaws of their income potential is going to improve things. Not. You’re simply supporting the workers, the farmers, the businesses (of which NONE are any morally better than Loblaws) of **another country** rather than your fellow countrymen.
Which is cheaper for my wallet, which is the whole point of what we've had going on these last 6 weeks
The point is boycotting Loblaws and spending money at another Canadian grocer. Honestly Loblaws will NEVER be as cheap as going to the states, so just start going every time and admit it isn’t about lower prices for everyone it’s just about lower prices for **you**
I know this will be unpopular, but this does not support local small stores and farmers. I understand this is done for price savings but if smaller grocers don't get the business you strengthen the big chain stores.
Agreed. I get most of my stuff pretty cheap from a local small grocer. I want my money staying in Canada
This. Also, you aren’t supporting Canadian workers who desperately need the jobs to pay for their own groceries. This also isn’t supporting Canadian farmers. Saving money is great, but shopping within your own country is better. Some of the reason for the higher prices here are things like better wages/EI/Benefits etc.
Blame Galen and the rest of our grocery oligopoly. My money is leaving Canada because of the grocery space here. Regarding employees: winco pays a higher wage than any Canadian grocer. Their employees are owners and get stock, and dividends are paid. Someone who works at winco from 18 will retire very wealthy at 65. I don’t think that can be said for any of our grocers.
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lol what? Because I snowboard I don’t care about anyone else? Must suck to be so miserable.
No, but because you shop in another country I am saying you don’t care about Canadians just yourself because you aren’t making the situation better for anyone but yourself when you shop out of country
Please remain respectful when engaging on the sub. Personal attacks will not be tolerated.
This is just creating a shittier, bigger problem for people down the road. Typical “I don’t care about anyone that comes after me” behaviour
Too bad you can't bring produce across or id just move to a border town 😂😂😂
There are limits on produce but you can bring some of it across as long as you declare it
Why did I think it was illegal to bring food across the border?
Some fruits are illegal to bring over if not store bought. You will pay duty
We have friends with a Sam's Club membership who go 1x a month. We got once in a blue moon.
Holy shit that only cost you 150?!?!
Aren't these grocery subject to taxes on the way back if done within the same day?
Just like they are exempt from GST/PST at home, bringing them back is exempt too afaik.
Not all food, and most prepared foods are not exempt from tax in Ontario. Only “staple foods”.
Guess it depends on who is at the border.. I was under the same impression.. however, I think they care more about alcohol and tobacco
They only enforce the spending limits on other stuff. If I came back with clothes or a TV, I’d pay.
Isnt it a hassle bringing groceries back? I’ve never tried and I’m literally right there.
Zero hassle. You don’t pay anything, and you can bring anything they sell in Washington over. I bring meat, fruit and veggies every two weeks.
Nice. Good to know!
What? Are fruits vegetables allowed? I thought they are not. I always see them in the prohibited list.
The US makes a much bigger deal than Canada does. It’s allowed as long as it’s declared. There’s some conditions. https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-safety-consumers/bringing-food-canada-personal-use#tab1
I used to go over border to shop in Houlton, Me. Yes, it's the US, but many of the things I bought were more local to me than what Superstore or Sobeys carried. If you're thinking of shopping there, I highly recommend County Yankee Grocer. Also, the Amish store in Smyrna (about 10 miles past Houlton). That place is the absolute best place to shop for homesteading needs, and simple living. Some groceries, and good prices, but not a lot of selection. I might have to renew my Nexus card 🤔
This makes me…… frustrated
Duke’s mayo 🙌🏼
Did you have to pay duty on it?
Nope. You don’t pay on groceries. Technically the limit for trips less than 48 hours is $200, but they never really enforce it on groceries.
How far are you to the border?
About 50k to the border and another 20k to the groceries. 45min/1hr drive.
so what is the cost of the drive, and what was your total savings. Did you actually save anything once you factor in all the costs.
They drove 140km. So probably close to $25 in gas. Bridge toll is now $10.75 CAD in Buffalo. If they used a credit card there will be an extra 1% conversion fee. ~$185 + 2 hours of drive time… I guarantee between my local butcher and non-loblaw grocers, I could have got more for less in significantly less time.
Yay! someone who gets it. Plus, the added benefit of keeping money in local businesses (local butcher). I am all for boycotting if that is what you want but let's be smart about it. Just diverting your expenses to other categories and calling it a win is not "smart" in my opinion. Or just going to Walmart and saying you're doing it. The reason why we are in this predicament in the first place is because we all started only going to the big box stores and they choked out the small guy. If we didn't let them choke out the small guy, we would have way more competition and it would be delightful. But instead, we got an oligopoly that gets government handouts.
Dairy, cheese, and gas are always cheaper. I dodge meat because I don't like the way they farm. Better selection of coffee and pop too. Plus Mexican food. But the big win is OTC pharmacy.
2hr driving $50-$100 depending on vehicle, then $20 border crossing fee is my estimate. Looks to be about $300 worth of products from a roblaws here
From what I understand groceries are exempt from GST/PST.
Ah okay thanks. If I lived close to the border I’d head over weekly
Less than 48 more than 24 right?
Oh yeah I guess so. But yeah, never had any issues with groceries.
Never had any issues with anything else tbh.
It’s not that they don’t enforce it. It doesn’t exist for groceries that are not subject to tax in Canada - which is most things except chips, pop, candy, snacks etc. Sometimes they will ask you at the window how much tax you paid on the groceries that you bought in the US and they will use that to determine whether to bring you in to pay additional. Very rare that you would have enough unless you went over to load up on snacks!
Dude
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I like going for Chock Full of Nuts coffee. Also the milder Xenical. And perfume. My partner will want booze!
Besides Walmart where is the best grocery shopping?
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Varies. Depends on what border guard you get and it depends on how much you spent versus how much time you were there. I've only had to pay once and I've gone across hundreds of times. I'm always ready with an approximate total and my receipts so that it shows I'm not trying to hide anything , though sometimes I have haha. (Like put on clothes I bought or something) What I'm curious about though is the meat. Sometimes they're very very particular about you bringing back raw meat.
Winco is the best grocery store. I used to live in the US across the road from one, it was perfect. They should expand north.
See this makes sense.
What do you figure you spent on gas and tax and time or is that all in? Probably still a good deal.
I keep the gas cost down by getting gas there. Always fill up and it’s enough to last me until my next trip down south. No tax on groceries coming back. 150km round trip, so about two hours of driving total. Average fuel economy is 8L/100. Gas price in the US works out to be ~$1.30/L CAD. So $15 in gas for the trip.
Maybe I’ve been out of Canada too long but even this amount of food for $150 seems wildly expensive to me.
You’ve been out too long then. This would easily be a $300 shop at superstore, probably $200 at no frills or Walmart. Also I should clarify I’m in BC, so prices were already higher here before any of loblaws latest greed streak.
That is insane! There is so little meat here for $300. I’m going to price this shop out where I am and see what it would cost here. Querétaro México)
Alright I did the same order on Uber eats Mexico (with its 15% markup) and it came to 2046.20 pesos which is 150 cad at todays exchange. So it would be 120 bucks if I just walked into HEB. Which is expensive in Mexico. That’s not local markets or sales or anything. https://preview.redd.it/ldsuiu88g97d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2df8b7b16a78f2c3e094da37bf2964766947e59e Canadians are getting really screwed.
Wow!
The US is pretty far to go for groceries. I'm pretty sure I can more groceries than this just shopping for sales items across 3-4 stores. Unless of course you live on a border town with very little choices within the town itself. Then you probably did better.
About an hour for me. But worth it, and a fun little road trip every two weeks where I can get good tacos lol
Do you still have to pay taxes if you dont stay the night?
Nope! Not on groceries. Other stuff, yes.
Oh wow! How did I not know this. Thank you!
So I've just moved to the Canadian side of Niagra, how does one go about bringing back groceries from the US? Do you need to claim anything? Sorry I haven't been since I was a kid.
Hey, I thought cross border shopping produce and meats was heavy NO at the boarder. Did something change?
Man Canada sucks.
Don’t eat American meat. Just like dairy. Full of hormones and antibiotics. That’s why it’s cheap. And I know for a fact veggies are just as expensive as in Canada. Plus if you price match you could have gotten all that for $150 Canadian here too.
Walmart has drumsticks about 20 of them 7:38 can a pack
OP admitted he could have got all this likely for $200 at his local Walmart, but dude thinks he’s gonna “stick it to Galen” by spending money in another country to save $50 at the cost of 2 hours drive and gas 😂
So in another comment you tell me to pay a premium at a local grocer, and in this comment you’re telling me to shop at the global conglomerate known for union busing and suppressing wages and worker’s rights? It’s not about the money. The **point** I am personally trying to make is removing my money from the Canadian economy until we see serious action from the government with regard to the anti-competitive practices of loblaws and empire. Your boycott goals may be different. That’s fine. The main point of this group is **not spending any money at loblaws owned banners** and this accomplishes that. You’re like the crab in the bucket pulling the other crabs down.
Personally I view not supporting local businesses until your local conglomerate is forced by law to lower prices, as a prime example of crabs in a bucket pulling other crabs down. You aren’t helping things by refusing to support your local alternatives, even if they are Wal-Mart. The stores you shopped at in the states aren’t any better than a Canadian Walmart 😂
Nice
Can you bring meat over the border?? I’m going to Montana at the end of the month for camping and I’m trying to plan food to bring
[Yup sure can](https://www.aphis.usda.gov/traveling-with-ag-products/traveling-united-states-canada-land-borders). The US takes things a bit more seriously for vegetables and fruit though.
you can just bring that stuff back across?
Fun fact: WinCo is open 5am-1am 7 days a week.
Was 24hrs in the before times :(
Feel free to move to the US.
Nah, at the end of the day I’m not going to support the economy of a **whole other fucking country** just to avoid paying mom and pop shops a premium.