Shopping Recommendations and Discounts
Shopping in Canada with TLC Networking Club shopping
recommendations and discounts will assist club members with travel, immigration,
employment, shopping, homestay and professional services.
The Canadian dollar has jumped up from .63 USD to par value with the US dollar. This has
caused several pricing problems for shopping in Canada. Many products have been priced to
reflect the traditional 25 to 35% discount to the US dollar.
Many Canadians and visitors to Canada have compared prices in Canada and the border US
retailers and using US dollars saved from 15 to 25% shopping in the USA.
When Canadian retailers lower their prices it will be good once again to shop in Canada.
How to Shop in Canada
When shopping in Canada remember the price you see is not the final price! In Canada
there are two taxes the GST (Federal Government Goods and Services Tax) and the PST
(Provincial Sales Tax). The GST is the same rate all over Canada, the PST is the local
rate for the province and yes they are all different.
Many provinces have recently adopted both taxes together as the "HST" Harmonized Sales Tax.
As an example if you see something like a pen in a dollar store the sticker price will
show the price as 1 dollar. When you go to the clerk at the cash register and the item is
"rung up on the till" the price will be the 1 dollar plus the two taxes and you will have
to pay the total amount. In Ontario the Federal GST is 5 percent and the PST is 8 percent
so the total price of the pen is 1.13 with the added taxes.
In Canada there are different government taxes that are added to alcohol, gasoline, tobacco,
hotel rooms and other targeted consumables. Always ask what taxes are included and what taxes
are added for the items you wish to purchase. This will help you avoid final price surprises.
In Canada some restaurants, bars and hotels add a service fee to the final bill. This fee
can be 10, 15, 20 or 25 percent and can shock shoppers if you were unaware of this
additional service fee. Always ask if there is a service fee and what is the rate.
When shopping in Canada you have to compare prices as tax in or out and with or without
a service fee. If you want a coffee and see 2 prices ($1.25 all in from shop A) and you see
a price of ($1.00 from shop B) you have to ask questions before buying your coffee.
A - $ 1.25 final price
B - $ 1.00 - plus service fee .20 plus GST .06 plus PST .09 final price $ 1.35
In Canada ask what taxes and service fees are included or added to the final price.
Buying junk to save a few dollars is not a good idea.
In Canada there are real name brand products, fake name brand products and cloned
products. In Canada it is illegal to sell pirate goods however many fast-buck operators
sell these goods to try and make profits from the good reputations of the legitimate
companies. If you are in a dark basement or buying from someone's car or a flea market -
then your chances of buying the real name brand product are close to zero.
If you buy a fake product from a pirate and this product causes an allergic reaction,
or falls apart or causes an accident then obviously you are to blame - you are the stupid
one. Buying junk to save a few dollars is not a good idea.
Using consumer reports to evaluate products
In Canada shoppers have the opportunity of using consumer reports to evaluate products. There
are many books by non-profit testing organizations that test new products every year. The
books are even available free at many libraries across Canada.
In Canada there are many specialty magazines that perform their own in-house technical
evaluations and conduct user surveys from their subscribers about the products for sale.
Using the product reports from the independent testing organizations and the specialty
publishers can give you an extensive list of available products, average performances,
user satisfaction, and some sort of product ranking for price or performance. These lists
can act as your base information when you start to shop for any products in Canada.
Additional How to Shop Articles
How to Shop for Car Rentals
How to Shop for Cell Phones
How to Shop for Education Coaches
How to Shop for Credit Cards
How to Shop for Health Insurance
How to Shop for Homestay
How to Shop for Hostels
How to Shop for Homestay Tutors
How to Shop for Internet Service Providers
How to Shop for Laptop Computers
How to Shop for Long Distance calls
How to Shop for Real Estate
How to Shop for Telephones
How to Shop for Winter Clothes
How to Shop for Immigration services
Sentence Master Practice Word Cards
You can practice writing millions of English sentences. You can practice by yourself or with your friends.
You get: 400 practice word cards which includes: Conjunction Cards, Article Cards, Verb Cards, Noun Cards,
Pronoun Cards, Preposition Cards, Adverb Cards, Adjective Cards and some free bonus word cards.
Go to the Sentence Master Games site to use the free practice one-card,
two-card, three and four word card exercises. You can use the free Sentence Master practice challenges and the
more advanced Grid Quiz. You can see the many ways that Sentence Master practice word cards will help learn English
vocabulary, grammar and writing skills.
Buy your own set of Sentence Master Practice Word Cards. Use the Paypal button to complete your purchase and we will mail your set right away!!
Link to FREE TLC Newsletters
Internet Phones For International students
Click here to learn everything about Internet Phones For International students.
|