Buffalo

Did you know that Buffalo may be Canada’s best revenge against Donald Trump and his tariffs?

I grew up in St. Catharines, not too far from the US border. When our car needed gas or my dad needed beer, we would often drive “over the river” (the Nagara River that is) and fill up, at very cheap prices. When the family wanted a Saturday night outing, we would travel to Buffalo and gorge on wings and fries. During school vacations we would go to the Niagara Outlet Mall and stock up on school clothes. We saved a lot of money that way. Not only were the prices cheaper to start with, but back then the Canadian dollar was at par with the US dollar.

Many Canadians living in cities and towns near the US border shopped this way. Holidays were built around a trip to a US mall. The mall garbage cans were filled with price tags and shopping bags and shoe boxes discarded by buyers, along with the old clothes and shoes they had been wearing in the morning. Families would stay overnight at a nearby motel that had an indoor swimming pool. Everyone was happy.

Crossing the border to return home, the family would meet the customs office who would ask: “What are you bringing across the border today?” The driver would smile and say “Oh sir, nothing to declare. We just went over for lunch.” Then he would sneak a peak at his gas gauge which read FULL. Meanwhile the kids in the back seat would stare down at their shiny shoes, scuffed up enough to betray their newness. And the wife would be wearing two new dresses under a jacket, as she wiped perspiration from her brow.

Even after I moved to Toronto I would sometimes join friends on a weekend shopping trip. We’d drive across the borer to the outlet mall, split up and raid the stores. Then we’d meet for lunch and share our finds. And then we’d go back at it again. After loading up the car with clothes, bedding and cosmetics, we’d drive farther along the highway to a boutique hotel, just past Buffalo. We’d settle in, enjoy a fabulous meal, and drink wine.

The next morning after a bountiful brunch, we’d head home, stopping here and there at antique stores and fruit stands. When we got to the border, we’d smile politely at the customs officer who usually asked the total price of our purchases. The customs allowance back then was $100 for a weekend away. Coincidentally each one of us had spent just under that limit – $96, $91, $94, and $97. Hard to believe that we were so good at doing math in our heads. In fact, when we added gas, hotel, food, and wine, we’d probably each spent well over $500 in the Buffalo area.

Nowadays these fun Canadian shopping habits are beginning to disappear. With the Canadian dollar trending downwards and gas prices going up, fewer people are making their way south to Buffalo, or Michigan, or Seattle. We stay put and make do with our local Winners and COSTCO. And with the Trump tariffs on the way, this downward trend is going to continue. We’ll be spending our holiday shopping sprees in our own country. And we’ll have fun too.

So Donald, take that! Who says that average Canadians can’t protest over the shameful results of the recent US election?

Sue