SHOP.CA

When I was a little girl, there were only about 3-4 months out of the entire year that I could enjoy strawberries. And boy oh boy did I ever look forward to the summer season – in addition to sweet berries; cold, juicy watermelon; fuzzy peaches and perfect plums, the farmer’s market nearly overflowed with local, tree-ripe produce. We devoured the fruit to our heart’s content, knowing that eating “in season” meant enjoying it while it lasted. And was it ever GOOD.

Today, I can get strawberries any old day of the week. In the dead of winter, if I please. Because they come from countries like Mexico and the US; making it highly convenient to “enjoy” them all year round.

(Notice the sarcastic quotes around enjoy?)

The thing is, imported strawberries simply aren’t as sweet as their local counterparts. They don’t keep as well – having endured the long journey in the cargo hold of an 18-wheeler. The fruit bruises easily and sometimes gets that telltale brown blush which lets you know that at one point, they were almost frozen. They ALWAYS come with a subtle warning to “Wash Before Use”, because other countries have different regulations for pesticide use.

And I suppose the kicker is: if you have a question or concern about the food you’re consuming, you’re pretty much out of luck. Trust me, as much as the strawberry growers in Mexico care about their crops, they really don’t care about you.

So why the heck are we talking about strawberries this morning? It all comes down to the importance of buying products and services from companies created by Canadians, for Canadians. …

I’ll be honest – since I love to Shop, I put up with a lot.

Specifically: Inflated designer prices. Convoluted return policies. Suspicious sizing. Indifferent customer service. Taxes, surcharges, delivery costs, membership fees, tariffs, restocking fees and more.

I’m not exactly sure why I’m such a martyr; perhaps, as a Canadian, I’ve been programmed to believe that the best products – and deals – can only be found south of the border. And so I subject myself to the perils of cross-border Shopping in a quasi-masochistic way; scanning US websites in a desperate attempt to find one that will bring the product(s) to my door for an amount that does not rival a car payment.

Those surcharges really are the bane of my existence.

Sometimes, I get creative. It was almost 5 years to the date that I began looking for gifts for my then-bridesmaids. They had all done such a wonderful job helping me plan my wedding; I felt it was only right that I reward them with something fabulous. And I knew exactly what I wanted to gift – the Limited Edition Coach Patchwork Carly. The golden-hued handbag is in the classic Carly shape – while being highlighted with patches of python, leopard, suede and signature prints. Back in 2007, it was kind of a big deal.

Alas, at the time, getting Coach on your shoulder necessitated a trip to the US or a visit to a knock-off retailer – the second being a big no-no, of course, unless you wanted to sport oblong “O”s instead of “C”s. And since Coach.com did not ship to Canada, I felt my hands were tied.

So I went on a mission. First, I looked into purchasing a PO box in Buffalo. That idea was immediately rejected, because if I could drive to Buffalo to pick up my parcel, then I could cross the border and just buy them from the Coach store in the States. Next, I contemplated a cross-border delivery service – one that ships the purses to a US address, and then in-turn re-routes them to my home. This seemed like a winning solution until I discovered the final cost after shipping, brokerage fees and extra charges: almost $170 for four purses! (Many of these services base their charges on the value of the goods, and Coach handbags aren’t cheap, obv)….

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