WINDSOR, Ontario (WXYZ) — With holiday shopping in full swing, everyone is looking for a way to save. Sometimes, it means thinking outside the box, or perhaps, across the border?
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Everything inside Whiskeyjack boutique is made in Canada, including their beautiful artwork, but perhaps their best gift to Detroiters this holiday season: some really good bangs for your American buck.
Katie Stokes, the owner of the Windsor boutique, said her American shoppers are often in for a nice surprise at checkout.
“We get a lot of Americans that shop with us on a regular basis," Stokes said. "Sometimes it's fun to give them that piece of information where they realize everything is basically 30 percent off for them."
It's not a bad deal for Illinois resident Brittney Ocampo.
“Came out to Canada to celebrate a friend's birthday and enjoy this small town outside of Detroit," Ocampo said.
Before stopping at this boutique, Ocampo purchased a few books at another store.
“Brought a lot more books than I anticipated, at the register she showed me the difference in currency, U.S. dollars or Canadian dollars, (it was a) 30 to 40 dollar difference there, I was really surprised," Ocampo said.
University of Detroit Mercy College of Business Administration Dean Dr. Joseph Eisenhauer said you might not be saving as much as you think shopping in Canada.
“You have to take a number of things into account," Dr. Eisenhauer said. “How much are you gonna pay in tolls crossing the border, how much are you gonna pay in the exchange rate conversion fee."
How much it costs to cross depends on the bridge or tunnel, and if tolls are paid in U.S. or Canadian dollars. Then there's the exchange rate.
“Right now the American dollar is worth $1.40 in Canadian, but that changes every day, every hour," he said.
At Windsor's Devonshire Mall, marketing manager Tina Asprakis said American shoppers are taking advantage of the current rate, especially at stores like Lululemon.
“You know why, basically because it's the same price in Canadian and the US, so when you come to Canada," Asprakis said. "Let's just say tights that are $100 US, they are a hundred dollars Canadian, so you saved 40 dollars, I think this morning was at 39 percent.”
Dr. Eisenhauer reminds shoppers to keep this in mind when using a credit card.
"The credit card companies will charge a roughly 2 percent exchange rate fee if you're converting from US dollars to some other currency," Eisenhauer said.
“Post 9/11, things changed because passports were required, made it difficult to cross the border. I saw a huge change in that week right after 9/11, so to see American shoppers, it's nice," Asprakis said.
