For the past 3 weeks, a war of words has been occurring on Facebook over . . . too many Canadian shoppers at the Costco in Bellingham, Washington, located about 30 km south of the U.S. / Canada border.
Video here and CBC coverage here.
Update: The original Facebook page appears to have been pulled down. Another one, requesting Thursday shopping at the Bellingham Costco to be just for Americans, was up for awhile but has been pulled down too.
As seems to always transpire on any issue when a sense of anonymity is felt by the writer, extremists on both side of the border have let loose with some pretty ugly comments. Here are a few examples:
Hey I am Canadian and looking at this picture shows me that’s it’s not the real Canadians causing the line ups it’s the new Canadians with the big funny hats that are causing them! Sorry yanks here’s an idea have your local Costco raise the prices to match the Canadian prices maybe the Hindus wouldn’t be there buying 20 gallons of milk and 5 gallons of gas. I don’t shop there never have but I feel for ya.
It is frustrating to go to Costco and be exposed to rude, rude people. I have had “guests” bump into me repeatedly with without the sllightest apology, take something from my cart, and even block access to a table so I was unable to check out a product. (I know because the items were pulled closer so the “guests” could examine the items without my “competition”! Normally I would’ve the benefit to people but when I see these same people getting into their car, I am done. I had all three events happen on visit… i have also seen people argue with an employee that they are the card holder, just to have someone else come up on tell the employee that “oh no, it is their card, their son was just using it by mistake … We won’t talk about the women who change their mind about the package of beef (chicken, lamb, pork) and set it in the canned goods section. All I can say is these people need to go back to kindergarten and learn to play with others. Their driving is a whole ‘nother rant.
98% of those RUDE, DEMANDING, MILK BUYING, Canadians were not born in Canada . . . .
Crying a river to get cheap rates on our soft wood lumber… trolling our coast for illegal fishing of salmon etc, tapping into our energy and hydro electricity….. pretending like the North West Passage is yours because the North is melting and there is easier access to oil…. God if we are simply buying cheap milk then Canada they are really milking us for sure… Harper… you need to increase some tariffs… to compensate for the Milk debaucle
People are not bashing the Canadians so much as mocking them. There is a reason for all the Canadian stereotyping, it has been EARNED by years and years of experience dealing with it. If the Canadians could just practice some GOOD MANNERS, both in the stores and on the roads, you wouldn’t see people mocking them. It’s that simple, and it’s up to the Candian shoppers what their American counterparts think of them.
How dare those darned foreigners come down here and pump money and jobs into our economy by buying all kinds of our stuff!
We demand a recession!
We demand unemployment!
I just wish we’d have a similar level of outcry over illegal immigration here as there is over legal day trips by Canucks. Brutal.
This interesting. Here in Southwestern Ontario,many people cross the bridge in Sarnia On and shop in Port Huron Mi. We make the trip weekly and have been told by more than one proprietor that if it wasn’t for Canadian shoppers, they would probably go out of business. Of course prices are lower and there is more choice but another important component for us is the excellent customer service experience there.
I shop in the US a lot, and I have a little sympathy for the US shoppers. The retailers are happy, sure, but the small town residents are having difficulty buying staples like milk. I have seen the **ahem** South Asian** Canadians line up and clear the milk shelf in one fell swoop. And yes, there are rude Canadians.
Good for business? Yes! Good for day to day relations? Maybe not so much. The real solution is to provide the choice and prices here in Canada and that means ditching the supply management systems.
Didn’t think that Multiculturalism means more cars at the Bellingham Costco.
Also didn’t think that US Costco would be propping up the poor decisions of the Canadian government.
Only in Canada are poor people required to pay extra for staples to subsidize millionaire farmers. Farmers selling milk, eggs, chickens, and turkeys are blessed by government and are exceedingly wealthy compared to the rest of the farmers. I think the Alberta Turkey Board is for the benefit of something like 50 millionaires.
I grew up near niagara falls ont. 50 years ago and it was the “ugly” americans who were not liked in our neck of the woods. Loud, boisterous and demanding, have we learned from them?
Steyn Weighs In
Love it!
Rude? Pushy?
But, according to the self-congratulatory, anti-American assessments that CBC and the Council of Canadians smugly pat their own backs about, we’re not like that.
How can this be????????
If it wasn’t for Canadians, Whatcom County would be just another backwater, welfare state.
The Yanks should kiss the a$$ of every Canuck spending money down there, because of high Canadian taxes and fees on anything and everything.
I noticed on CBC last night that the major purchases were for milk. The Canukulstans emptied a pallet of milk in no time flat.
Hmmm wonder why milk is so cheap down there, it couldn’t be because of our dairy marketing board which strongly favours Quebec and discourages competition thus keeping prices to the consumers abnormally high. It couldn’t be….
RL – that’s an important point. Milk and dairy products are expensive in Canada due to the ‘harvesting rights’ given to Quebec for these products.
I don’t think the argument that ‘The US stores need the Canadian business’ is relevant. The issue is not the business but the rudeness of the Canadian shoppers.
And they ARE rude! Their agenda is to get as much goods a possible, as cheaply as possible, in the least time possible. They are not there as tourists who can and do interact with resident populations. There are there only as ‘fly-by consumers’. Rather similar to looters except that they ARE paying. So they are utterly indifferent to the local population and sites of the local town; they just want ‘the goods’.
If it weren’t for Canadians spending big bucks in border towns, the only thing on the streets of places like Bellingham would be tumbleweed. Would the residents there prefer it if their Costco didn’t exist?
But that said, I think the general tenor of the comments is correct. End the supply managed madness so we can buy reasonably priced food in our own country. Then everybody’s happy.
The Can. $ is at or near par. On a day trip to US a Can shopper can return with $20.00 Can worth of milk without tariff. There is no sales tax in Washington State. In B.C. supermarkets a litre of milk retails for about $1.25. Costso sells milk in 2 gallon packs @ $0.55 per litre. That is about 8 litres. Therefore a Can day tripper can return with 6 – 1 gallon jugs for $17.00 Can. Less than 1/2 the Can. price!
ET, sorry, with respect, I fixed the sentence, “The issue is not the business but the rudeness of some of the Canadian shoppers”. There are rude shoppers on both sides of the border.
Other than that you are bang on, as are the rat and RL.
We have been in Bellingham a number of times while visiting in Chilliwack and it was a good experience each time.
We did notice that the dairy farms along the way to Bellingham did not look near as prosperous as those in the Abbotsford, Chilliwack area.
You want rude shoppers? Ask Florida merchants about Quebecers.
It is frustrating to go to Costco and be exposed to rude, rude people. I have had “guests” bump into me repeatedly with without the sllightest apology, take something from my cart, and even block access to a table so I was unable to check out a product. (I know because the items were pulled closer so the “guests” could examine the items without my “competition”! Normally I would’ve the benefit to people but when I see these same people getting into their car, I am done. I had all three events happen on visit… i have also seen people argue with an employee that they are the card holder, just to have someone else come up on tell the employee that “oh no, it is their card, their son was just using it by mistake … We won’t talk about the women who change their mind about the package of beef (chicken, lamb, pork) and set it in the canned goods section. All I can say is these people need to go back to kindergarten and learn to play with others. Their driving is a whole ‘nother rant.
Sounds like a pretty typical visit to Costco, regardless of which side of the border you’re visiting. Many people lose their common sense and politeness (not to mention awareness of their surroundings) once they walk through those doors.
Here on the southern east coast I say please come to Myrtle Beach
Reminds me of two more cross border stories:
1. In that same area, clothing stores began providing bins for discarded coats. Why? Canadians were wearing throw-away coats down to the stores, throwing them away, and then buying a new coat to wear back. As I understand it, that made it easy for them to sneak the coats through customs without paying a tariff.
2. As part of privatization, we raised taxes on hard liquor here in Washington state. As a result, stores in border areas of Oregon and Idaho are doing very well.
(Washington produces lots of wine and lots of the hops used in beer, but very little liquor. So we have relatively high taxes on liquor and moderate taxes on wine and beer.)
I know in my little corner of BC, Canadians keep Point Roberts going. Holiday cottages, gas, groceries, online shopping deliveries, golf, camping,etc. We are probably not as rude as those Bellingham shoppers.
Other than that you are bang on, as are the rat and RL.
AND Scar …
Only in Canada are poor people required to pay extra for staples to subsidize millionaire farmers. Farmers selling milk, eggs, chickens, and turkeys are blessed by government and are exceedingly wealthy compared to the rest of the farmers. I think the Alberta Turkey Board is for the benefit of something like 50 millionaires.
Posted by: Scar at August 14, 2012 9:01 AM
Except, a quibble on the phrase “only in Canada”. Having consumers pay way above market prices to subsidize the select few is a long and ignoble mercantilist tradition sold on the bogus banner of “for the general welfare of the nation”. Remember, except for monster flat screen TVs and electronic devices, lower prices are really bad for you!
So,Costco is acting like a good capitalist corporation,KIRO reports they are already looking for a site to build a larger store with more gas pumps. Good for them.
Now,if Canada could only stop pandering to the Ontario/Quebec dairy industry, we could be paying those prices here at home. That’s just another sacred Liberal cow Harper has to deal with eventually.
The first Canadians I ever met were Mennonites, down the U.S. on disaster relief missions. I’ve carried that initial favorable impression over to other Canadians ever since.
I have noticed how much more expensive things are in Canada as compared to the US. My girlfriend typically buys a lot of things here in Texas when she drives down for her annual long visit, because a lot of items are literally half the price of what she has to pay for them in Ottawa/Hull.
Sounds like Bellingham just needs to suck it up and thank those Canadians who are bolstering their local economy. I bet the ones that work at Costco aren’t complaining.
And Costco should be paying attention and building more stores on the border…
Up here in the interior of BC I live about 6 miles from the USA border. Been going south for decades. The amount of cross border shopping from our community has escalted very significantly over the past 3 years. At this point about half our main street is boarded up. To be fair this is not all to do with cross border shopping.
A fundamental issue about this new shopping trend is that Canadian business is not competing on the same level as their American counterparts. Canadian society has determined a tax structure to support social services and yes, entitlements. Cross border shoppers are evaded those costs. When I cross the border I truthfully declare all my purchases and most times I exceed the tax free level. 90% of the time I get a smile and ‘have a nice day’ response from Canada Customs. So instead of paying the HST due my federal government decided to subsidize American business by 12%.
Although I am acting the hypocrite by condemning the practise but still participating. Retailers often worry about fundamental shifting of consumer buying habits. This is what is happening in our community. The closest community of size with ‘big box’ stores is 60 miles south. There are closer locations for day to day buying. 60 miles is not an inconsequential decision. What is happening right at our border crossing is a USA trading center which handles 100’s of parcels being shipped to Canadian customers. Internet buying is not going thru Canadian retailers but thru USA ones. Access to the whole USA retail environment is a 6 mile drive away. If you think savings in grocery stores is the driver then you haven’t been up my way. Internet marketers like Amazon are undercutting USA retailers by hugh amounts as well.
ken (kulak) yes, you are exactly right. The francophone only enclaves of winter residents from Quebec down in Florida are loathed, loathed by residents of Florida.
The rudeness of Quebecers to Floridians, their refusal to speak English, their indifference to the local people is legendary. Quebecers have their own French newspaper down there, their own enclaves, and, just as they do up in Canada, they totally and utterly ignore ‘The Others’ (the residents of Florida).
Because of political correctness, I think the real issue is not being openly discussed. I don’t believe that the major complaints from Bellingham residents is about ALL Canadians, it’s about CERTAIN people with Canadian passports and BC plates.
Who knows if the grievances are legitimate but ask yourself this: If, in a given day/week/month, you see awful and/or dangerous driving by people with similar license plates and/or ethnicities, isn’t it human nature / common sense to draw conclusions? Similarly, in the same period, you see rude behaviour by people of similar ethnicities, isn’t it human nature / common sense to draw conclusions?
I’m not saying it’s fair or right, but isn’t this the very root cause of xenophobia & racism?
Interesting comments. The essential element of properly functioning capitalism is creative destruction. New forms of commerce always rise from the ashes of the old.
Here’s another little anecdote: My son needed new shoes for his baptism (he is 8). We shopped eight stores in Canada and found the same three or four pairs of fake leather, square as a box, velcro-closed shoes in each one. The price was about $40. So I went to the interweb and found some wonderful two-tone “mobster” shoes for $35 shipped. I use a parcel service in Blaine and picked them up there. Since then I have purchased three more pairs of shoes and the savings are more than 50% compared to Canadian stores for the exact same shoes.
On the chicken front, I bought 10lbs of frozen back and leg chicken for $7.99 You can’t come close to that in Canada. Milk, eggs, cheese, and even steak are a bargain. Sorry, but for an hour of my time, a cheap fill on gas along the way, and some unpleasant scrutiny at the border (thank God for Nexus!) I save a significant amount of money on real necessities.
hmm, robert w – I’m not sure if xenophobia or racism are due to a ‘reaction to a few that is extended to all’.
Minor point but I reject the scientific status of ‘race’; we are all one race or species; the variations are minor. But that’s my minority view.
However, I think that xenophobia or racism are often and even most often not dependent on any experience, of a few Others or even of many Others. Such an opinion is primarily detached from reality, from experience and that’s why good experiences or reason won’t dislodge ethnic and racial hatreds.
I think that the two commercial actions, of those coming from Canada, and the local residents are worlds apart. The first are akin to looters; they have no interest in the local terrain or people; they are there, effectively, to loot. That is, to grab,grub, loot and get out. The local residents are there to shop. Totally different. And are justifiably upset at the attitude of the Canadian looters.
It’s irrelevant that the Canadians are paying; it’s the attitude of looting that is offensive. Take and get out; ignore the local people; ignore local rules and cultural standards of behaviour. Just grab and leave. That is offensive.
You can go into any Costco in the GTA and see your fill of rude, pushy Canadians.
ET, further to my hypothesis, consider this:
If a typical Canadian watches American TV news and consistently see criminals shown to be Blue Americans, after a short while, won’t they begin to fear, or at least be cautious, around Blue Americans they encounter?
Only a f’ing mouth breating imbicile would complain about Canadian money coming into the local economy at a time when the US is in an extended quasi depression. Same Shite with Olisands oil and pipelines – Time to rethink the BFF starry-eyed approach with our relations to the US.
We got cash they got debt – who’s yer daddy beatches
Canadians are welcome to ‘come on down’ and spend your hard earned monies and time in any of our free American cities.
(Chicago might not have your same values)
When Romney and Ryan are elected you can bring your Keystone pipeline also.
I’m not saying it’s fair or right, but isn’t this the very root cause of xenophobia & racism?
~Robert W. (Vancouver)
Racism is natural.
It is natural to like those who are most like yourself and to distrust those who are different, not just in appearance but in culture.
Another natural reaction is jealousy.
What does is say to the Americans in Washington that Canadians can afford to drive down there and buy in large bulk purchases while their own economy is suffering so badly with the locals making subsistence buys?
I can understand their frustration. I live near a costco and because of the anti-car terror campaigns there’s an extra 10 minute delay every day after work to get to my part of the city because of some traffic lights on the highway. Victorians, being completely retarded can’t possibly spend 10 minutes sitting at a traffic light so they only shop at costco on the weekend. So every weekend we get every retard in Victoria coming to my area. I avoid it like the plague and only shop at Costco during the week.
“$29.95 or Fight!”
The thing is the people the folks in Bellingham are complaining about are mostly from Hong Kong, the ones who moved to Richmond in 1997. They are like that in the stores around here as well. The orient is so overcrowded they don’t understand about “personal space” because they never had any.
ct- “Internet buying is not going thru Canadian retailers but thru USA ones.”
Here’s a real life example. I purchase a few computer related things to resell up here in Calgary.
I usually get decent stuff off eBay for a lower rate and use the Sweetgrass, Montana broker I’m registered with. Their fee for handling my stuff is from $10-$30 depends on weight/volume/size etc.
The UPS (not USPS) shipping fee of a 15KG article from an East coast state to Sweetgrass, Montana is $117 Standard ground delivery with 2-6 business day time frame. Remember not air, ground.
Also remember Sweetgrass, MO is not on a main artery or a airline hub just a small border town.
And…
The alternative cost to ship to Calgary – a major city located just 3 hours north of Sweetgrass/Coots and has an international airport, is designated a hub for UPS Western Canada, etc, etc, etc…guess what the shipping cost, NOT including a stupid custom fee is?
$283 with a 14 business day or you can pay $538 for an ‘express’ flight option that has a 3-6 business day guarentee.
Even the Calgary “Express” is a day slower and 5x’s the cost than a lowly US Standard road delivery to Sweetgrass.
So you ask yourself, even at a cheaper rate how does a 3 hour driving distance cost $166 more and wait 1+ weeks longer to receive the same parcel?
Forget about the option to pay $538 ‘express’ fee and wait 1-2 days more than a standard US delivery to get to a off the map town like Sweetgrass.
Oh, don’t forget the hassle I get coming back into Canada. The US border guys are polite to me, but the Canada customs are irrationally rude.
Living here in Bellingham, I can understand the frustration with long lines. But what is the alternative? “Costco closes due to slow sales, 150 jobs lost”? There is a LOT of money helping our local economy, and I am grateful.
I also understand the frustation with BC drivers, who have a terrible reputation. Either they drive 30 MPH over the speed limit (most of them), or they drive 20 MPH under the speed limit. I thnk they are the worst drivers in North America. But, since they spend their money here, I can tolerate that.
A larger Costco would help, and that may happen. We would all benefit from that. A few years ago, the city of Bellingham banned all really large box stores (no doubt they were targeting Walmart, since they are so politically incorrect and the city of Bellingham is ultra left-wing), but more recently they eased up on those rules, as long as the really large box stores met environmental standards when they build big stores.
I should point out that I am married to a Canadian (from Toronto), and we have a lot of friends in the lower mainland, and have had nothing but good experiences there.
And I want to point out that not all Canadian drivers are bad. If you get away from the greater Vancouver area, the drivers are very good, especially if you head on over to Alberta. Toronto drivers, on the other hand . . .
Try and return milk across the border, that may have gone bad.
Bottom line:
Good SERVICE will keep customers loyalty.
Let the buisnesses fight it out.
Kinda fun to see Canadians tarred with the same feathers they’ve been using on ‘obnoxious Americans’ for decades 🙂
Let’s face it: there are jerks on both sides of the border.
Bellingham is a very nice little city, with numerous attractions. Kind of laden with moonbats, same as Vancouver and Seattle. But it’s a fine place to shop and dine out, and traffic there is way less stressful than traffic in Vancouver. And if you are a “Canadian” Canadian, as opposed to the other kind, you will be well-treated by nearly everyone there. I’ve never been rudely treated by anyone in B’ham. Never.
I rarely set foot in a Costco store, and don’t have a membership. But it really sounds like the issue here is rude behaviour by members of certain visible minorities amongst our beloved “New Canadians.” And it could be solved if the leaders of those communities stepped up and told their people to clean up their act.
And yes, absolutely, the huge price differential on dairy and meats is the fault of our supply-managed agricultural system.
I live at the twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. I tend to be loyal and shop locally. My spouse and daughters seem to “live” over the American side. It is eggs and milk that are much lower. I point out that six dollars is already lost on bridge fees, to no avail.
A large convenience store lies just over the bridge in the USA. Commonly known as “The two flags”. Yep, the Canadian one and the American flag. Gas now about four dollars a gallon US. Ten years ago, the unfortunate manager of that store quoth to the local Michigan press about Canadians. “You can spot ’em coming. Milk and beer ya know”.
No word of a lie- he was fired.
Our border people seem to be on the lookout for illegals and criminals primarily. Only tobacco and alcohol purchases seem to render one liable to being pulled in. My friend claims he gets by with two small packs of the suds, costing much less than the faithful beer retail in Canada. Says his wife is counted in, thus dividing the spoils.
For Gawd sakes, Canadians and Americans are among the most polite people on Earth.
You want rude and obnoxious, go to Italy, France, or any Muslim country.
“Let’s face it: there are jerks on both sides of the border.”
There you have it.
And no one anywhere, in any country, is more obnoxious than when they’re in a scrum for cheap goods with a hundred other shoppers…
Ever been to Filene’s Basement?
Not a safe place for any man!
One of the most popular items to be depleted by Canadians is MILK. I can think of no better way for Canadians to highlight our idiotic agricultural supply management schemes.
As far as I am concerned, these rude Canadian shoppers are doing their patriotic duty in opposing supply management. Let’s have way more more noise, way more fuss, way more outraged Americans, way more money spent by Canadians to avoid dopey Canadian supply management schemes. Huzzah!
Funny thing about that U.S. milk is American dairy producers can use BST to stimulate more milk production in their cows. BST is banned in Canada because…wait for it…to protect Canadian consumers.
By the looks of it Canadian consumers are stampeding across to border for cheaper milk and dairy products regardless if it contains BST.
More business is good, and more choices for the shopper is also good. Living in an area that gets large numbers of visitors from across the world, I have to say it’s pretty small of the WA folk to complain about more revenue to their community. Why don’ t they put their minds to making the most of the opportunity. The cash is all green, anyway.
Points I’ve heard so far:
Canadians are not loved in Bellingham
This is because Canadians are rude
This is because of some specific cultural groups
This is because of taxes on milk and gas
Points not heard:
While the US economy stinks and the loon flies high, more Canadians will shop US. The stores will be crowded and that is unpleasant.