An attitude to warm the cockles of Mr. Burns' heart

So, here’s the thing: We Canadians are inclined to be smug bastards, and given to thinking that most everything that happens north of the 49th Parallel (i.e. the border with the US) is more honorable and upstanding, and always done with the best of intentions and prompted by no petty venal interests.

Ha!

Here is my case-in-point in decrying certain national traits of infinite politeness that haven’t prompted my fellow citizens to rise up in outrage at the outrageous rip-offs we’re undergoing, and in decrying a national government that is doing sweet-bugger-all to address this nonsense.

So, now here is that old aforementioned case-in-point: On Saturday I visited a well-known Victoria, BC bookstore. I picked up a particular volume thinking I might be interested in reading it. On the back the price was listed: $14.95 US/$22.95 CAN. Huh? What was that all about? It obviously hasn’t come to the booksellers’ attention that the Canadian dollar is sitting at around 95-cents on the Greenback. That’s a dinky little five percent. Yet, those bozos were expecting me to pay an extra 65 percent for the privilege of buying that book. I’m going to be going to the US in September. I shall buy it there, thank you very much. I’ll also buy whatever other items I can get my hands on rather than offering my trade to self-seeking and gouging Canadian merchants who are still selling at the prices they charged when the balance was abut 70-cents on the US dollar a few years ago.

Books are outrageous enough, but there are absolute horror tales from people buying electronic hardware, or even stuff as simple as DVDs and other items. And cars! Hey, Canadian dealers, surprise-surprise, folk are going across the border to buy vehicles that are selling for 10-grand or more cheaper than in Canada. If you can get an Accord for $25,000 in Washington State, why the hell would you pay $35,000 in Canada?

This is damn foolishness on the part of Canadian businesses (the illustration above is designed to represent Caadian business and its attitude in this matter), and remarkably shortsighted. They decry the fact that Canadians are inveterate cross-border shoppers (even when the exchange rate is lousy), and then they do their level-best to encourage that cross-border shipping.

Anyway, that is my rant this morning, and I encourage my fellow Canadians to write to or email their MPs to demand that businesses be taken to task. I won’t hold my breath, by the way, awaiting that change.

Oh, and I didn’t buy that book. And, I shall buy no further books from that business until they demand that their suppliers lower list prices.