dlkbc

So you had to wait an hour in line and then an hour inside waiting to pay the $14 in duty?! I guess we were pretty lucky in BC...

I wrote a long post about my bad experience about CC and suddenly, now it is gone... I have no idea why the mods would remove it--all I did was talk about the truth--similar to what you are saying about the shoddy service at CC.

Wonder how Cdns did at the border... I bought a laptop that I left at a friend's so I wouldn't have as much to declare this time. I waited an hour to go through customs, declared U$220, had been in the US for 24 hours and got waved through without paying duty or taxes! I didn't see many people going in to pay so maybe they were pretty lenient?

I was number 1 at CC in Bellingham, Washington. (arrived 4:00 pm the aft before) The store was so disorganized and it was the worst retail experience of my life! They made you go pay for the laptop (Acer) and then go pick up other stuff. Then you get in another line which was backed up because they would have someone get to the cashier and then a runner would get their stuff that they couldn't find. Whereas, the rest of us had hunted for all our stuff before getting in line. So waits were really long. Then, I went to go pick up my laptop and they didn't have a special pick up line only, so I had to go into yet another long line of just people buying anything and having these runners hold up the line getting other stuff. I also find out that they 'forgot' to give me the rebate form for my laptop but I should come back in 6 hours to get it. Yeah, right! Idiots! They obviously didn't train their staff very well because they kept having to ask others for answers, which that in itself because everyone was so busy. A good store manager would have held a meeting before and answered these questions before opening, but it looked they just had a pep rally (I was right outside as number 1) and told them to sell, sell, sell! Push the items, who cares how long they have to wait!? Then, by the time I get to the front of this second line, they tell me that there are no more 'free' polaroid cameras even though there is nothing in the flyer that hints that they are in limited supply. Then, I tell them that I want all the 'free' stuff that is supposed to be included if you buy a laptop--and they tell me that I have to go and get all the stuff myself which made me explode (and remember I have had no sleep for 13 hours) so I tell them that I refuse to leave the desk until someone finds everything. Then, they keep telling people wrong information, like about how many of an item they can get even though the rebates are usually one per household. So they decide to remedy this by allowing people to buy each one individually, hence even more hold ups in lines. After I finally get everything, the bags are too small so I can barely get out the door when the damn security alarm goes off! So I have to line up to get checked! Because they did so many individual charges at CC because of all the infernal lines, my visa company reported it as suspicious activity so they froze my card at the next store I went to. So what do I think of CC? I think that the Bellingham, WA store really needs to learn about retail. I will never go there again!

Yes, copies! I always make them and am glad because I almost lost out on a $50 rebate because they claimed that it did not arrive there. So they just told me to send all my copies, which I did and I eventually got that check!

I got an email from premium outlets (which covers many malls all over the US) and they have midnight openings in my state, Washington. Go to their website and you can check if an outlet mall near you is also open at midnight.

I have a bank account with Key bank which is a US bank here in Washington state. They have lots of Cdn account holders. So all you have to do is show them your Cdn ID and it's opened no problem. There are some instances where a US bank credit or debit card is required so it comes in handy. I also have a US post box which is sooooo handy. So if I buy anything US, they can send it to a US address and I don't have to pay a premium for them to ship to Cda (and worry about possible duty). I also subscribe to a ton of magazines so that's a lot cheaper as well.

I hate to admit how many times I have been on the BF websites already...so yes, I am really excited! You are bringing $300 in cash but don't bring a credit card because you can't trust yourself?! Sounds like me but I do take a credit card anyway just in case of car trouble or an emergency or something... I also have a US bank account so I have a debit card as well. Since I go so often, I put in US cash all the time (especially when the rate is in our favour) so it's there whenever I need it.

From someone who goes across the border every couple of weeks or so (Vancouver, BC), I can tell you from our experience, for a day trip, as long as you do not have tobacco or alcohol, we never get stopped for as much as U$80 each person. We always buy a lot of groceries as well (can't beat 2 lbs of cheddar for U$3.99!) We have been doing this for years (including post 09/11) and have never had to go in to pay duty. When I have crossed in Manitoba to North Dakota, they seem to be a lot stricter there than the BC border. We had to show all our receipts and even take in our bags even though we all had under U$50, so who knows why? I think that there are just so many people who cross at the BC/WA border that they don't bother to strictly enforce the stated daily allowance just because of the sheer numbers of us.

Boxing day shopping is not the same as it used to be. Not many people here in Vancouver will line up for deals anymore. I am a big BF fan and go the night before to Bellingham, WA. It's not as cold as other areas but if it's rainy and windy, it sucks!