Cross-border comparison: School supply savings
Some U.S. retail stores say they are noticing a bump in the number of Canadian licence plates in their parking lots, as Canadian parents seek out back-to-school bargains, but are the best deals always outside Canada?
It's the time of year where many Canadian parents look to the U.S. for back-to-school savings
Some U.S. retail stores say they are noticing a bump in the number of Canadian licence plates in their parking lots, as Canadian parents seek out back-to-school bargains, but are the best deals always outside Canada?
CBC News did some cross-border shopping this week, and found that not all school supplies were cheaper south of the border.
After visiting a Target store in the U.S., as well as Target stores in Coquitlam and in Vancouver, a Wal-Mart and a Staples store, a small sampling of similar products showed that while there might be significant savings by shopping in the U.S., it might not be enough to justify the time and cost of getting there.
| Product / Store | Target U.S. | Target Canada | Wal-Mart | Staples |
| HB pencils, 8-pack | 57 cents | 99 cents | 10 cents* | 33 cents* |
| Binder, 2.5 cm | $1.74 | $1.00 | $2.00 | $2.36 |
| Crayola coloured pencils, 12-pack | $0.99 | $4.29 | $3.00** | $3.96 |
| Basic calculator | $1.00 | $4.99 | $3.98 | $2.98 |
| Scientific calculator | $12.99 | $13.99 | $4.00 | $7.96 |
With files from the CBC's Negar Mojtahedi