A note to Canadian consumers

I was taking a look at www.cbc.ca and found some interesting articles. The first one of note Canada will become one of the most powerful nations: Tony Blair, an article about a speech that former prime minister of Britain, Tony Blair made in Calgary, Alberta this past Friday. And the second one, Loonie briefly nudges $1.04US. Both articles show that Canada is getting more notoriety on the international stage. But even with these news worthy articles, Canadian consumers are still paying high prices for everything they purchase.

It is appauling that Canadian consumers have so much trouble sticking up for themselves. The worst part is that the consumer is supposed to control the market, not the retailer. You are the one with purchasing power, regardless of how much money you have, you still are the one who should be deciding how much you pay for an item. Recently I have stopped buying fruits and vegatables from my local grocery chain, instead, I go to a produce market, which is a specialty store. Sometimes in order to find better prices you have to shop around to find them. Now I wouldn't consider shopping around for the cheapest price being cheap, more like thrifty.

As a home owner, I have had to learn how to be thrifty. Especially when you are only supporting yourself on one income, when the majority of home owners are two income families, you have to learn how to be thrifty. Personally, I have a set amount that I would be willing to spend for an item. If the item is a necessity, then I would purchase it at the best price I can find, but if not and I can wait, I will look for a much better price and then purchase the item at the lowest price possible. I think a lot of Canadians have been too concerned with being called cheap while in school, it is during that time while you are growing up that you need to learn basic shopping skills. Sometimes you can be blinded by brand names or trends, but the bottom line is you have to look for the lowest price out there, that is why we have stores competing against each other.

Another reason for high prices is that certain markets are being dominated by franchises, and the old mom and pop shops are being reduced to a thing of the past. It is these mom and pop shops that help bring prices down, they encourage healthy competition in markets that are saturated with corporations trying to get you to spend every cent of your disposable income in their chain. If you want to see prices come down, look for the best price and support the little stores/restaurants that have to compete with brand name franchises.