One of the interesting "side effects" of the sharp rise in the Canadian Dollar against the U.S. Dollar has been that Canadians are now coming to the realization that they are being taken to the cleaners by retailers in the Great White North. Previously, price discrepancies were invariably explained away by citing to the difference in value between the two currencies. However, once parity was achieved, prices should have been equalized too. For example, a stereo that costs $750 in the United States should now cost the same in Canada, or so one would think.
That has not been the case. For the most part, there continues to be a sharp difference in prices between the two countries: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/consumers/price-drops.html. This has rightfully led many in Canada to complain that they are being gouged. Just over this past weekend, the two BHG sisters were in town, and they made a beeline for the local mall, with a focus on the bookstore, because books are anywhere from $3 to $7 cheaper here than there.
Canadian retailers are going to learn the hard way that they can't gouge the consumers.
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