I have a trip this month to Montreal. It’s a Girl’s Weekend which means lots of wandering around the shops on St Denis and and places near there. So, what are good buys in Canada? What’s cheaper in Canada than the US? Any suggestions for anime-related stores would be greatly appreciated since the only ones we’ve found are the ones on Chinatown.
And before you start on poutine and Smarties, I’m w-a-a-a-y ahead of you.
Thanks!
Hockey equipment.
Well, it is a good thought but it’s so hard to get stuff like that on airplanes…
So I don’t know if this is what you’re looking for, but in my experience, many basic toiletry type things are cheaper in Canada than the US. I’m not sure why, but for example, I’ve found that items like deodorant or toothpaste are cheaper here in Canada than the US.
Well I don’t know about what is cheaper, but anytime I have ever been around a woman and in Montreal hours upon hours of clothes shopping is unavoidable. Apparently Montreal has quite the fashionable shops. You may want to try adding “Montreal” to your thread title (if still possible) to attract the attention of all of the Montreal dopers.
I noticed that Aveeno products are made in Canada so that’s why they might be less expensive…
Yup, it does. My friend and I have literally spent an entire day on one side of St Denis going only a dozen or so blocks.
Toothpaste, definitely, and they have the Ziploc vegetable bags with the little vents in them, which you can’t get here anymore. And spicy Clamato (or pre-mixed Caesars).
I have always heard that Canada has comparatively-good prices for computer equipment, but I don’t know how true that is. I can recommend a couple of anime and cartoon stores, but unless you want to come to Toronto, that won’t help you much. 
HOWEVER… if you like anime, definitely check out the French comics (BD: bandes dessinées).
Also, librarie (f.) = bookstore, not library.
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Maple syrup? It’s the season… walk into any grocery store and you can get cans at a good price*. I think beer tends to be pretty cheap here too, but that’s harder to bring back. Still, there are a lot of pubs and microbreweries to test out if you like that kind of stuff. Sticking with the food theme, Québec is becoming very well known for it’s cheeses… again, any grocery store will have an OK selection, and there are cheese/fine food shops pretty much anywhere.
Clothing goes without saying. There’s Saint-Denis, but also Saint-Laurent, Ste-Catherine and Mont-Royal if you feel like hitting all the major shopping streets. Depending on your clothing style, you might want to check out Simon’s in Ste-Catherine; pretty much everyone I know manages to find something they like there! They are a Québec-only chain, so at the least you can be pretty sure you won’t come across the exact same stuff in another city!
*unless you want to go out to a sugar shack, but it’s a little less fun without snow!
I’m pretty sure Club Monaco is cheaper because in the US it is super expensive.
Yeah, we’d noticed that and enjoyed it. Thanks!
So, there is no snow? Darn, I’ve always wanted to do that!
Simon’s - check! Sounds good! Ste-Catherine had been on the list this year.
For anime and manga in Montreal, try…
Sci-Fi Anime, 4202 Decarie (Metro Villa Maria) Ph: (514) 482-7844. The anime themselves are mostly rentals, but there’s oodles of magazines, toys, and whatnots.
Astro Books, 1844 Ste-Catherine St. downtown. Excellent manga selection and very helpful staff.
Metro Video has a location below the Paramount theatre downtown. Huge anime selection, but IMHO expensive. Then again, I don’t know what the prices down your way are like.
There’s also a huge used CD/European comics/manga store on Ste-Catherine St. between University and Bleury. Most of their stock’s in French, though.
Hope that helps, and if you like your visit, come back in August for Otakuthon!
Thanks xnylder! Great help!
You’re very welcome. Enjoy your trip!
Just so you know, we don’t put Smarties on our poutine. Only the tourists do that.
You’re really working to make me want to come back to Montréal, aren’t you? 