Who would have predicted that cross-border shopping a pre-occupation of retailers and consumers in 2013, when the loonie was closer to par would have dropped off the radar by 2015?
But that is what has happened.
It's not just the dollar that is keeping Canadians closer to home but the proliferation of online buying opportunities.
While shopping online is efficient and there is great variety, it isn't a perfect system.
Canadians who make shopping close to home a part of their lifestyle keep taxes and jobs in their neighbourhood a good thing for those eking a living in the service and retail industries, and for government budgets.
But the high U.S. dollar also makes imported food and other necessities more expensive while cheaper gas doesn't seem to offset the high costs.
So while we might not be shopping down south, we are still feeling the hit to our pocketbooks.
