As our stockpile of items that our Oregon and Washington visitors have brought us in the last couple of months dwindles, I am tempted to raid the shelves of Trader Joe's and use my Costco card in Bellingham. This is met with great resistance from an otherwise extremely laid back individual. And, I mean, great resistance.The discussion continued the other night and I was outnumbered two to one by the paramedic and my cousin (um... hello? a little family loyalty would be nice). Both believe that it is important to support our local retailers and to keep our local economy going. While I agree with this - in principle - I am conflicted as a middle income earner who tries to make my dollar stretch. My new favourite beverage - peppermint tea - is over $2 per box cheaper at Trader Joe's than at my local big box store. My tummy friendly coffee is less than half the price. The list is pretty much endless. A two dollar or more difference on several items adds up significantly - even when calculating the cost of mileage to travel there.
And what I would like to know is why oh why is there such a price difference on the exact same items? The paramedic likes to talk about "pink sludge" but I am pretty sure that there is no "pink sludge" in my peppermint tea... and huge chunks of Tillamook cheddar cheese or Monterey pepper jack cheese do not seem to upset the paramedic's stomach so I doubt there is any "pink sludge" there either.
Incidentally, as I was discussing this topic this morning with my friend - and talking about my experience car shopping with the paramedic - she wondered out loud why someone so adamant about not buying American is holding tight to his American brand preference? To which I responded... hhmmmm... good point.
But to return to the current dilemma... Where are my loyalties supposed to lie? With my local economy or my household budget? Am I really a bad Canadian if I am trying to find ways to better provide for my family?
