shopping shouldn’t be such a complicated task, when all i want is a damn rugby shirt and i see ten people per day wearing the exact same one. shame on me for thinking i could get away with finding unique clothes at places as generic as american eagle outfitters. that’s a feat all on its own.

after a product knowledge meeting at work administrated by mavi consultants, the world of shopping and clothes was opened to my eyes. in the US you’ll find more teens and brand-savvy kids still heading for department stores like JC Penney or Bloomingdales to find the latest styles and hippest jeans. whereas in canada, it ain’t so “cool” to be shopping in the same department store where mommy buys her $2 box o’ sox. here, little clothing boutiques and even some trendy chain stores carry the fashion teens want to be seen in. sears? eatons? the bay? nah… save it for procrastinating a father’s day gift.

another thing i’ve noticed about canadian and american clothing patterns is that american stores like the gap make their sizes so incredibly large so that even if i were to try on an extra-small, i’d still be drowning in the poly-synthetic fibres. now why is that? i won’t comment any further.

there are only minute differences, i guess, when it comes to shopping across the border. perhaps the most glaring distinction is that canadian money works like peanuts in our southern neighbour’s home. one canadian dollar is like what… $176.54 in the states? haha. so true. so sad.