Christmas Shopping: Shopping in a store vs. Online

Now that I'm down south, one advantage to Christmas shopping is the instant gratification you get in a store making a purchase, not like having to wait 10,000 years for it to show up in the mail, the way it shows up north, when ordered online. It takes a little adjustment period for me switching from online to in store shopping... even though I regard myself as an high level experiance shopper (Nathan is nodding his head in agreement right now, whilst crying silently into his wallet). I am a shopping Ninja...but not in the find the deal kind of way. No, more in the stamina, can shop till I drop kind of way. I usually know what to get and where.

Except recently I have been finding it hard in some stores. I have become a little jaded shopping online. If I need a book, I go to amazon, pump in the title of the book and BAM it pops up. In a store...I acutally have to go and look for that book... peruse the isles. I recently became frustrated in Futureshop because I knew the title of the movie I wanted but could not for the life of me find it. I also couldn't find a sales person to help me either. I felt so helpless needing the help of another person to shop, like my ego was taking some kind of hit. All I wanted was for some magical "search box" to appear in front of me so I could type in the movie I wanted and click purchase. Traditional shopping, in a sense is becoming too slow and inconvenient for me.

Did you know that when your in the south things show up in the mail really, REALLY fast? It's kind of weird for me to think that I could be in the south, but prefer to some extent to continue shopping online. Shopping online also adds some sanity into your life after you've spent a Saturday afternoon at Walmart during their extended holiday hours. No one should go to Walmart on a Saturday, let alone during the Christmas season. That is one way to throw a laid back Nunavummiut into an anxiety attack.

A Nunavummiut's Guide To Online Shopping

Lets start by informing all non-Nunavut residents about what Nunavummiut
(I can't actually pronounce this word) is exactly and why we do a lot more online shopping then anyone else in the country. First of all Nunavummiut means "Residents of Nunavut or Nunvik". The community that I live in is lacking certain everyday items that in the south we take for granted. In the south you can just hop in your car and cruise on over to the local Walmart and pick up anything you need. Up here your choices are limited to only what can be purchased online and shipped to you on a plane. Not to mention certain stores like Walmart have failed miserably in joining us in 2007 and only offer a "shopping list" feature on their website. Their American counterparts who do offer online shopping don't allow shipping internationally. So I had to search for a few good Canadian stores and some American that do ship to Canada. Here is a list that I have compiled (with useful information) of a few online shops to cover any of your needs while living up north.

GENERAL

LONDON DRUGS
http://www.londondrugs.com/
This site has been a lifesaver for me, shipping all bath & beauty products and much adored Cadbury Mini eggs when I couldn't possibly find them anywhere else. The shipping here works by weight; 0-4.5kgs is a flat $30. So if you get one item its not worth the shipping fee, they get you that way, because you want to use up all your weight allowance and keep adding things to the cart until you come in right under 4.5kgs. Shipping usually takes more then 2 weeks, so it's not fast. However you can't get the products they sell on here on any other Canadian online store.

CANADIAN TIRE
http://www.canadiantire.ca/
Shipping is better here then londondrugs, however it really isn't that great. I got some Christmas decorations and furnace filters on this site, I ended up having to call and the woman said "where is Nunavut?", after I told her it was a giant territory she clued in.

COST-CO
http://www.costco.ca/
I haven't bought anything from here yet, but it looks promising. I read a lot of northern bloggers have had good shipping with them, getting huge items for very inexpensive shipping costs, I guess they haven't figured out about Nunavut yet.

LINENS AND THINGS
http://canada.lnt.com/home/index.jsp
I am not sure what shipping is like for this site, but it takes a lot of restraint to not buy everything on the site! I have a friend who has bought from this site, so I know it's good and their product gets where it's going, but I haven't bought anything here....yet! One annoyance is the Canadian & American websites look similar, make sure your shopping on the Canadian site! And if you find yourself shopping on the American site and switch over to the Canadain, you might see they haven't compensated for the new and better exchange rate for the Canadian dollar! Things are still exceedingly cheaper on the U.S site. So save yourself the grief and don't compare prices!

BATH AND BEAUTY

LUSH
http://ca.lush.com
All I can say is FREAKIN amazing! These products smell good and work amazingly! They don't send to a P.O box so you have to just make up a street name and they also don't send certain products in summer as they may melt.

CLOTHING

MARKS WORK WEARHOUSE
http://marksworkwearhouse.com/
This one is good for clothing and shipping isn't too much either. The clothing changes for each season, so you can get fleece lined jeans, but closer to winter.

LA SENZA
http://www.lasenza.com
These guys are great for girlie underwear, awesome sleepwear and lounge wear. They also have a mens line of undergarments and lounge wear. The prices are good and shipping is pretty good.

PETS

1-800-PETMEDS.COM
http://www.1800petmeds.com/
This one is good for some medications, and a few toys and other pet things. They are located in the states, so prices are American and you do have that chance of paying duty. I have shopped with them, and the experience was good. You can even call them up and talk to a person, which is just a plus. I try not to shop with a place that doesn't have a 1-800 number.

PETSMART
http://www.petsmart.com/ps/main.jsp
This place is my new favourite! Sure it's in the States, so you run the risk of paying duty, but it's so worth it. Where else can you buy 30lbs of cat litter with free shipping? Here is the scoop on this one though, you have to spend more then $50 to get free shipping. You also CAN'T buy food of any kind on here, and if they cancel litter or any other item, you just need to call their 1-800 number and talk to a person on the phone and they will put your order through. Sometimes on really heavy orders they charge a flat couple of dollars fee and there is also shipping to remote area fee for $20 or so, but really if you think of what you can get it's not so bad.

FOOD

BULK FOODS
http://www.bulkfoods.com/
I also haven't shopped here, but I hear it's another great place and they definitely ship up here. The only problem is that they don't calculate shipping rates until after you place your order.

You can also stick London Drugs perfectly into this category!

OTHER NOTABLES

I could also add in the notable Amazon.ca, however we all know this one, but think of this, if they haven't accounted for the change in exchange rate, you might actually get a cheaper book deal buying from Amazon.com. You would have to look into it factoring in shipping to Canada costs.

There is also Futureshop.ca and Bestbuy.ca, however if you are buying cd/dvds/games, check out Amazon.ca. I find Futureshop.ca charges ridiculous shipping costs on cds...$4 for shipping for one cd? How much do they think it weighs? Amazon.ca ships free after $39.00! Not to mention I find Futurshops website irritating and harder to navigate then most. I am still waiting for a lot of larger businesses to join up with the rest of the world in 2007. For example you from Ontario might know Shoppers Drug Mart, but I am not holding my breath for Walmart!

Please Add anymore Online Shopping sites that are of interest, I am always looking for new stores! And the shopaholic lives on even if she is now a Nunavummiut!

Nunavummiut's Guide To Online Shopping

Here is another list for all you online shoppers. I have made purchases from most of these places, excluding a few of stores listed under Kids Stuff. Feel free to give your input and add any other sites you shop with in the comments section.

If you are an online company searching for new ideas to attract shoppers, what Nunavummiut want most, free shipping. It's simple, ship for free and we will shop.

As a general rule, do not get the expedited shipping. It's good for nothing. Shipping will happen on it's own time up north, whether you pay more or not. However, what will effect the speed is where your purchase is coming from. If you're on the Baffin side, things from Ontario will reach you faster then from British Columbia. The estimated shipping times in my list below are most accurate for the Baffin area.

Books

Amazon.ca
Shipping: Free over $39
Estimated Time: 2 weeks
Pros: You don't have to be part of any rewards "club" to get the deals. Their items seem to run slightly cheaper then their competitor.
Cons: They do not sell toys like Chapters.

Chapters
Shipping: Free over $39
Estimated Time: 2 weeks
Pros: They sell toys.
Cons: You have to be part of their "Club" to get the discounts. So not cool.

Jen of Nunavut thumbs up goes to Amazon.ca

Drug Stores

Well.ca
Shipping: FREE!!!! Let me say that again FREE!!!
Estimated Time: 1 - 3 weeks
Pros: Super customer service. FREE SHIPPING (listen, this is a big deal in the north!). A wide variety of products. PLUS they actually sell medication unlike London Drugs.
Cons: Not as many non-medication items sold. For example, items I will have to get at their competitor's site: electric razor.

London Drugs
Shipping: $30 for 4.5Kgs (base, meaning you better get 4.5kgs of stuff to make it worth while)
Estimated Time: 2 - 6 weeks (seriously 6 weeks, I'm not kidding)
Pros: This company carries a wide variety of items, food, health items, make-up. Prices are reasonable. They carry seasonable items like Christmas candy & decorations.
Cons: Their Shipping is definately not great. The worst part is that they call themselves a drug store and they do not sell over the counter medication. They show you that they have it in stock, but you can NOT purchase it online. Buying medication online is a big deal for Nunavummiut, it's not available in most small communities, except with a visit to the health centre.

Jen of Nunavut thumbs up goes to Well.ca

Bath & Body

The Body shop
Shipping: $5
Estimated Time: 2 - 3 weeks
Pros: They have all kinds of promotions and sales that you can take advantage of. Their products smell heavenly. Great price for shipping items north.
Cons: To shop you have to find the itty bitty text at the bottom of the page that says "Take me shopping". Seriously it should be more prominent then this. Discounts and free items are only taken off your bill at time of charging credit card. Though they do honor these discounts, it does not seem like it at first when checking out, if feels slightly sketchy.

Lush
Shipping: $8 - $17.50 (2 - 4.5kgs)
Estimated Time: 2-3 weeks
Pros: How do I describe this company other then YUMMY! Website & checkout is user friendly and straight forward.
Cons: Shipping isn't great & they deter you from ordering some "meltable" products in the summer time.

Bath & Body Works
Shipping: $9.99 - $12.99 (Based on how much you spend)
Estimated Time: 2-3 weeks
Pros: YES, they finally sell online! They sell inexpensive hand soaps and body products.
Cons: Prices are in US funds. This company has some overwhelming scented products. It might be better to shop for products down south where you can judge a scent before using the online store.

Jen of Nunavut thumbs up goes to Body Shop!

Kids Stuff

Toys R Us
Shipping: Based on weight when shipping north.
Estimated Time: 2 - 3 weeks
Pros: You can get EVERYTHING a kid needs. The best part is that they sell baby furniture, I got a crib sent up with only $40 shipping!
Cons: Shipping seems inconsistent. Add a pack of batteries in with the crib and some how the shipping charge is $50! Balancing purchase & reasonable shipping is a challenge. You might have to tweak your cart to get the best possible purchase/ship result. The American site has way MORE stuff. Don't get confused about which site your on (.ca or .com). You might end up in tears when you can't buy that particular item for that really cheap price.

Gymboree
Shipping: $10 - $54 (Based sales, but if your spending $1,400 on baby clothing, you have a problem. More likely you're going to spend $10)
Estimated Time: Unknown (meaning I haven't made a purchase with their online store....yet)
Pros: REALLY FREAKING CUTE KIDS CLOTHING and some kids toys. Their bubbles are of the best bubble quality (Yes, I've tested many bubbles, just like a fine wine).
Cons: Their prices are US and their prices are REALLY FREAKING EXPENSIVE.

Others:
Raspberry Kids - I just found this place, shipping is reasonable and there are some totally cute things. If your a mom, you MUST check this Canadian company out!
Scholarschoice - For those kids that like to learn stuff.
Funky Monkey - Cute, but overpriced baby attire, toys and doodads. For those fashion obsessed moms. Shipping is overpriced.

Jen of Nunavut thumbs up goes to Toys R Us

Clothing

Victoria's Secret
Shipping: $14 -24 (Based on Sale)
Estimated Time: 2 - 4 Weeks
Pros: They have a large variety of woman's clothing, in a large variety of sizes. Some good sale items.
Cons: Prices are in US funds, and some of their fashion is questionable 1990's "Fresh Prince" style.

L.L. Bean
Shipping: $5 - $13 (Based on Sale)
Estimated Time: 3 - 4 weeks
Pros: Sell good quality Men & Woman's clothing, shoes, outdoor gear & Luggage.
Cons: Items are in US Funds and are expensive. Some clothing items are "old lady", no one should ever wear tapered pants, and waste lines shouldn't sit above the belly button. Pant buyer beware.

Mark's Work Wearhouse
Shipping: $5
Estimated Time: 2 - 3 weeks
Pros: Reasonably priced, good quality men and woman's apparel. $5 SHIPPING! Canadian shipped, no duty.
Cons: They have a serious lack of selection, some times better, especially during the Christmas months.

Others:
American Eagle - Popular, skinny people fashion.
Buycostume.com - Halloween Costumes.
Eddie Bauer - Men & Woman's preppy and expensive fashion.
La Senza - Canadian, lady's pantaloons.
MXM - Bootylicious plus size woman's clothing, Canadian shipped.

Jen of Nunavut thumbs up goes to Mark's Work Wearhouse!

Photo

Shutterfly
Shipping: Depending on item, price increases with each item.
Estimated Time: 3 - 4 weeks
Pros: They have a wide variety of Photo products to choose from. They have easy to use layouts when creating photobooks.
Cons: Their shipping isn't fantastic and prices are in US funds. Their photo books are not nearly as well priced or done as Blurb.com. Their free shipping is a joke by the way, not for Canadians. No, Canadians must pay.

Cafepress
Shipping: Depending on item, price increases with each item.
Estimated Time: 3 - 4 weeks
Pros: They have more variety when it comes to photo products then Shutterfly. They have a new Canadian site with Canadian pricing (however I'm not sure if shipping is within Canada or US).
Cons: You do not know if you are working on an "out of stock" item until you try to add it to your cart. It's a waste of time designing something that you can not buy. Their travel mugs have been out of stock for a while. I also do not like the quality of their ceramic mug printing.

Zazzel - Photo printing on all sorts of items, I found them when Cafepress was out of stock on travel mugs.
Blurb - Great price & quality photobooks.

Jen of Nunavut thumbs split in the middle Shutterfly & Cafepress, depending on item.

Other

Costco
Shipping: Depending on the item, FREE!
Estimated Time: 2 - 3 weeks
Pros: Some large items ship for FREE!!! They have a wide variety of items that you just can't get anywhere else online.
Cons: You have to be a member to avoid and extra fee at checkout. But really they are amazing so don't even worry about that little extra fee, or just become a member, I did.

Costco.ca ALWAYS get's a thumbs up!

Online Shopping to Avoid (I'm not linking. Seriously, don't bother visiting)

Canadiantire.ca
At the moment I'm not sure exactly what's going on with their website, it doesn't seem like you can purchase anything online. However previously Nunavummiut were excluded COMPLETELY from all shipping deals and promotions. Also when talking with customer service, they had no idea where Nunavut was. Hello your company name is CANADIAN tire, shouldn't you know all of the provinces and territories. Really, there aren't that many.

Futurshop.ca
SERIOUSLY, who researched your shipping costs? Lets pretend that we are in a big city, somewhere in the middle of southern Ontario. Then lets pretend that we live a sneeze away from one of your stores, as do my parents. Why would you give them the options of ground or air? I'm pretty sure no one is going to fly that single DVD across the street, even if we pay $9.27 versus the $1.99 for ground. Now lets take our journey back to Nunavut. If I want that SAME DVD, I am now paying $31.24. For one DVD? Costco will ship me an entire TV stand for FREE and Futureshop wants $31.24 for one DVD. Forget it. Please, if you need CDs and DVDs shop amazon.ca and you can find a full list of electronics at Costco.

HTTP://WELL.CA

Is this shameless promotion? Yes, yes it is. However after dealing with astronomical quantities of businesses as a shopaholic, this site is earning my vote for best. Yes it might just be an online pharmacy but holy crap is it ever the best.

Lets start from the beginning. Some of you might have remembered the post I made last year about online shopping for us in Nunavut. Well.ca also read it. Why? Because they were actually out searching for someone who would give them a strong customer relationship and found me. Someone actually took the time to send me an e-mail (not one pre-written with my name inserted, a real e-mail) to tell me about their site. This sounds logical, you would think most businesses are out looking for customers, however you are wrong. Most businesses that I have dealt with be it online of or in store, really could care less if you are a devotional shopper for them. No star treatment, unless of course you sign up for their promotional cards that really don't give you any promotions but are still costing you money. No thanks.

So I received an e-mail...FROM A REAL person. That was what caught my attention, but what has me writing a whole post about this company? They only charge $3 shipping to anywhere in Canada....and that's a big deal for us Nunavummiut!!! HUGE DEAL! Seeing as the only other online pharmacy (who isn't actually selling medication, you can see it on their site, but you can't actually purchase it) charges $30 as a starting rate for shipping. And I really don't have a problem with that other company...it's just HELLO $3 is much better!

Getting Medication in Nunavut is an issue for me. You can't get certain things, and what's available you have to get from the nurses station. Or you can have mom and dad mail it up...but they have better things to be doing. So there is another positive check for Well.ca, they actually sell medication. This company also shows me that customer service isn't dead with the extra personal touches they add, the little thank you they hand wrote on my order form was so nice. But the number one reason they are the best company of all time is that they knew I had a huge issue finding MINI EGGS online last year, so THEY ADDED THEM ON THEIR SITE......JUST FOR ME!!!!!

Here is the box I got last month. Tallinn was really excited about it, even though their wasn't anything in it for him. I was excited too..... just go check them out already.

I miss you already

I miss you, Nunavut. I don't think about how much I miss you during the day time when I'm driving in my car, texting and eating a Big Mac (but not really because texting and driving is illegal in my area, and I'm a perfect citizen). I don't really think I miss you when the weather is warm, I'm wearing a tee-shirt, the grass is still green and it's November. I vaugly remember you when I'm power shopping the mall, online shopping a distant memory, sipping a Starbucks and heading through a self check out.

But late at night, when I'm fast asleep, visions of snowmachines drive through my head. Blizzards, cold and the snow. And I remember how much I hate rain, rain sucks. Then I start dream wondering why it hasn't snowed here yet, this place sucks and I'm never going to snowmachine here!

Then I really, really miss you!

Tales of Christmas and More

The week started nicely, thoughts of sugar plums dancing in my head and candy cane lane with gum drop houses. Despite the lack of routine that I am used to this time of season, Nathan and I had a great Christmas.

It all started on Wednesday when the whole town went without power for the entire day! We were lucky to have the diesel generator at Nathan's work and we all ended up over there (all for our own reasons, for Nathan it was the microwave so he could eat some pizza pops, and for me it was the working coffee maker). Eventually our power came back on and we were able to get back to some normalcy. It was so nice to see that everyone in town took a very laid back position about their lack of power, despite the fact that it was -24C outside.

Christmas came shortly after and it seemed like every time we would sit down to dinner Nathan would get a call out and we would have to put off eating for a bit. However it all worked out wonderfully and Nathan managed to surprise me with wonderful presents that I never even saw coming. I think he must have woken up in the middle of the night to put out some presents. Tallinn did pretty well also, he has enough rawhide to hide in every corner in the house now.

That's brings us up to today, Boxing Day. Instead of spending my day online shopping for sales, Nathan took me out on the snowmobile. We headed to the other side of the island and I saw the sun for the first time in a month. We do get the light where we live, however it never seems to rise over the hill enough, so for some light therapy Nathan took me over the hill on the snowmobile. It was beautiful, but only when we were stopped, as I was too busy being nerve wrecked when we were moving because he was driving. We made it home in one piece, but nearer to the end he got us stuck in some loose snow and it took us a while to dig it out and maneuver the machine around to get out. I guess karma wanted to take revenge on him for taking me on a crazy bump filled ride, because as we returned home there was an adorable little puppy all by her lonesome looking for a home! She must have been only a month old and extremely tiny. The look on Nathan's face when I brought her home! I brought her in and gave her a bath, but at this point I was still calling her him. Nathan kindly pointed out that it was a girl and not a boy. I have only had male dogs so I guess girl dogs can look a little like male dogs at that early age, needless to say at least one of us knew what was going on. I cleaned her up and fed her and wanted to hug her and kiss her and keep her forever and ever! However there was the matter of Nathan. We obviously couldn't keep her and I had to find her a home. We ended up bringing her over to a local woman we know and she was more then happy to take the freshly cleaned puppy (no dog gets a bath up here, so when they do they look like the million dollar dog, slightly more attractive to take in). I am glad I know she is a warm place right now, but I would have loved to take her south with us and give her to a family where she would be the only child that got truck loads of lovin'. She was pretty cute, but as far as Nathan's concerned I need to keep my hands out of the puppy jar!