I purchased Season Five of Monk today.
Monk is the quirky detective series starring Tony Shaloub produced by USA television network. I've been a fan ever since I first saw it in the US five years ago. It has migrated to Canada, but we see older episodes. (Unfortunately for Canadians our Human Rights gurus have not seen fit to declare the ability to get first-run US shows when they come out a right; it would make as much sense as some of the other stuff they come up with -- like not being searched at the border unless Canada Customs first gets a search warrant. But I digress.) One of the early seasons was shot in Toronto, and, in a graveyard scene you see Mt. Pleasant Cemetery.
I did due diligence. Checked Amazon.ca. Checked BestBuy.ca. Checked FutureShop.ca. Checked ChaptersIndigo.ca or whatever it is they call themselves these days.
Then I bought it on US-based Amazon.com.
The reason? Price. Season Five sells for around $50 CAD in Canada. At Amazon.com, I can get it for under $40. The discount on the Canadian sites is 20%. On the American site, the discount is 38%.
Thank goodness for the vibrant competitive economy to the south of us.
Ah, but what about shipping to Canada, and customs fees, you ask. Not a problem. I'm planning a trip back to Toronto in August, so I've arranged to have the DVDs shipped to my stopover point, the beautiful Belmont Motel in Skowhegen Maine. They don't mind holding parcels for me. This way I get free shipping.
Will I declare the DVDs when I cross the border into Canada? Of course; always do.
And that's the way the Ball bounces.
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