Shop
till you drop online
Sun Review Dec. 4, 1999
With Christmas just three weeks away, many shoppers are turning to the Internet. And for good reason: there are no line-ups, no sappy Christmas muzak, and no circling the parking lots for a space. But while you can go anywhere in cyberspace, you may not always be able to purchase everything you want. Not all merchants ship internationally, and once you consider exchange, shipping, duty, and taxes, the price can make your purchase downright unaffordable.
You can avoid these obstacles by shopping in your own virtual backyard. Here is a list of Canadian online shopping sites to help you find the right gifts at the click of a button.
Department Stores
Sears (www.sears.ca)
is the leading Canadian department store e-retailer. Check out the Surplus section
where you can save 25-50% on discontinued or surplus items and find exclusive
deals available only on the website. The Bay and Zellers (www.hbc.com)
have a very limited online shopping presence, but you can check your Club Z
points online.
Computers &
Electronics
Future Shop
(www.futureshop.ca) offers free ground
shipping, and their handy tips for first-time users makes this a safe and friendly
shopping experience. The RadioShack Store (www.radioshack.ca)
features thousands of items and for all your questions, they have answers.
Jewelry &
Gifts
Birks website
(www.birks.com) has no search option, so
you'll have to do lots of clicking around before you find what you need. Canadian
Geographic Online (www.canadiangeographic.ca)
has a boutique where you can find uniquely Canadian gifts for under $20. Uniquely
Canada (www.uniquelycanada.com)
features a great collection of hand-made products from Canada's many talented
artists, craftspeople and designers. Search through products by category and
price range.
Clothing &
Fashion
La Senza (www.lasenza.com)
lets you shop for lingerie in the privacy of your own home. Winterco www.winterco.ca
has 3 online outdoor clothing stores and offers free standard delivery for orders
over $100. Also visit Club Monaco (www.clubmonaco.com/canada)
and Tilley Endurables (www.tilley.com)
Music &
Movies
Find everything
you'd ever want at HMV (www.hmv.com), Sam
the Record Man (www.samscd.com), or A&B
Sound (www.absound.ca). Visit Videomatica
(videomatica.com) for hard to find movies
in VHS & DVD.
Books
Check out the
giants like Chapters (www.chapters.ca)
and Indigo (www.indigo.ca) or find a great
selection of smaller run editions at BC Books (www.bcbooks.com)
Sporting Goods
and Outdoor Gear
Sportmart (www.sportmart.ca)
offers free shipping in Canada and $25 off your first purchase of $69 or more.
Mountain Equipment Co-op's website (www.mec.ca)
shows samples of the more than 9,000 products they sell, and while you can't
order online yet, you can phone to order all the products you want.
Gardening
Gardencrazy.com
(www.gardencrazy.com) has over 8,000
gardening products. You can search by category, price range or keyword. ESeeds
(www.eseeds.com) is your source for seeds
from any supplier, gardening books, tools, art and gifts.
More Canadian Shopping Sites
Online Shopping tips:
And if you're still nervous about shopping online, make your first online purchase with stores such as RadioShack and LaSenza, who also have retail outlets in Vernon.
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