8 US Destinations That Canadians Can Visit For Amazing Black Friday Deals
When I was younger, my family and I would travel to Pennsylvania every November to visit my relatives for American Thanksgiving. While the turkey dinners and family bonding was always exciting, the highlight of our trip was undeniably the Black Friday shopping that would always commence in the following days.
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In the US, there are a few states that are exempt from sales tax on some (or all) types of goods. So, you could probably imagine just how much fun my family and I had shopping in the states during Black Friday back then; especially in 2007, when the Canadian dollar was actually at par (or even above) the US dollar. It was a good enough reason for us to take the 8-hour or so trip every year!
Sadly, that is not the reality now - the loonie has experienced a steady decline since 2013, and now it's only worth $0.74 USD.
But that shouldn't discourage Canadians from making a shopping trip to the States. Yes, the conversion rate is high, but Black Friday deals in the states are so ridiculous that it would still be worth the while; especially in tax-exempt states. Besides, we're used to paying relatively high taxes in Canada anyway, so paying the exchange CAD/USD exchange rate would be kind of similar to that, right?
US Black Friday officially lands on November 25 this year. If you're looking for amazing deals, consider taking a road trip to some of these US destinations:
Note: The following destinations may be as far as an 8-hr distance away from various major Canadian cities.
Delaware
No sales tax
In Delaware, the state sales tax rate is at 0.0%.
According to data compiled by real estate site Graphiq, the city of Wilmington is one of the best places in the state for shopping, with its four major malls.
The drive to Wilmington, DE is:
- 6 h and 27 min from Kingston, ON
- 7 h and 30 min from Montreal, QC
- 8 h from Toronto, ON
Photo cred - pinterest
Minnesota
Clothing exempt
In Minnesota, clothing, prescription drugs, medications, food items for home consumption and various services are exempt from sales tax. On everything else, a state sales tax of around 7% applies.
According to data compiled by real estate site Graphiq, Minneapolis is one of the best places in the state for shopping, with its 29 major malls.
The drive to Minneapolis, MN is:
- 6 h and 2 min from Thunder Bay, ON
- 7 h and 6 min from Winnipeg, MB
Montana
No sales tax
In Montana, the state sales tax rate is at 0.0%.
According to data compiled by real estate site Graphiq, Missoula is one of the best places in the state for shopping, with its 8 major malls.
The drive to Missoula, MT is:
- 7 h and 4 min from Calgary, AB
- 7 h and 52 min from Kelowna, BC
New Hampshire
No sales tax
In New Hampshire, the state sales tax is at 0.0%
According to data compiled by real estate site Graphiq, Manchester is one of the best places in the state for shopping, with its 6 major malls.
The drive to Manchester, NH is:
- 4 h and 3 min from Montreal, QC
- 5 h and 30 min from Quebec City, QC
- 6 h an 7 min from Saint John, NB
New Jersey
Clothing exempt
In New Jersey, clothing, medicine, unprepared food, household paper products are exempt from sales tax. On everything else, a state sales tax of 7% applies.
According to data compiled by real estate site Graphiq, Paramus is one of the best places in the state for shopping, with its 14 major malls.
The drive to Paramus, NJ is:
- 5 h and 27 min from Montreal, QC
- 5 h and 48 min from Kingston, ON
- 6 h and 19 min from Niagara Falls, ON
Oregon
No sales tax
In Oregon, the state sales tax is at 0.0%.
According to data compiled by real estate site Graphiq, Portland is one of the best places in the state for shopping, with its 20 major malls.
The drive to Portland, OR is:
- 5 h and 23 min from Vancouver BC
- 6 h and 14 min from Victoria, BC.
Photo cred – allovertheus
Pennsylvania
Clothing exempt
In Pennsylvania, clothing, unprepared foods, textbooks, medicinal drugs, residential heating fuels and resale items are exempt from sales tax. On everything else, a state sales tax of 6% applies.
According to data compiled by real estate site Graphiq, Pittsburg and Philadelphia are two of the best places in the state for shopping, with their 25 and 42 major malls, respectively.
The drive to Pittsburg is:
- 4 h and 30 min from Windsor, ON
- 5 h from Toronto, ON
The drive to Philadelphia is:
- 6 h and 45 min from Niagara Falls, ON
- 7 h and 51 min from Toronto, ON
Vermont
Clothing exempt
In Vermont, clothing, groceries (including candies and pop drinks), prescription and OTC drugs are exempt from sales tax. On everthing else, a state sales tax of 6% applies.
According to data compiled by real estate site Graphiq, Burlington is one of the best places in the state for shopping, with its 4 major malls.
The drive to Burlington, VT is:
- 1 h and 43 min from Montreal, QC
- 3 h and 38 min from Ottawa, ON
- 7 h from Toronto, ON
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