Oh, the humilitation.

[Timexwatch]

Originally posted by LordShiva
I have to buy Canadian dollars next week

Skip that. 99% of the time your ATM card works there and it's cheaper than the ForEx.

[Mrs. Tuberski]

Lordshiva why buy canadian, the merchants want american currency. If ur not form america then have fun

[Kontiki]

Why would our merchants want American currency?

[Mrs. Tuberski]

i dunno but they do. Seems u folks take it more then any merchants here take canadian on the border.

[Ben Kenobi]

They like American money up here, for the same reason you won't find any one down in the states who wants Canadian money. American money is more likely to keep it's value over time, and is worth more internationally.

I've seen many places up here offer discounts to Americans and most places even supermarkets will take US dollars no problem.

The same isn't true of the US at all. No merchants down there accept Canadian dollars.

[notyoueither]

I've been told casinos will take Canadian money.

Other than them, if I owned a business in the States there is no way I could make myself comfortable that employees would know legitimate Canadian currency from monopoly money. Of course I wouldn't take it.

I would assume the average Canadian could be trusted to recognise US currncy, especially in border areas, so the difference is understandable.

[Kontiki]

That's so completely wrong, it's not even funny.

Some places in Canada accept US currency in order to encourage American tourists to come and spend their money with as little hassle as possible for the tourist. That they offer a preferred rate (which is almost always negligible if it exists at all) is merely an extension of this. Just about everyone would rather have Canadian currency because unless you operate huge US dollar accounts, it's more of a pain in the ass to convert the currency later on, not to mention the exchange rate risk.

And Ben, despite your comprehensive knowledge of the US gleaned from a single bus trip down to Texas, many US merchants do the same thing close to the Canadian border. Lots of place in upstate New York and Michagan, as well as many other border states, desperately try to lure Canadian tourists with preferrential exchange rates.

Edit: Crosspost with nye

[Dinner]

One thing we can agree on is that no one, not even Mexicans, want Pesos.

[Mrs. Tuberski]

i wasnt aware that a canadian merchant messed around with changing the currency. Far as i know their paperwork when filling out supports both us currency, and canadian currency so to balance their end of the day, they count the two seperatly and then make a deposit whch is then handled by the bank. When up in the border town of washington and idaho last summer i didnt see one merchant that accpeted canadian dollars. Now mind you i didnt say there isnt one but i didnt see one. I dont know bout the other states, however i do know that the border towns in texas wont take pesos either.

[LordShiva]

Regardless, whether I buy CAD bills at a bank, use my ATM card, use my USD bills, or whatever, I'm still going to be hurt by a rising CAD.

[Ben Kenobi]

And Ben, despite your comprehensive knowledge of the US gleaned from a single bus trip down to Texas, many US merchants do the same thing close to the Canadian border. Lots of place in upstate New York and Michagan, as well as many other border states, desperately try to lure Canadian tourists with preferrential exchange rates.

I lived for 5 years in Vancouver, where Bellingham is just a short drive across the border. Yes there are places that try to attract Canadian shoppers, but they are generally restricted to areas where it is easy for Canadians to leave, drive there and drive back on a day trip.

Beyond that you are pretty much sol trying to get merchants to accept our monopoly money. Even the banks, at least the ones I went to are very unfamiliar. When I tried to change over some of my money, they had to bring over the manager. The teller had no familiarity whatsoever.

Up here, I see American tourists all the time, and most of the places accept american dollars no questions asked. We are about as far away as it gets from a 'border town' in the heart of BC.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
They like American money up here, for the same reason you won't find any one down in the states who wants Canadian money. American money is more likely to keep it's value over time, and is worth more internationally.

What a retarded answer.

[Japher]

hmmm, guess I'll stop throwing away all the Canadian dimes I get in my change

[KrazyHorse]

Seriously. Why the **** would any merchant have any concerns about the Canadian dollar retaining value? He's bringing it to the bank in the morning to change it. And as for "international worth" (which I don't even understand as a concept, given the existence of a fairly stable currency market between the two), he's not going internationally.

In other words, you're a ****ing muppet. Canadians are simply more familiar with the American dollar, and Americans comprise a bigger share of the average Canadian business' customers than Canadians do of the average American business'. That's more than enough to explain why more Canadian businesses take American money than the other way around. The ****ing CAD isn't the Zimbabwean whatever. Its value is not going to change significantly between accepting it and changing it over.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Japher
hmmm, guess I'll stop throwing away all the Canadian dimes I get in my change

I throw away American pennies (as I do the Canadian pennies). The larger denominations I keep for trips home.