Amazon.com has launched its new Canadian website; Amazon.ca.
It’s all in Canadian dollars, no more blatant customs duties, just hidden now. Less painful.
MarkB
But the real question is: Will shipping still be from the US via UPS?
[ This Message was edited by: The Weekenders on 2002-06-26 15:10 ]
They’re evidently using a warehouse in Ontario, the centre of the universe. Now comes the argument…good for consumers and/or bad for small publishers/booksellers?
Jef
edited to show this news link, which is too long so you’ll have to copy and paste, I guess:
[ This Message was edited by: Jeferson on 2002-06-26 14:30 ]
I’m pretty proud of myself. I’ve obviously got the longest link on the site.
Jef
Jef – your link doesn’t link!
Amazon.ca will only be shipping books published in Canada. Order fulfillment and shipping with be taken care of by Amazon.ca’s “partner” Assured Logitistics (a wholly subsidiary of Canada Post) which will use a warehouse in Missisauga, Ont.
Obviously there are no custom’s duties or exchange rates applicable to books published in Canada.
A lot of publishers and Canadian book retailers are upset about this. They argue that Amazon.ca violates the Candian government’s “Canadian ownership of major boooksellers” and is, therefore, illegal. However, the Canadian publishing and bookselling industry uses the policy as a crutch to prop up the industry which is founded on a horrible outdated and inefficient business model. What they are really afraid of is having to compete with foreign businesses which are simple run more efficiently (see * below). In fact, one of the most vocal opponents to Amazon.ca is Heather Reisman who, coincidently, is CEO of (Canadian) Indigo Books and Music which continues to lose money.
(* Non-Canadian readers should know that “In order to preserve Canadian culture we must prevent foreigners from running industry in Canada” is a favourite argument of many Canadian business people. In some cases it has merit but in many cases it is rhetoric spouted by business owners who want to avoid foreign competition or who want to establish new government “culture” grants/subsidies to prop up their bottom line.)
To the Weekenders – I don’t like your sarcasm described or put off as humour, with the above posted remark.
What do you have against Canadians and especially French Canadiens. Up till that remark, I thought you to be an intelligent person, boy did you fool us Canadians EH!
MarkB
I wonder why most Americans feel the way they do about Canadians… I mean, is it some weird and warped rivalry thing???
I’m American, and I like Canadians… Heck, half my family is Canadian…
Maybe that’s it…
My GGGpa was from Chipman, New Brunswick. I have living relatives there though i have never met them.
My dad is threatening to move to BC so he can ranch his cattle in relative peace, or so he believes. We joke about this at family gatherings. My son has a Canadian accent and says house kind of like “hoose” for some unknown throwback NB reason. All of this leads to family Canadian controversy and I made the mistake of extending the gag onto the Forum.
Just a joke but will cease. We had been talking on another thread about a ridiculous episode of Miami Vice with French-Canadian bad guys and horse-racing that was, well ridiculous. It coincided with snowbirds in Florida.
Hair shirt on, apologies made. ):
Sorry about that, eh?
[ This Message was edited by: The Weekenders on 2002-06-26 15:59 ]
On 2002-06-26 14:51, MarkB wrote:
Jef – your link doesn’t link!
Mark, I said copy and paste. COPY AND PASTE.
While I’m at it, fellow Canadians, don’t miss the Mordecai Richler retrospective Thursday eve on CBC.
Jef
Dont get me started about snowbirds in Florida…
As this sub-forum of Canadian introspection takes place, moving the thread ever perilously but tantalizingly off topic, I would like to describe a perplexing event which occurred last Weekend at Windsor’s International Festival.
Unaccustomed as I am to matters of malt and hops, I nevertheless fearlessly approached the “ticket” table, and with great anticipation purchased 4 Tickets for Domestic Beer (only one of which was intended for my personal ingestion, dear readers). I thought I had purchased wisely (no, not you Dale),as the price of Imported Beer was about 30 cents a bottle higher.
Proudly walking up to the Dispensing Tent and revealing my newly purchased Domestic Tickets, I announced my selection… “4 Bottles, dear lady, of Alexander Keith’s (a fine beer made right here in Canada - Nova Scotia if I’m not mistaken)”.
Says she “Sorry sir, that’s imported, and you’ll need to go back and buy Imported Beer Tickets.”
Says I “But Keith’s is most assuredly not imported. Its made right here in Canada, in Nova Scotia, one of the earliest provinces to have joined in our fine Condeferation”.
Says she “Its imported from the East Coast. If you want to use those Domestic Beer Tickets you have, I can give you Molson’s Canadian or Budweiser”.
Says I “Budweiser? That’s not domestic, that’s imported, as American and watered down as it gets. Lass, have you not seen the commercials on American TV ? The horses. The Swedish bikinis. Maybe Molson’s I can understand, as Quebec is still in at last count, though there’s some in the West that would like to add their votes to that issue. But, surely Nova Scotians would be shocked to learn that in Windsor Ontario we don’t consider them to be a part of Canada. And that we call their beer foreign. Try explaining that to a group of those poor ex-miners on Cape Breton who already think Ontarians believe themselves to be in the centre of the Almighty’s universe.”
Says she, evidencing her perturbation at the audacity of my geographical challenge, “That’s the way it is.”
So, for those outsiders interested in our Canadian identity crisis (finding one, that is), please understand we are our own worst enemy, and we don’t need any help.
Good story Bob, we had to be there the same day and had the same person. I talked to the festival muckies about this, but they wouldn’t give me an answer. So I asked them if the imported muscians had visas and passports – they didn’t like it.
You got to remember the Windsor Celtic festival isn’t a real celtic festival, as Milwaukie, Dublin, Ohio, etc. It is a two day three night beer bash fundraiser for the Capitol Theatre. They don’t want a real festival. You can hear most of the groups that played there any night of the week in Windsor or Detroit and drink REAL IMPORTED beer.
Fortunately Bob, I don’t have an identity problem being Canadian.
Weekenders apology accepted, we have our stories of Americans crossing the border here at Windsor, but I won’t tell any.
Jef — sorry, you did say Copy and Paste, I thought you said Coffee and Poutine!!
DazedinLA – I will swap you all the SnowBirds in the United States, for 3,500 drunken nineteen year old’s from Michigan any night of the week. For those that don’t know the legal drinking age in Ontario is 19, while in Michigan it is 21.
Gosh gee, as we are swapping genealogies – my father’s father was an American, from Kansas/Oklahoma, his wife my grandmother was right off the boat from London, England. On my mother’s side the records put the family in King’s County New York in 1723.
My great grandfather Bradley (born in Galway) was a state Senator in Kansas when it became a state, after the Civil War.
I spend my money anywhere in the world I think I can get what I want, nationalism doesn’t enter into it. I have bought bodhrans from three different countries and whistles from two. Give me the world and forget about your artifical/arbitrary boundries — they’re the problem not me.
MarkB
OH! Bob email off board if you still want to have those bodhran lessons. It is the long weekend (as you know) and I have nothing lined up. Email off board by five Friday, include your phone number.
[ This Message was edited by: MarkB on 2002-06-26 18:20 ]
On 2002-06-26 17:32, bob baksi wrote:
So, for those outsiders interested in our Canadian identity crisis (finding one, that is), please understand we are our own worst enemy, and we don’t need any help.
Well, I’d offer to approach congress about having you adopted as a set of new States, which would resolve your crisis by making you red-blooded Americans, but in all honesty I’d rather see New England adopted as a new Canadian Province (that’d really T-off the French Canadians, I bet, having to share the country with the province of New England ) Unfortunately, history shows that departure from the U.S. of A. is not a wise idea…
–Chris
Chris
Be careful of what you ask for. I vaguely remember or think that an amendment or article in your Constitution, states that IF Canada wishes or is invited to join the United States and a two third majority of states wishes it to be so then Canada can become a member of the Union.
But not being a constitutional lawyer etc., I can be wrong.
MarkB
Hi Mark B! As an American with Canadian roots, and a long-time neighbor (except for an unfortunate ten years in PA), I see no problem with the Canadian identity. I’ve always enjoyed being close enough to visit our freinds to the North (well, South here).