The Not So Great Canadian: "Why isn't____ sold in Canada" Thread

MolsonExport · #1 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 4:33 PM**

coke

well, why isn't it, dammit?

giallo · #2 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 4:39 PM**

I used to get so bummed out when I'd see some advertisement for a breakfast cereal during Saturday morning cartoons (this was back in the 80s), only to find out that it wasn't sold in Canada.
The concept of cross border trade was too complicated for my tiny kid brain.

esquire · #3 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 4:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by giallo

I used to get so bummed out when I'd see some advertisement for a breakfast cereal during Saturday morning cartoons (this was back in the 80s), only to find out that it wasn't sold in Canada.
The concept of cross border trade was too complicated for my tiny kid brain.

I think this is a common Canadian 80s kid experience. The supermarkets in Fargo, North Dakota seemed like a wonderland of the sugary treats I'd see advertised on TV.

MolsonExport · #4 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 4:55 PM**

say what you want, but I farking love these:

amazonaws

Xelebes · #5 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 4:56 PM**

I never saw those ads.

Surrealplaces · #6 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 4:57 PM**

I'm sure the reason this isn't sold in Canada is because it's full of toxic chemicals. But I have to confess...I like the taste and it's awesome for lazy people. Thankfully it's something I only have once every few years :0

JHikka · #7 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 5:03 PM**

Every item in this thread is absolutely terrible for you.

Dwils01 · #8 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 5:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

coke

well, why isn't it, dammit?

I've seen some bottles of cherry coke sold in the grocery store the past couple of weeks but haven't seen any 12 packs yet.

Riise · #9 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 5:21 PM**

Yup, Cherry Coke is back in bottles for a limited time. Stock up folks!

esquire · #10 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 5:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JHikka

Every item in this thread is absolutely terrible for you.

Sometimes I wonder if Health Canada has done us all a huge favour by keeping the worst excesses of US food manufacturers out of Canada

Although that said, the gap is narrowing seemingly every year... there are not many junk food frontiers left

HomeInMyShoes · #11 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 5:26 PM**

from Amazon.com

This was my deodorant growing up. It disappeared from Canada distribution and now the only thing that Old Spice has here is that high endurance crap. At one point you could get places to order it in because it was still on the distributor's list. Then it disappeared from there. Now I order it from the US every now and then.

bikegypsy · #12 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 5:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surrealplaces

I'm sure the reason this isn't sold in Canada is because it's full of toxic chemicals. But I have to confess...I like the taste and it's awesome for lazy people. Thankfully it's something I only have once every few years :0

Disgusting... It reminds me of the one gallon tub of liquid marshmallow spread I once saw in a Boston store.

flar · #13 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 5:49 PM**

The different brands of candy always come to mind. When I was growing up, it was all accessible because we lived right on the border. To be honest, I always preferred Mars to Milky Way and Oh Henry to Baby Ruth. And Americans don't have Crispy Crunch, Coffee Crisp or Smarties.

Americans also lust after our soft drinks, which have a higher quality sugar. I generally hate pop, but sometimes I get a hankerin' for some Vernor's, which doesn't seem to be sold outside of SW Ontario and the US. Tip: get some Vernor's and put some vanilla ice cream in it.

esquire · #14 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 5:55 PM**

The only thing I love that you can get in the US but not here is Target's vanilla granola. Well, you could get it here for a while but not any longer... and I just depleted my last box

Everything else seems to have crossed the border.

TorontoDrew · #15 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 5:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

coke

well, why isn't it, dammit?

It's being sold right now as part of their share a Coke campaign. Also Costco and some No Frills have been selling it since 2014. It's not bottled in Canada though so the amount sold would be limited and might also exclude Quebec because the labels would not be bilingual.

Here's one item they used to sell here waaaaay back when I was a kid but no longer carry it.

from amazon.com

SignalHillHiker · #16 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 5:58 PM**

I don't recall ever not seeing cherry Coke - but I don't drink it so wasn't consciously noticing it. Coworker was talking about how it's her go-to drink the other day, though. I missed the beginning of the convo - could have been a continuation of saying it's back. But I think it's always available?

I don't usually buy superette fare when I'm in the U.S. so I don't miss much in that regard. Would be nice to be able to get a Pineapple Crush on a hot day on the mainland. Specifically regarding the U.S. I hate not being able to easily and legally buy things at U.S. prices or the American versions of online services such as Netflix and the like.

Acajack · #17 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 6:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

It's being sold right now as part of their share a Coke campaign. Also Costco and some No Frills have been selling it since 2014. It's not bottled in Canada though so the amount sold would be limited and might also exclude Quebec because the labels would not be bilingual.

I don't buy pop so I had no idea but a quick search shows Cherry Coke available at IGA in Quebec:

https://www.iga.net/fr/produit/boiss...00006700000538

BTW, as far as labelling goes it's federal interprovincial trade regulations that require bilingual labelling. It's not necessarily related to Quebec itself, although Quebec has its own rules on labelling of course.

As soon as a product crosses an interprovincial border (even BC-Alberta), it needs bilingual labelling. Or at least a bilingual descriptor of what it is. Often all you see that is bilingual is BEER / BIÈRE and most of the rest is all in one language.

Case in point. There is a high-end chocolate and ice cream shop that just opened near my place here, and I noticed their labelling on chocolate bars, fondue kits, etc. is all in French only. They are based in Quebec City, and have stores here and there in Quebec, but none outside the province.

matt602 · #18 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 6:09 PM**

Not really a lot from the US that I wish we had here, aside from the lower prices. The soft drinks kinda taste like crap because they use high fructose corn syrup instead of sugar and the alcohol selection, while much cheaper, is definitely crap compared to the stuff we have up here.

Usually when I go down there I avoid the sweets and pop entirely and just get a cheap bottle of bourbon or something. It's the convenience and price that get me, not the actual selection. Kinda the same with Quebec, though you get the perk of having the same or better selection as Ontario.

lio45 · #19 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 6:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JHikka

Every item in this thread is absolutely terrible for you.

Incidentally, my grandpa (an avid woodsman and hunter) has just asked me to bring him back boxes of a type of 22 bullet that he can't find in Quebec any more...

I would put that in the same category (if pointed towards the user) as everything else.

matthew6 · #20 Posted **Aug 21, 2015, 6:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

coke

well, why isn't it, dammit?

Well you can get Mexican Coke. And it does taste better.