Great News! Nordstrom is finally coming to Toronto and it’ll replace Sears at the Eaton Centre in Toronto. Nordstorm is an American upscale fashion retailer.  The company began as a shoe retailer, and has since expanded their inventory to include clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, and fragrances. Select Nordstrom stores also have wedding and home furnishing departments. The new Nordstrom store will be the company’s fifth in its foray into Canada. Stores in Calgary, Ottawa, and Vancouver are also in the pipes.

Sears has been a part of the Eaton Centre since 1999 when Eaton’s, the department store empire that built the mall, filed for bankruptcy.

Nordstrom will begin construction of the three-level store in March and expects the outlet will open in the fall of 2016.

Happy New Year from Smart Canucks! To help keep you safe this New Year’s Eve, we have prepared a list of the FREE transit services! Arrive alive, don’t drink and drive! You can ride the train, subway, bus or streetcar free of fare New Year’s Eve and early New Year’s Day.

These transit agencies either offer later services and/or FREE fare for their passengers:

TTC Toronto Transit Commission:

On New Year’s eve (Today) The TTC willoffer free, extended service from 7:00PM on December 31st through to 7:00AM on January 1st 2014. Check the TTC schedules here.

Tuesday, December 31 – New Year’s Eve

• Most routes with Monday-Friday late evening service will continue until 4 a.m., with the Blue Night Network operating from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m.
• Last trains on the Yonge-University-Spadina line will leave Union Station at 3:30 a.m. for Finch Station and 3:34 a.m. for Downsview Station.
• Last trains on the Bloor-Danforth line will leave Bloor-Yonge Station at 3:37 a.m. for Kipling Station and at 3:37 a.m. for Kennedy Station.
• Last train on the Scarborough RT line will leave Kennedy Station at 4:07 a.m. for McCowan Station.
• Last train on the Sheppard line will leave Sheppard-Yonge Station at 3:58 a.m. for Don Mills Station.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014 – New Year’s Day:

• Sunday service.
• Subway starts at 9 a.m.

Greater Toronto Area GO Transit:

Go Transit is accommodating New Year’s Eve festivities, including late-night homebound trips. Go Service will be FREE after 8:00PM Today (December 31st) until regular service begins on January 1st.

Lakeshore West GO line

• Two special train trips from Union Station at 1:30 a.m. and 2:30 will make all stops to Aldershot GO
• Bus trips from Union at 1:30 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. will be replaced by the special trains
• Bus connections with the special trains will be available at Aldershot GO
• Two additional Toronto-bound train trips from Aldershot GO at 12:04 a.m. and 1:04 will make all stops to Union Station

Milton GO line

• Special Toronto-bound train trips from Milton GO at 8:10 p.m. and 9:10 will make all stops to Union Station
• Special bus trips from Square One to Cooksville GO to connect with special trains
• Special homebound train trips from Union at 1:20 a.m. and 2:30 will make all stops to Milton GO
• Some trips on GO Bus routes 21 may experience new and adjusted service; some trips will not operate

Kitchener GO line

• Special Toronto-bound train trip from Mount Pleasant GO at 8:00 p.m. will make all stops to Union Station
• Special Toronto-bound train trip from Georgetown GO at 8:51 will make all stops to Union Station
• Special homebound train trips from Union at 1:30 a.m. and 2:30
• GO Bus routes 31, 34, 36, 38 may experience new and adjusted service; some trips will not operate

Barrie GO line

• Special Toronto-bound train trips from Allandale Waterfront GO at 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 will make all stops to Union Station
• Special homebound train trips from Union at 1:25 a.m. and 2:25 will make all stops to Allandale Waterfront GO
• GO Bus routes 63 and 65 may experience new and adjusted service; some trips will not operate

Richmond Hill GO line

• Regular bus service departs Union Station hourly between 8:40 p.m. to 2:40 a.m.

Stouffville GO line

• Special Toronto-bound trip from Lincolnville GO at 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 will make all stops to Union Station
• Special homebound trip from Union at 1:40 a.m. and 2:40 will make all stops to Lincolnville GO
• GO Bus route 71 may experience new and adjusted service; some trips will not operate

Lakeshore East GO line

• Special homebound train trips from Union at 1:20 a.m., and 2:00 will make all stops to Oshawa GO
• GO Bus route 88, 90 and 91 may experience new and adjusted service; some trips will not operate
• Special Toronto-bound train from Oshawa at 12:38 a.m. will make all stops to Union Station

Mississauga MiWay Ontario

Leave your car at home and travel safe if drinking via Mississauga MiWay Transit.

MiWay’s Service Details:
New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2013 – 7 p.m. to 12 a.m.
New Year’s Day, January 1, 2014 – 12 a.m. to 4 a.m.

For those travelling after midnight, service hours will be extended on routes that depart from local malls, GO Stations and from the Islington Subway Station. Extended evening service details are available at miway.ca/holidayservice

LTC London Transit Commission Ontario

Please remember that buses run on a special holiday schedule on December 31st, 2013. On New Year’s Eve, ride the bus on us! Bus rides will be complimentary on London Transit and specialized services between 8PM and 1AM on December 31st. Click here for more information.

Translink Metro Vancouver:

Free fares start today (December 31st) at 5:00PM and go until 5:00AM January 1st 2014.

• Bus services will run their usual weekday schedules with some routes running additional evening trips after their regular schedule. Read this New Year’s Eve Bus Schedule Adjustments service sheet.
• Skytrain will run usual weekday schedules with more frequent evening trains and will extend their services by about an hour.
• Seabus will operate a normal weekday schedule by about an hour.
• West Coast Express afternoon trains schedule.

Winnipeg Transit:

During the Holidays, take a free ride on New Year’s Eve starting at 8:00PM. Winnipeg Transit will operate regular services with the exception of New Years Day. On New Year’s Day Winnipeg will operate a Sunday schedule. On New Year’s Eve they will operate a regular weekday schedule.

OC Transpo (Ottawa, Cantley, Chelsea, Gatineau, Val-des-Monts)

OC Transpo wants to be the safe way to go during the holidays.Their Services will be FREE after 8:00PM courtesy of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Ottawa Chapter. A reduced Holiday service will be running, so check your schedule here before heading out. 

GRT Grand River Transit

Grand River Transit offers Free Rides three or four times every year. This year they have included New Year’s Eve in their FREE Rides offer. Click here to access the EasyGo trip planner.

STL Societe De Transport De Laval Quebec

On December 31st STL is offering free rides on all their buses. They encourage donations but it is not a requirement to board the bus. On New Year’s Eve (today) their schedule will be running as a Saturday Service. Here is their service schedule.

Edmonton Alberta Transit System (ETS)

ETS is offering FREE New Year’s Eve service from 6:00PM on December 31st through to 3:30AM on January 1st 2014. Here is the holiday transit service schedule for ETS.

BC Transit British Columbia

From small towns to large urban centres, BC transit connects all of British Columbia. Celebrate the New Year with FREE fare from BC Transit after 6:00PM. Check the BC Transit holiday schedules here.

Regina Saskatchewan Transit Services

New Year’s Eve – December 31, 2013

• Free bus service from 7 p.m. – 2:15 a.m

New Year’s Day – January 1

• No bus service. Transit Information Centre and RideLine closed.

Check out TransitLive.com now to get schedule info.

Halifax Metro Transit Nova Scotia

Starting at 6 p.m. on December 31st, all Metro Transit bus, ferry and Access-A-Bus service will be free to the public.  Also, some of Metro Transit’s most popular routes and the harbour ferry service will extend their hours so that you get home safe and sound after ringing in 2014.

This year’s free bus and ferry service is offered in support of MADD Canada.  On December 31st, volunteers from MADD Canada will be stationed at various points to collect donations and hand out red ribbons.  Please bring a donation or contribute online at MADD’s Halifax Region Chapter. 

New Year’s Eve service will include:

Bus & Access-A-Bus:
6:00 p.m. – 2 a.m. (check schedules for last trip times)

Alderney Ferry:
6:00 p.m. – 1:45 a.m. (last departure from Halifax)

Click below for schedules:

• New Year’s Eve Extended Bus and Ferry Schedules
• Regular Weekday Bus and Ferry Schedules
• Bus Detours During Grand Parade Fireworks

And remember folks, be safe and don’t drink and drive. Happy New Year 🙂

Didn’t get much shopping done over the weekend due to the ice storm? You are not alone and many stores are announcing extended hours today and tomorrow to help shoppers get those last minute items.

• Select Target stores open til midnight
• Select Sears stores open til midnight today and from 6am tomorrow (click here to see a list of excluded stores)
• Some malls open early tomorrow

I am sure many more will follow, so check with your local malls and stores for extended hours (if they have power back, I know some are still closed).

Canada Post has announced today that their regular stamp prices will increase from $0.63 to a whopping  $1 per stamp, or 85 cents per stamp in a booklet or coil. The Permanent “P” stamps will be able to be used still but Canada Post are not going to be selling P Stamps anymore. Instead, the stamps will have the price listed on them again.

On March 31st, 2014 Canada Post plans to launch a tiered stamp pricing structure:

• New prices will be launched for the customers that buy stamps in booklets and coils. The price per stamp will be $0.85
• Business that use postage meters will pay discounted rate of $0.75 per stamp
• Mailers who prepare mail in a way that reduces processing costs (incentive lettermail) will benefit from prices lower than $0.75 per stamp
• Single stamps will cost a whopping $1 each!!

So stock up on stamps while you still can! The Permanent stamps currently being sold will still be usable when the price increases. Stop in at Costco and purchase bulk amounts! Costco is selling permanent stamps for $0.60 each ($59.99 for 100 stamps).

See page 8 here to read about Canada Post’s new pricing plan in further detail.

Canada Post also plans to eliminate their door-to-door delivery service. How messed up is that? Hey! Let’s increase our prices and reduce our services? I hear bankruptcy in their future, folks. Canada Post will start to phase out home delivery as part of their tiered structure. They will be converting their services to community mailboxes (wouldn’t surprise me if these come with  monthly fee). This will surely have a negative impact on their company, and not to mention the thousands of jobs lost when this is set in place.

I am disappointed with Canada Post as you can tell! What is your opinion?

After many rumours of change, Canada Post has confirmed that changes are coming to the way we receive our mail.  Having mail carriers go door to door is just too expensive and starting next year, they will start to phase out door to door delivery of mail.  This does not mean you will not receive mail, just that Canada Post will start installing community mailboxes in most neighbourhoods and you will pick your mail up from the box rather than at your door.   For me, this doesn’t mean much but with a lot of elderly neighbours, I feel for them while walking out in high heat / cold icy wintery days to check for mail after being so used to delivery at the door.

• 5,094,694 people get door-to-door delivery in Canada.
• Average cost per address is $269.
• 3,804, 574 get mail through group mail boxes.
• Average cost per box is $117.

This also means that less mail carriers will be needed, 6000-8000 will lose their jobs over the next five years (although CPC says that more than this amount are set to retire in that time period).

On top of that, stamps are about to increase by a huge amount, currently stamps cost $0.63 but starting on March 31, 2014 you will pay $1 per stamp (or buy them in a book of 10 or more and pay $0.85) – coupon traders, start buying permanent stamps now!  Will such a high stamp price impact what you send by mail?

Read more details here

UPDATE: Canada Post mentioned on twitter (after many questions asking why they removed permanent P stamps from their website already) that P stamps will need to be topped up to the new rate.  The 5 year plan however states that you can use them but they will pull the sale of them until the new pricing goes into effect next year.

Thank you Forum Member Momi for letting us know about this fantastic opportunity in the Smart Canuck Forums!

If you are a Food Basics shopper, then you will be excited about this announcement! As FallenPixels has previously mentioned, Food Basics has advertised in their flyer that they now Ad Match! Make your grocery shopping a one-stop shopping trip at your favourite supermarket again! Food Basics is always fresh, always in stock, and now: always great prices.

I personally am a Food Basics Shopper but had always gone to WalMart because of their price/ad matching. Now I no longer have to! Is this worth changing your supermarket for? Or will you still shop at WalMart and other competitors?

On a side note.. this Food Basics flyer page also says Trophy Cashews are on sale for $1.02 off regular price.. Someone stock my stuffing with those please?

Check out Momi’s post about Food Basics Ad Matching in the Smart Canucks Forum here.

So the big question this week, as we are approaching Canadian Black Friday 2013, is “where can I price match during these fabulous Black Friday Canada Sales”? The answer?

Walmart Canada Black Friday Price Matching Policy – YES’ish

I called a couple of my local Walmart Stores, one had told me they will not be price matching/ flyer ad matching and the other store told me that they WILL be flyer ad matching on Black Friday. What I would do, is print their “Ad Match Guarantee” since it states nothing about not being able to price match/ad match during promotional sales, event etc. Wave your printed version at the cashier when you make your purchase. I do not think they would be able to refuse.

Future Shop & Best Buy Black Friday Price Matching Policy – NO

Lowest Price Guarantee:
Remember, the Lowest Price Guarantee does not apply to Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or Boxing Week sale prices.

Our Price Beat Promise does not apply to Boxing Day prices, advertising errors or misprints, special educational prices, restricted offers, mail order offers, rebates, coupons, premiums, free or bonus offers, OEM products, limited or minimum quantity or limited time offers, close-outs, liquidations, clearances, and financing offers.

I was surprised to see a couple of Canada Post vans out yesterday while shopping and even more surprised when members on our forum package trains received her package yesterday.

Looking into it, Canada Post are starting weekend delivery for the holidays early.  They have no plans to continue this after the holidays but it is great for speeding up parcels during the busy holiday season.    Weekend delivery is not guaranteed so will not be factored into guaranteed delivery schedules and will only be in areas where the mail volume is high enough to make it worthwhile – mostly major urban centres.

They are also trying out a same day service in the GTA (called Deliver Tonight) allowing for delivery in the evenings when you are more likely to be home to sign for stuff, it has been in place since September but they expect to see more use of it during the Christmas shopping and gifting season.    In selected parts of the Greater Toronto Area, you can order an item online before 12:30 p.m. at certain retailers, and it will be delivered that same evening between 5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. The cut-off time and cost for the service depends on the retailer (Best Buy, Future Shop, Indigo and Walmart.ca) to test the marketplace and see if consumers are willing to pay extra fees for quicker service.

Now through December 24th, Toys R Us Canada has a special price matching policy in place.  If the item is more than 5% cheaper at another store, they will give you an additional 10% off the advertised price and you have up to 14 days after the purchase to bring in a competitor’s advertisement for a price reduction.

Full policy:

• Item must be identical
• An item does not have to be on sale to be price matched
• A current Canadian retailer’s advertisement must be presented (printed or on mobile) and must show price currently in effect including:

    Catalogue
Canadian only online retailer and/or flyer
Receipt from another retailer showing product description, price and date
We do not accept shelf labels or pictures of shelf labels
Retailer must have the advertised item in-stock and be available for immediate sale in the same local market area

•  The Price Match Policy DOES NOT apply to the following:

    Offers with limited and/or minimum quantity
Bundled offers
Advertising errors and/or misprints
Rebates or free/bonus/gift card offers
Coupons
Rainchecks
Special financing offers
Liquidation/Clearance centres

• The price match cannot be combined with other Toys”R”Us offers including coupons
• Where a price match with a retailer is applied after purchase, the difference will be refunded in the same method as the original payment within 14 days of original purchase date.
• Original receipt is required.  If your original payment was made by cash, debit or credit card, then your refund will be returned by the same method.   If your original payment was made by merchandise credit, gift card, eGift Card, gift receipt or Paypal, then your refund will be returned by merchandise credit.
• PLUS we’ll give an additional 10% of the Competitor’s advertised retail price if the difference of the Price Match is more than 5%.

SC Johnson Right@Home has a bunch of hidden coupons to offer through SmartSourceSmartcanucks.ca prrtal. These SC Johnson offers include:

• FREE Glade Automatic Spray Refill When you buy one Glade Automatic Spray starter kit
• Save $2 on any Glade product
• Save $1 any Windex product
• Save $2 on any 2 Ziploc brand products
• Save $4 on any 2 Scrubbing Bubbles products
• BUY 1 GET 1 FREE any Pledge product
• Buy 2 Get 1 Free any Glade product

Click here to get SmartSourceSmartcanucks.ca coupons for SC Johnson Right@Home.

Shop 2013 Canadian Black Friday at Canon.ca! Their Black Friday starts now! Don’t miss out on these superb deals. The prices will not be any lower on actual Black Friday (November 29th). Free ground shipping for all orders over $14.99! Limited quantities.

• Save $30 – PowerShop ELPH 330 HS – $169.99
• Save $380 – EOS Rebel T5i –  $999.99
• Save $250 – EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM – $399.99
• Save $280 – EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM – $699.99
• Save $30 – Selphy CP900 Compact Photo Printer – $79.99
• Save $400 – EOS Rebel SL1 Deluxe Bundle – $779.99
• Save $350 – EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM – $1299.99
• Save up to $280 on select Canon EF Lenses with a mail-in rebate.

Purchase these awesome deals here.

This Canadian Black Friday 2013 (November 29th) shop at Old Navy and receive 50% off the entire store. The entire store is on sale through Monday but Black Friday has the best sale! Saturday you will receive 40% off and Sunday, Monday you will receive 30% off the entire store.

$1 million prize will also be awarded to one very lucky shopper this 2013 Black Friday in Canada. The first 500 shoppers to purchase something at any Old Navy Store on Black Friday will be given a chance to win this amazing $1 million jackpot in the “Overnight Millionaire” giveaway. You must be at least 18 years of age to partake in this sweepstakes. You can read the fine print about this promotion here. It actually says in the fine print that the entries for the “Overnight Millionaire” can start November 28th at 7:00PM PT.

Thanks Judy5853 for the great news about Shoppers Drug Mart Black Friday 2013 Flyer.  The Day after Black Friday Shoppers Drug Mart is having a Shoppers Optimum Redemption Event.

Shop at Shoppers Drug Mart this Canadian Black Friday Weekend! On November 30th and December 1st, 2013 they are hosting a Shoppers Optimum Points Mega Redemption event!

• Spend 38,000 Optimum Points get $70
• Spend 50,000 Optimum Points get $105
• spend 95,000 Optimum Points get $210

This would be an absolutely excellent point redemption if the Shoppers Drug Mart near you has any PlayStation 4 Systems left.

Click here for More Black Friday Canada 2013 Flyers and Sales

Ekaterina’s Imperial Porcelain & Tea are offeing a TEA SAMPLE absolutely FREE of charge for the first 1000 of responders on survey their questions.

Click here to get this Ekaterina’s Imperial Porcelain & Tea freebie.

Click here to fill out the Ekaterina’s Imperial Porcelain & Tea survey questions. Enjoy 🙂

Here is another reason to shop at Food Basics! Food Basics has a great new policy, they are now offering rainchecks if an advertised flyer item is not in stock. To boot, they will also give you 10% off of the advertised price for next time you visit. Don’t worry about Food Basics running out of stock any longer! Choose your needed items from their weekly flyer and shop for your needed items with no worries – if they don’t have it in stock this time, they will hold it for you next time and give you 10% off the price. Sounds great to me! Find the nearest Food Basics here.