duty-free shopping on trains to/from Canada?

[SandraW]

I know this may sound silly...

Is duty-free shopping available to passengers on Amtrak trains to/from Canada

for residents of either the US or Canada?

When I drive from Windsor, ON back to Detroit, there's always a duty free shop

before the tunnel or bridge to cross the border. Duty-free shopping is obviously

also available at int'l airports or on int'l flights While most items are actually

more expensive the most local stores...there are still plenty of great deals.

For example, a 750ml bottle of Absolut vodka is $11 at the Windsor Tunnel Duty

Free shop is about $11 to $14 cheaper than the ABC Store in my store.

 

[gn2276]

No there is nothing like that on the trains.

 

[BCL]

Is it even legal to bring alcohol into some states? I know for Utah it's almost impossible. They don't even allow duty free alcohol unless someone arrives directly into Utah from a foreign country, clears Customs in Utah, and the alcohol stays in Utah. Catching a domestic connecting flight into Utah would make it illegal, and connecting to another domestic location would make it illegal. I've heard of people on connecting flights at SLC getting their alcohol confiscated.

http://www.itourist.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t1659.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/596024-duty-free-liquor-confiscated-slc.html

 

[zephyr17]

Perfectly legal to bring in alcohol. There is no federal limit on it, although you can only bring in one liter duty free. Remind me never to fly internationally into SLC. It is legal to bring it in in Washington and New York, the two states with cross-border train service. Just declare it.

As to the original question, no duty free sales on the Cascades. Don't know about the Maple Leaf or the Adirondack.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Personally I think providing duty free sales on trains could be a great idea. I happen to live in a location where liquor is both relatively plentiful and relatively inexpensive, but there are often some good deals to be found in duty free shops* and there are some products and sets that are hard to find outside of the duty free stores. As for Utah it is such an incredibly beautiful state. Unfortunately it's stocked chockfull of hypocritical zealots who can only be satisfied by enforcing their arbitrary beliefs upon anyone else who comes anywhere near them. Such is life I suppose.

*One unforgettable exception to this was London's Heathrow. Not a single worthwhile duty free purchase on anything, anywhere in the entire airport.

 

[Guest]

I thought with NAFTA, there wasn't any duty on Canadian made merchandise brought into the US?

 

[tomfuller]

On the Amtrak buses between Seattle and Vancouver, the bus will stop for about 10 minutes at the duty free shop. I don't think the train stops to let anyone off to make duty free purchases.

 

[fairviewroad]

Meh. I personally could do without it.

And I'm guessing the logistics would make it pretty hard to pull off on-board. Unlike a transoceanic flight, where there is an hours-long

window to sell duty-free, on a train you'd have a relatively short opportunity to sell between the last Canadian station and the first American

station (or vice-versa). And setting up a duty-free shop in a station for a once-daily train probably isn't a good business model.

 

[SeeBuyFly]

Meh. I personally could do without it.
And I'm guessing the logistics would make it pretty hard to pull off on-board. Unlike a transoceanic flight, where there is an hours-long

window to sell duty-free, on a train you'd have a relatively short opportunity to sell between the last Canadian station and the first American

station (or vice-versa). And setting up a duty-free shop in a station for a once-daily train probably isn't a good business model.

Well, typical intercontinental flights are once a day and each operates a separate duty free 'shop'.

The short-window problem would be solved by taking orders in advance for delivery between border stations.

Having said all that, the whole duty free sales business is silly. As noted by the OP, most duty-free products are bad deals. The few good deals are financed by the suckers who buy the overpriced stuff.

 

[SandraW]

The few good deals are financed by the suckers who buy the overpriced stuff.

capitalism at its best?

overpriced? well... that depends on your point of view. My company manufacture action figure toys. Each piece cost us a total of $1.43(Chinese labor + raw material + freight + patent fees + distribution) The average selling price in a US retail store is about $50. It used to cost us $15+ to manufacture at our US factory in Arkansas before we outsourced it.

 

[BCL]

Meh. I personally could do without it.
And I'm guessing the logistics would make it pretty hard to pull off on-board. Unlike a transoceanic flight, where there is an hours-long

window to sell duty-free, on a train you'd have a relatively short opportunity to sell between the last Canadian station and the first American

station (or vice-versa). And setting up a duty-free shop in a station for a once-daily train probably isn't a good business model.

Well, typical intercontinental flights are once a day and each operates a separate duty free 'shop'.

The short-window problem would be solved by taking orders in advance for delivery between border stations.

Having said all that, the whole duty free sales business is silly. As noted by the OP, most duty-free products are bad deals. The few good deals are financed by the suckers who buy the overpriced stuff.

What probably makes the most sense given the high level of local taxation would be cigarettes. However, I don't smoke so I almost never take advantage of it. I did once buy some for friends, but felt a little bad about it.

I do remember seeing a carton of Marlboro's selling for $12 duty free when the same carton will sell for about $60 in California.

The other thing I've seen duty free is some types of alcohol that are almost impossible to find in the US and/or more than competetively priced.

 

[Bob Dylan]

The few good deals are financed by the suckers who buy the overpriced stuff.

capitalism at its best?

overpriced? well... that depends on your point of view. My company manufacture action figure toys. Each piece cost us a total of $1.43(Chinese labor + raw material + freight + patent fees + distribution) The average selling price in a US retail store is about $50. It used to cost us $15+ to manufacture at our US factory in Arkansas before we outsourced it.

AKA Greed! How much Profit is Enough!?? Or as the Bob Dylan Song said: "..Remember that Job you used to have, they gave it to someone down in El Salvador making 30 cents a day..." Glad you have a Job but this is Exactly what's Wrong with Society today! (China is even Outsourcing work to Vietnam and other Hell Holes so China can "stay competitive!" Meanwhile the Stock Market Roars, Corporate Profits are setting Records and Executives get Richer as people Starve! Whatever happened to Share the Wealth??? :help: )

 

[Devil's Advocate]

On the Amtrak buses between Seattle and Vancouver, the bus will stop for about 10 minutes at the duty free shop. I don't think the train stops to let anyone off to make duty free purchases.

Really? That didn't happen the last time I made that trip.

I'm guessing the logistics would make it pretty hard to pull off on-board. Unlike a transoceanic flight, where there is an hours-long window to sell duty-free, on a train you'd have a relatively short opportunity to sell between the last Canadian station and the first American station (or vice-versa). And setting up a duty-free shop in a station for a once-daily train probably isn't a good business model.

Many international flights with duty free shopping are relatively short and don't cross any oceans.

The whole duty free sales business is silly. As noted by the OP, most duty-free products are bad deals.

Wouldn't that depend on where you were heading? Here in the US alcohol is relatively plentiful and inexpensive, but in other countries paying double the average US cost would still be a relative bargain. Last time I was in Vancouver a six pack of beer I wanted was running North of $15. Even though I might find an equal or better deal than duty free when buying from discounters like Costco you can't really give those humongous family-sized liquor jugs as gifts. Duty free shops have plenty of high end liquors sized and priced perfectly for gifting.

The other thing I've seen duty free is some types of alcohol that are almost impossible to find in the US and/or more than competetively priced.

Exactly. In the last couple years we've had stores open with much larger selections, but for most of the time I've been drinking we were stuck with lower and middle range options that every store blindly duplicated.

Whatever happened to Share the Wealth???

Here in the US we share our wealth with veterans. If you try to share it with anyone else then that's call socialism. Or so I've been told.

 

[fairviewroad]

Well, typical intercontinental flights are once a day and each operates a separate duty free 'shop'.

Yes, a "shop" staffed by flight attendants who are paid to be there anyway. Set-up a duty free shop

in a train station and you need to pay someone new. Not saying it's impossible, just saying I don't

see how it's economically feasible.

 

[fairviewroad]

On the Amtrak buses between Seattle and Vancouver, the bus will stop for about 10 minutes at the duty free shop. I don't think the train stops to let anyone off to make duty free purchases.

Really? That didn't happen the last time I made that trip.

Me neither. Would kind of tick me off if it did.

I'm guessing the logistics would make it pretty hard to pull off on-board. Unlike a transoceanic flight, where there is an hours-long window to sell duty-free, on a train you'd have a relatively short opportunity to sell between the last Canadian station and the first American station (or vice-versa). And setting up a duty-free shop in a station for a once-daily train probably isn't a good business model.

Many international flights with duty free shopping are relatively short and don't cross any oceans.

Mabye. I've personally only seen the duty-free carts on longer (4+ hours) int'l flights. Most of my int'l flights

are on regional jets between Canadian and US destinations and are 90 minutes-2 1/2 hours in length, with no duty

free offered. Probably the space constraints on an RJ make having a duty free cart impractical. But even a 90

minute flight offers more time to sell duty free than the longest Amtrak segment between two border stations.

I mean, I guess you could have a cafe car attendant sell duty free items during a short, announced time period.

But the profit margin on a microwaved sandwich or can of soda is probably just as high as it would be for duty free

cigs/liquor, so what would be the point of forgoing usable inventory space for something that could only be sold

for a brief portion of the journey?

 

[MikefromCrete]

The few good deals are financed by the suckers who buy the overpriced stuff.

capitalism at its best?

overpriced? well... that depends on your point of view. My company manufacture action figure toys. Each piece cost us a total of $1.43(Chinese labor + raw material + freight + patent fees + distribution) The average selling price in a US retail store is about $50. It used to cost us $15+ to manufacture at our US factory in Arkansas before we outsourced it.

Nice you're making a good living at the expense of your former employees and Chinese work slaves.

 

[railiner]

On the Amtrak buses between Seattle and Vancouver, the bus will stop for about 10 minutes at the duty free shop. I don't think the train stops to let anyone off to make duty free purchases.

The bus driver gets a nice 'bonus' for bringing in customer's.