Counting on Canada

As an escalator whisked Marlene Dreher toward Nordstrom’s third floor, she flung out her arm and cried “Focus, girls, focus!”

Her two daughters and a daughter-in-law – momentarily sidetracked by a display of dress boots a floor below – fell into step. The women, all Canadians, were on a carefully scripted shopping trip to Spokane. In four days, they planned to hit up to 100 stores. It fell to Dreher, a twinkly-eyed grandma, to get the troops to their first agreed upon stop: Nordstrom’s children’s department.

The women were part of the 10th annual “Shop Till You Drop” tour. Organized by a school librarian from Edmonton, the tour brings together women friends from Alberta for a shopping trip to Spokane. The annual event illustrates how currency exchange rates influence Canadian tourism in the Inland Northwest.

Less than a busload of women signed up for the trip in 2002, when the buying power of Canadian dollar sunk to a mere 63 cents on the U.S. dollar. But the value of the currency has risen steadily over the past three years and currently hovers around 88 U.S. cents. “Shop Till You Drop” chartered three buses this year. Another 40 women were on a waiting list.

Organizer Patricia Helmak kept counting the seats in the buses to make sure each the 164 women who’d paid for the $299 tour had a place to sit. “I was afraid that we’d run out of room,” she said.

Canadian spending is a vital, though imprecisely understood part of the regional economy. No one locally tracks the number of Canadian visitors or their contribution to the $689 million that tourists spent last year in Spokane, said Harry Sladich, president of the Spokane Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau. Yet when the value of the Canadian dollar drops, local hotels, restaurants and retailers feel the impact of Canadians staying at home, Sladich said.

National studies show a powerful link between exchange rates and Canadian travel. A recent Canadian Tourism Commission report indicated that each 10 percent gain in the value of the Canadian dollar results in a 15 percent increase in overnight travel to the United States.

A packed lobby at the Travelodge in downtown Spokane earlier this month seemed to concur. Two “Shop Till You Drop” buses unloaded there, while a third bus headed to the nearby Howard Johnson.

The buses arrived at 9 a.m. in Spokane after a 12-hour drive from Edmonton. It was Nov. 9, the Thursday before Veterans Day’s weekend. “It’s a good weekend for sales,” noted Helmak, who plans the tour around a long weekend for Canada’s Remembrance Day, which also honors veterans.

In the Travelodge’s lobby, Helmak went over the agenda for the next three days, detailing the times that shuttles would leave for various shopping destinations. If their stamina and credit cards held up, the women could indulge in 12 to 14 hours of shopping each day.

“How sweet can it get?” said Jan Barrie of Leduc, Alberta. “Four days of shopping, and no men and no kids.”

In addition to her own shopping list, Barrie had brought along lists from friends. Buying in the U.S. doesn’t always make sense, Barrie said. In addition to the exchange rate, the shoppers also pay tax at the border on purchases totaling more than $200.

But when the buying power of the Canadian dollar increases, there are advantages to shopping south of the border, she said. Women’s fashions come in a wider array of sizes. And even factoring in the exchange rate, a lot of the clothing is cheaper, she said.

After the all-night drive, some women rolled off the bus in pajamas. Not Marlene Dreher and her clan. The women had applied fresh makeup on the bus to save time. After a quick continental breakfast, they set off for River Park Square.

Marlene Dreher had been on the tour before. It was the first time for her daughters, Karen Amero and Gailene Jack, and her daughter-in-law Cindy Dreher. A sense of freedom overtook the women as they walked downtown. They broke into laughter wondering how their spouses were managing at home.

“I left my husband with four pages of instructions,” Amero said.

“I just hope the dog gets fed,” added Cindy Dreher.

Though the women can shop at West Edmonton Mall, which advertises itself as one of the world’s largest retail centers, they also like to shop in the Unites States. Styles are more current, they said, and store selection is greater.

“We don’t have Victoria’s Secret,” Amero said.

But their first stop was at the Nordstrom’s kids’ department, to get to the “guilt” shopping out of the way. Amero picked out Quicksilver and Hurley brand t-shirts for her two sons. Jack bought a pair of jeans for her son, and set aside a flouncy green skirt for her 10-year-old daughter.

Buying kids’ clothes first was a good strategy, said the women, who planned to spend hundreds of dollars over the next few days.

“When you buy something for someone else, you’re not questioned as much because you can tell your husband that you bought it for the kids,” explained Jack, a merry, dark-haired woman from Calgary.

Though Amero referred to the outing as “combat shopping,” it was more like a team sport. Amero, known for her sense of style, was frequently consulted. Marlene Dreher wandered over from the women’s department to show off a quilted ivory vest. She liked it, but needed the next size. Should she pay for Nordstrom to overnight it from another store? Look at other stores before deciding, the others suggested.

Marlene Dreher left Nordstrom with a mix-and-match set of two slacks, a jacket, vest and sweaters in her shopping bag – a good buy at just under $300 she felt. The aqua tones complemented her fair, freckled skin. “I’m ready to go dancing,” she said.

The women cooed over a little black dress at Ann Taylor – “soo cute” – and sipped samples of mulled cider at Williams-Sonoma. They planned to exhaust the shopping opportunities downtown and head back to the Travelodge by 6 p.m. A shuttle would take them to Northpointe Shopping Center, where they had called ahead to place items on hold at Target.

Their agenda over the next several days included also stops at Fred Meyer, Costco, Michael’s and the Spokane Valley and NorthTown malls. Jack, a quilter, was particularly looking forward a Saturday excursion to Jo-Ann Fabrics. “Four days isn’t going to be enough time,” Cindy Dreher said.

The women teased Amero about “packing in a baggie” so she’d have plenty of room in her duffle for purchases. Tour organizers had a cardinal rule: All items had to fit inside a 28-inch suitcase for the trip home or in a carry-on item.

“Shop Till You Drop” was actually one of two Canadian bus tours in town that weekend. Another group, Savvy Shopping Bags, was staying at the Oxford Suites.

“We’ve seen significant increases in Canadians,” said Meredith Rainville, the Travelodge’s assistant manager. “About 75 percent of them are here to shop.”

Spokane gets free marketing north of the border from American television. Many Alberta residents receive programming from local network affiliates and public station KSPS. The presence of local TV news gives many Canadians the impression that Spokane is larger than it actually is.

“The Calgarians think we’re the same size as them,” said the Convention and Visitor Bureau’s Sladich. “It’s hysterical.”

They’re surprised to learn that Spokane County’s population is around 440,000. Calgary and Edmonton both have metro areas of more than 1 million people.

Spokane television stations also come with Spokane advertising, noted Bea Salmon of Edmonton, who was on the “Shop Till You Drop Tour.” It frustrates her sometimes.

“I often think, ‘Oh gee, that looks like a nice store,’” she said. “But I can’t shop there, because it’s in Spokane.”