Should there be a push to make establishments accept Canadian money in Detroit?

[Newdetroit]

I was wondering what people's thoughts were about making a push in Detroit to accept Canadian money more widespread? Do you think that this would make Detroit a more interesting place?

[rjlj]

I believe it would not.
Would accepting Chuck E. Cheese tokens make Detroit a more interesting place?
I believe so.

I was wondering what people's thoughts were about making a push in Detroit to accept Canadian money more widespread? Do you think that this would make Detroit a more interesting place?

[FormerEastsider]

How would that make Detroit more interesting?

[Király]

I'm Canadian and I never spend Canadian money in the US. I get US money from the currency exchange before leaving home. I came with a wallet full of greenbacks on both my visits to Detroit.

The Detroit Community Scrip was a novel attempt at making Detroit a more interesting place. Whatever became of that?

[ndavies]

Most places that convert money on the spot give you terrible exchange rates. People who convert their money at the store are wasting money. Better to just use your credit/debit card if your don't have the local currency.

[401don]

In general no, it would not significantly increase Canadian tourism if that's what you're implying. I do however think Belle Tire should accept Canadian Tire money.

[Dbest]

I believe it would not.
Would accepting Chuck E. Cheese tokens make Detroit a more interesting place?
I believe so.

This is friggn brilliant. Maybe the little tickets as currency instead of tokens though...

[Scottathew]

No. Businesses may willingly choose to do so if they feel it will benefit them.

[Hamtragedy]

Wait, which coins are two dollars and which ones are a dollar?

if we were to do this, now I could use all that Canadian $$ I have laying around, since frequent trips to Windsor have gone the way of the do-do bird since 9/11.

[401don]

Wait, which coins are two dollars and which ones are a dollar?

if we were to do this, now I could use all that Canadian $$ I have laying around, since frequent trips to Windsor have gone the way of the do-do bird since 9/11.

This is one thing the Cdn. gov't has done which makes sense. Aside from the convenience the loonie & toonie save the gov't over 100 million per year. Multiply that x10 for the U.S..
Getting rid of the penny was even more logical. I do however have about 600 still lying around somewhere. Almost enough for a coke on my next trip to Comerica Park.

[Wesley Mouch]

Yes, there should be a push. Why not?

In Windsor, you can use US Dollars pretty freely, albeit at poor exchange rates. It would be polite to help the occasional Canadian who doesn't have US cash.

But being a frequent cross-border guy, I can tell you that there very few Canadians who don't have US money ready. While there are many Americans who have never crossed 'north', very few Canadians haven't gone on 'holiday' south of the border or visited the States for entertainment or shopping.

In the end, it really isn't very important to Canadians -- whereas it is very helpful to Americans in Windsor to be able to use US money for casual purchases.

In Canada, banks carry US funds in their drawers. its a second currency. US denominated accounts are common. If Detroit wants to encourage acceptance of Canadians money, the first thing to do is encourage the banks to make it easy. If its easy, businesses might do it. But if its hard, they probably won't.

[iheartthed]

Why does there need to be a push for something that any business could freely do today if they wanted/needed to?

In Windsor, you can use US Dollars pretty freely, albeit at poor exchange rates. It would be polite to help the occasional Canadian who doesn't have US cash.

Because Windsor is heavily dependent on spending by Americans. Detroit isn't now, and probably won't ever be, dependent on spending by Canadians.

[Jason]

I imagine that the border and the currency difference is disruptive to the regional [[that is, the Detroit + Windsor metro area) economy, and that there would be economic benefits to better integration, but I don't know how much.

[artds]

Should There Be A Push To Make Establishments Accept Canadian Money In Detroit?

Why? What would be the purpose?

[Canadian Visitor]

For a slew of reasons, there should be such a push; and it isn't limited to tourism, but that's as good a reason as any to start.

My first trip to the US as a child was in the Buffalo-Niagara area where many businesses accept Canadian dollars. Back then the currency was typically around .85c to the US Dollar and many Buffalo areas businesses took it at par.

They considered it essential to attracting Canadian spending, offsetting costs like bridge tolls, gas and time by making the price even more attractive than it might already have been for various goods.

***

On my first trip to Michigan, also many decades back, my dad had gotten some USD for the trip, but just figured on getting more out of ATMS or banks as needs be. Well, we arrive in Kalamazoo, and we're low on USD, but we figured no problem going to a fast food place for a meal, as they will surely take Cdn $. OF course they didn't. But its only an hour and change from the border, and I don't know anywhere in Canada you can't use US $; it just hadn't occurred to my dad [[or myself as child) that you couldn't exchange, even if at a premium.

So, w/that problem and a hungry child, we marched off the local bank, which at the time, did not have an ATM on one of the international systems. So he had to go into the branch. They didn't know how to transfer money from his Cdn acct. [[insert horrified expression here) and would only consider exchanging the actual dollars from his wallet; but since the tellers apparently had never seen Canadian money, they called their manager, who in turn called his boss to approve a simple exchange of a couple hundred dollars.

Worth adding my Dad had VISA, but the fast food place didn't take that, or debit.

***

OF course, that was ages ago, and I wouldn't expect quite that much hassle today, and besides would bring plenty of USD if traveling south.

But that kind of inconvenience really struck me at the time and left something of a bad taste since we never had that challenge in upstate NY.

In any event, as most developed nations [[and parts of the US, LOL) learned ages ago, it behooves you to accommodate visitors, tends to be good for the economy.

Its worth noting that in my travels in Europe as well as across Canada, accommodation is not merely currency, but language and many other things. Not so much an issue at the Detroit/Windsor border, but an example just the same of a choice, most ATMs in Canada and in Europe operate in six or more languages. In Toronto, I normally see English, French, Mandarin, Arabic, Spanish and Italian as choices. But have also seen Portuguese, Polish, and Russian.

I saw the same in Europe where its second-nature to serve every customer in the language of their choice [[where software is used).

***

Do I think that currency accomodation changes tourism. In short, yes.

No question that as high as Windsor-Detroit traffic is, you'll see more Ontario plates in Buffalo/Niagara shopping centres [[and in Bellingham, Washington too) vs the Detroit area.

Some of that, is of course the closeness of Toronto and Vancouver, respectively); but its also ease of travel/shopping.

***

Tourism aside, its also good for business. The ease with which Canadian businesses can operate on the US side of the border in Buff/Niagara has led to considerable cross-border investment.

Detroit is larger, and will always be less tied to its Nor...[[err, Southern neighbour) .....but... there is much to be gained for making cross-border travel, business and tourist easier on everyone.

[iheartthed]

For a slew of reasons, there should be such a push; and it isn't limited to tourism, but that's as good a reason as any to start.

My first trip to the US as a child was in the Buffalo-Niagara area where many businesses accept Canadian dollars. Back then the currency was typically around .85c to the US Dollar and many Buffalo areas businesses took it at par.

They considered it essential to attracting Canadian spending, offsetting costs like bridge tolls, gas and time by making the price even more attractive than it might already have been for various goods.

This is illustrative of my point above. Far more people live on the Toronto side of the border than the Buffalo side. It's in the economic interest of the American side of that stretch of the border to attract Canadian spending. For Windsor/Detroit it's a more extreme population and tourism imbalance in the other direction.

[ABetterDetroit]

Most places that convert money on the spot give you terrible exchange rates. People who convert their money at the store are wasting money. Better to just use your credit/debit card if your don't have the local currency.

Exactly the correct answer. I'll just add that Canadiens must love carrying coins where Americans positively hate them. Nobody would be happy with the outcome.

[Canadian Visitor]

This is illustrative of my point above. Far more people live on the Toronto side of the border than the Buffalo side. It's in the economic interest of the American side of that stretch of the border to attract Canadian spending. For Windsor/Detroit it's a more extreme population and tourism imbalance in the other direction.

Granted there is a difference in the population dynamics....though...

Metro Detroit is somewhere around 4,000,000 people; and the population of South-Western Ontario [[within a 2 hour drive of the border) is 1,100,000 [[includes, Windsor, London, Sarnia, St. Thomas and Chatham).

That [[2 hours) is the same drive time as Toronto to Buffalo.

That's still a lot of money to leave on the table.

[Hermod]

Used to be when the Canuckistani dollar traded near par that denominations up to including a buck were accepted.

Kalamazoo is just a bit far away from the border for people to be familiar with Canadian Tire money and loonies.

[iheartthed]

Granted there is a difference in the population dynamics....though...

Metro Detroit is somewhere around 4,000,000 people; and the population of South-Western Ontario [[within a 2 hour drive of the border) is 1,100,000 [[includes, Windsor, London, Sarnia, St. Thomas and Chatham).

That [[2 hours) is the same drive time as Toronto to Buffalo.

That's still a lot of money to leave on the table.

Pretty sure the population on the American side within a 2 hour drive of Detroit is a bit higher than 4M. Probably on the order of 6M+. Also, not only is Buffalo the smaller of the two but it also the route between Toronto and the north east coast of the U.S..

But the bottom line is that if Detroit depended heavily on Canadian spending then more places would accept Canadian dollars. There doesn't need to be a campaign to tell business to do that. It's common sense.

[douglasm]

NO, if only because for retailers figuring out the exchange rate would be a hairball. Currently, it's $1.23 Canadian for $1 U.S., and at that rate, I'm not going to give out U.S. coin for change, it would cost too much money, and I'm not going to convert it, it would cost too much time. I'm not going to keep two separate tills either. A retailers margins tend to be too low already, and the aspirin bill to large.

Besides, with Canadian dollars worth only about $.77 U.S., I doubt there would be much demand. Bring the topic up again when the currency is closer to par.

[Canadian Visitor]

NO, if only because for retailers figuring out the exchange rate would be a hairball. Currently, it's $1.23 Canadian for $1 U.S., and at that rate, I'm not going to give out U.S. coin for change, it would cost too much money, and I'm not going to convert it, it would cost too much time. I'm not going to keep two separate tills either. A retailers margins tend to be too low already, and the aspirin bill to large.

Besides, with Canadian dollars worth only about $.77 U.S., I doubt there would be much demand. Bring the topic up again when the currency is closer to par.

I'm not sure how figuring out the exchange rate is cumbersome, its on a few dozen easily accessible websites, and you change it for calculation purposes only when its materially different. [[ie. you don't bother reprogramming a cash register or changing what staff hand-calculate for ever .1c move either way; you adjust every . 5c or so, which typically is no more than twice per year.

**

You don't have a second till. You simply slip the Cdn money under the tray the same way most stores do w/50s or 100s and you give change in US$.

**

The argument as made elsewhere on this thread that since $CDN are not at critically important level of Michigan businesses this shouldn't happen is short-sighted. Toronto is not dependent on traffic from Buffalo but changes US$ in most [[not all) businesses. Its both a courtesy and good business and not a big deal when transactions are few; but may serve to generate more traffic going forward.

Note that it is not mandatory that Toronto businesses allow $USD as currency nor that Buffalo businesses do the reverse. Its mutually beneficial and entirely voluntary.

But yes, their are local 'Chambers of Commerce' or the like who 'encourage' the idea, and that's all that was really suggested by the OP.

Besides, most posters here continue to ignore the non-retail aspect to this. Which is that you want to attract cross-border investment. And I don't mean merely Tim Hortons franchises, LOL.

I mean factories, subsidiaries for Cdn firms wanting to market their US wares.

Those businesses can go to Buffalo, or Bellingham, OR Detroit.

Rolling out the welcome mat is just good business.

[Hermod]

Bermuda has their currency pegged to the US dollar. What would be the implications for Canada to do that? Would it limit their budgetary and fiscal practices?

[313WX]

Pretty sure the population on the American side within a 2 hour drive of Detroit is a bit higher than 4M. Probably on the order of 6M+.

True.

The reason they don't show up in the official population numbers referenced is because census counts for MSAs are based on commuting patterns. Most of those 6M+ people don't actually commute into Detroit proper for work, but rather Oakland County [[major Auto Suppliers / Chrysler), Macomb County [[GM / Defense Contractors) or suburban Wayne County [[Ford).

[SyGolden48236]

No, there should not be a push to make Detroit businesses take Canadian money. It is a silly idea.