Shopping Before You Go

Before one moves to a foreign country one often makes a list of things they might need. Clothing is the first, closely followed by toiletries, then maybe a few house items, and finally food that might be missed. This is pretty much a good order of importance, depending on where you go. This is also a good order of importance of information you will need before you go as to whether or not you'll need it.

The first three items are really personal and often each person may have a completely difference idea as to what to bring. The fourth (food) is really a question mark for me. With all of the research I did before leaving for Greece I had the hardest time finding out if I should bring anything edible with me. If you ask people who've visited, in my case Greece, you'll find that you get many comments about restaurants and nothing about groceries. You'd think Greek Canadians would be the best help, but frankly I got mixed messaged from them.

So here's why I think Greek Canadians couldn't help me. In Canada we have a huge selection of foods to choose from, the US is pretty much the only place I've ever been with a larger variety. I'm not saying our food is better, there's just a gigantic variety. So people that move from one country, say Greece, will often find all of the foods that they enjoyed at home in the stores and some. However the opposite is not always true. In Greece for example maple syrup is pretty much an unknown item, olive oil is everywhere, however sesame oil is scarce. Many spices are also hard to find, even though saffron is sold by the kilo, and cheap.

I'm not putting the food selection of Greece down by any respect at all, I'm just saying that getting a comparative list of foods that are available all over the world would be great, however I think it might also be impossible.

The Costco Shop

There's this great idea that before you go on post you are entitled to items tax free and that your mover will come and pick them up for you before your move. Two things to know about this before you commit are your mover is not obliged to pick up anything for free, second, stores are not obliged to give you things tax free with your paperwork. So if it doesn't work out, then that's just the way it is.

The Costco shopping spree however is legendary and you'd think it would be easy, but there's one detail that can screw you over quick. I've learned that the only Costco to recognize the tax free status is the one located in Gatineau Quebec. I attempted to buy my groceries at an Ontario location and they had no idea what I was talking about. I called my movers and they suggested that I try the Gatineau location and it went like a charm. You don't have to set anything up, just shop, go to the cash with your paperwork and they'll do the rest.

Now my mover does pick ups with no additional cost on this particular shop, but I'm not sure if they all do, so check first.

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