Virginia USA .... what should I get

[Rika]

My husband is being sent to Fairfax Virginia for training for a week.... I really want him to bring back a great deal from the states for me ... but we have never shopped in the states, plus he is not a shopper so I will have to tell him exactly what to buy and how much to spend for it to be a good deal.... keep in mind he will only be able to bring it back in a suitcase as he is taking the plane..... PLEASE does anyone have any suggestions on what is the best deal in the states generally speaking.

[Tweetybird999]

My husband bought Aleve and Lactaid tablets last month in Texas at much better prices than here. Good prices generally on pharmacy products at Walmart in USA. My thought is to make a list for him and an upper limit on what to spend for each product (for example, I can get Lactaid here for $19 -$3 coupon so don't spend more than $15 for x amount). I did that for department store cosmetics and found out they are exactly the same price as here!

[Rika]

thats a great idea

[rewok]

I do a lot of cross-border shopping, so here are my thoughts:

Medication: I agree about Aleve & Motrin (mostly the liqui gels), I always stock over the border. I get the house brand of both, unless I have a coupon on the brand name, but even then, house brand is often cheaper. Allergy meds (Claritin & al) are much cheaper here however.

Shampoo, body wash, cheaper in the US, but can easily leak in the suitcase, so not a good idea. Toothpaste is cheaper here. Lots of other stuff (deodorant, feminine hygiene, razors) is about equal, but their sales are often a bit better. Bear in mind that I'm very picky other those items, so I don't know about all brands.

Food: I get cheese, bread, poultry (none of these good for plane travel...). Cereals: their sales are often better than ours.

Clothing: everything is at least 20-30% cheaper, often more. Shoes as well. I don't even remember when I've bought shoes here.

Household items: kitchen stuff like pots&pans, gadgets, small electrics, often quite cheaper, even if you shop at high-end stores. I've brought back in my carry-on last September: a 8qt stock pot, a 12" fry pan, and a 1.6qt pot!

Electronics: not worth looking into that, same prices.

You have 2 problems:

1. non-shopper DH, so you'd better look at the online circulars for the stores available in town, and see if there are deals.

2. plane travel, which limits you to smaller items, non-perishables, & non-leaking things. Sure, you can pack a bottle of shampoo in Ziplocs carefully between soft things, I routinely do when I fly, but packing 10?

One suggestion: look into Amazon.com for any non-consumable you would currently like to purchase, and if they are much cheaper, place an order to be delivered at your DH hotel during his stay. The hotel might charge a small fee, but it's often worth it.

[Rika]

may be I can get him to get a new George Forman grill and clothes for himself that is not too difficlt lol