Border service agents are ready for the rush of traffic that comes with American Thanksgiving and Black Friday shoppers.
Paul Susko is the chief of operations for the Canada Border Services Agency at the Ambassador Bridge.
Susko says fines or penalties can be issued if items aren't reported when returning to Canada. He stresses there's never a penalty for declaring at the border.
Susko says in addition to bringing proper documentation to cross the border he advises to know what's in your car after a trip to the US.
"Being cognizant of everything that's in your vehicle, that's really important," says Susko. "Sometimes we ask people about, 'Well, what did you buy or receive?' Then we open the trunk or the back of the truck and find there were all kinds of items that they were unaware of; that's their responsibility."
Susko says while American Thanksgiving tends to be a busier time at the border, cross-border shoppers seem to be making fewer trips.
"We have seen a marked decrease in the Black Friday shoppers over the last few years. I think a lot of that is attributed to some of the online shopping or more competitive deals here in Canada."
Susko says many times those failing to declare forgotten items can lead to trouble.
"It's those items that are received sometimes as gifts, or prizes, or awards, or things like that that are often omitted from the declaration that can potentially come back and cause some difficulty."
Susko says the exemption limit is $200 for a 24-hr period away from Canada and $800 for a 48-hr period.
Also, alcohol and tobacco do not qualify for a duty-free exemption when returning after a 24-hr period, but there are exemptions after a 48-hr period outside of the country.
- With files from Peter Langille