Shopping in Toronto
 

I have an 8 hour layover at YYZ - I'm picking up a rental car to do some shopping.

I'd be glad to get recommendations as to where to go: not looking for high end stuff, but clothing, kitchenware and knick-knacks. Any advice for cheap outlet or discount malls (or maybe a big liquidation center) would be welcome


Thanks

Two options, in opposite directions (the first is North-East, the second West). The first is bigger.

http://www.vaughanmills.com/ - probably the best option, but I haven't been in some years, mix of outlets and regular stores

http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=109 - outlets, not huge

http://www.shopsquareone.com/ (regular mall)

They are not, IMO, anywhere near as good as outlets in the US, but the strength of the dollar might outweigh that.

You can check the international centre website as well they sometimes have sales there for variety of things (brands or just industry). My wife has bought a lot of house stuff there at a decent price. It's just if something is in town when you are.

Bonus is it's across from the runway at Pearson, although 3-4 km from terminal.

The two outlets listed here are probably the best in the area and have mid to higher end stores. If you are looking for mid to lower end stores (and prices) you might try http://www.dixieoutletmall.com/en-CA

This is quite odd, USA paxs come to YYZ to shop? really? nothing is good or cheap here in general. The car rental probably offsets all your savings, if any :)

I'm speaking as a Canadian who knows the Mississauga area

Heck, I'd just take the bus to Square One shopping mall, or TTC bus/Subway into Downtown Toronto (Eaton centre) and walk around

Yeah, I'm not really getting the desire to shop in Toronto-area malls, either. The stores are going to be pretty much what you'll get in any US mall, and with the higher taxes you probably won't save much - if any - money, even at the favorable US exchange rate.

If you wanted to go to funky, independent, urban-boutique shops, then I could see taking the TTC into downtown Toronto and checking out the shops on Queen West, Kensington Market, etc. - those places would probably have lots of cool things you wouldn't find in IL (except perhaps in Chicago, but even still I'd say Toronto's got a much more funky/alternative vibe than Chicago, so the shopping reflects that - more cool stuff on offer.)

Otherwise, with a layover of that length, I'd just go into the city and explore. There are a lot of cool things to do in Toronto - great food, cool neighborhoods to chill out in, and the TTC makes it easy to get to and from the airport.

i would not be so quick. retailers other than the crapples of the world, have not been so quick to reprice stuff and so with the fx change, some items ARE cheaper in Canada than the US.

Use Google Maps and look for Winners, Marshalls and Home Outfitters [actually Homesense - see below]. They are all owned by TJ Maxx and together cover your areas of interest with different stock than in the US. There's one at 1700 Wilson Avenue, which is about 10-20 minutes from the airport by car.

If that is your plan, head to Heartland Town Centre at 6075 Mavis Rd, Mississauga, about 10-15 min west of the airport, where you will find a Winners, a Marshalls, and a Home Outfitters all in one place. I suspect B1 may have meant Home Sense, rather than Home Outfitters (Home Outfitters being part of the same group as the Bay, and not really what I would call a discount store) and there is one of those in the complex too.

BassPro at Niagara Falls, ON had quite a few vehicles with US plates April 27/2015. They were there making larger purchases due to the pricing does not reflect current US<>Canada currency differential.