View Full Version : We're Even.. YAY!
FutureChief88
09-20-2007, 02:34 PM
We finally reached a dollar! only too over 30 years! YAY!
lizard_lover
09-20-2007, 02:56 PM
does that mean our dollar is equal to the US dollar now?
FutureChief88
09-20-2007, 03:03 PM
Yes it does.. We ar finally equal to the good ole us of a! Not good news for exporters.. But i am happy!
lizard_lover
09-20-2007, 03:24 PM
ouch...funny thing (i work at a call center) i just had a guy call from Ontario, and was upset that the kit I sell costs 199$ in Canada, and 149$ in the US...he said that there is a car that is 31,000$ in the US and 39,000$ here...so are prices going to change since we are even? Probably not...unfortunately even if we are even, in the scheme of things we really are not...
Tania
09-20-2007, 03:39 PM
I'm going shopping in the states now WOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! See ya!! lol
FutureChief88
09-20-2007, 03:49 PM
Yes.. there if definately going to be some conflict in pricing.. cause there is no way anyone is going to pay THAT much more money for the exact same product in here or the states.. They have no excuse to charge us more now!
Ill just start shopping in the states.. Its all cheaper.. and my money is worth as much as their now! WOOT!
kaj27
09-20-2007, 04:06 PM
So what are they going to do with all those books that say $21.99US & $25.99CAN?
lizard_lover
09-20-2007, 04:16 PM
So what are they going to do with all those books that say $21.99US & $25.99CAN?
my thought too....
I can't remember where I read it but there are studies stating that the US is entering a downward spiral that they may not be able to get out of. If that happens another country will step up as the economic power in the world.
FutureChief88
09-20-2007, 08:18 PM
yay for canada!
FutureChief88
09-20-2007, 08:33 PM
i hope it does for a while .. until our economy starts to downfall.. ill take the cheap items for a while.. I just hope that the americans lose out on alot and have to live like we did/do for a bit. Not cause i hate americans or anything.. just cause i want to be greedy.
magoosmomma
09-20-2007, 09:11 PM
I dont think the end of the day it closed at par though. did it?? Just slighty under ??
girdy
09-20-2007, 09:25 PM
I dont think the end of the day it closed at par though. did it?? Just slighty under ??
It closed at $0.9995.
I think the U.S. is in big trouble, the sub-prime mortgages fiasco is blowing up big time, they're running mind-numbing deficits, and going to continue to have to pumps hundreds of billions a year into Iraq until something comes of that mess. If it wasn't for all the artificial spending generated by the military and paid for by public debt, the place would have been in deep recession for quite some time.
China is the next super-power IMO.
trinity
09-20-2007, 11:43 PM
yay for canada!
No guarantee it will be Canada. Now that China has essentially abandoned Communism/Socialism why not them? Or Japan? Or India, they are working very hard to climb higher in the world order.
I agree that it will be China. They are working very hard to become a powerful country. A Chinese company recently bought 1000 acres out West actually. Chinese engineers are being brought over to work in our refineries, plants, and factories.
JustWatching
09-21-2007, 08:21 AM
It is great news about the dollar...hopefully it will remain strong for a long time(perhaps even surpass the US...I believe at one time it was like 1.10) ....however I have to wonder how this (if it last for any amount of time...even being very close to par) will effect the call centers in Canada (SJ has A LOT)....money savings was one reason to put CC here (especially when the dollar was like .60)....could be a lot moved out of Canada to overseas...wouldn't shock me at all...(I mean they did it before the dollar rose near this high....)
FutureChief88
09-21-2007, 08:46 AM
..
I'm not really worried about my job. I work at Wyndham and they just built a new one in Fredericton. And that was while our dollar was rising.
JustWatching
09-21-2007, 09:23 AM
Oh no I get what you're staying....and agree....
All I meant was I remember working in a CC when the dollar went to I think around .80 cents and some of our american counterparts were talking about them losing money and looking into options overseas...now that it's at par (or even if it remains close) I wonder what their thinking...I mean 5yrs ago...it saved CC a lot of money being in canada...today not as much...I don't think anything will happen right away....but it will be interesting to watch what happens over the next year...two years etc...especially if it remains high
girdy
09-21-2007, 09:28 AM
There are two ways of looking at par. The first is that the Canadian economy is strong. The second is that the U.S. economy is weak. Given that the U.S. dollar is tanking against pretty much everyone, there is a big part of the latter in effect.
A poor U.S. economy will have more effects on us than just currency conversion. The less oil and other products they buy, the more it will affect our economy. Time for us to really put a focus on alternate markets so that we're less reliant on the U.S. economy for our strength.
JustWatching
09-21-2007, 09:30 AM
I'm not really worried about my job. I work at Wyndham and they just built a new one in Fredericton. And that was while our dollar was rising.
*L* Hey don't let expansions fool you
We had the gov't reps, head of the CC and all sorts of officials at our "celebration" of our expansion....meanwhile because they had already got gov't funding they had to continue the expansion...and kept it under their hat (even though all our management team knew during this time) that they were losing their biggest account....450 jobs +....the building only had about 600 people in it....but they kept building....got another account...nothing the size of the one that left....ended up shutting down (by the way....the expansion....doubled the size of the building....never was used....never even opened)
Not saying anyone should worry....just pointing out that the rising dollar is good for us as consumers....but not so good for US companies trying to save money.
girdy
09-21-2007, 09:40 AM
Oh no I get what you're staying....and agree....
All I meant was I remember working in a CC when the dollar went to I think around .80 cents and some of our american counterparts were talking about them losing money and looking into options overseas...now that it's at par (or even if it remains close) I wonder what their thinking...I mean 5yrs ago...it saved CC a lot of money being in canada...today not as much...I don't think anything will happen right away....but it will be interesting to watch what happens over the next year...two years etc...especially if it remains high
An IT Help Desk person in India with a University Degree makes the equivalent of $5 U.S. an hour. The call center jobs are moving overseas for any U.S. company wishing to deal with offshore, it's the next logical step in the progression. Anyone in the field should be ready for the shift. Don't panic, but plan for a change at some point.
The_Dave
09-21-2007, 09:43 AM
ouch...funny thing (i work at a call center) i just had a guy call from Ontario, and was upset that the kit I sell costs 199$ in Canada, and 149$ in the US...he said that there is a car that is 31,000$ in the US and 39,000$ here...so are prices going to change since we are even? Probably not...unfortunately even if we are even, in the scheme of things we really are not...
The price difference is because of our high taxes in most cases.
The_Dave
09-21-2007, 09:49 AM
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Call Centres are very mobile, most can move at the drop of a hat, others, it may take a few months. Just remember that the call centres in this city came here because of the low canadian dollar, government incentives, educated workforce and the technology. Once all of these are no longer available, expect changes.
I think I may just run to the bank and change some money over, so once it does go back down I'll have made money ;) and just use my american money for those items that are us $7.98 can $11.98 purchases....lol
Vix
JustWatching
09-21-2007, 10:04 AM
An IT Help Desk person in India with a University Degree makes the equivalent of $5 U.S. an hour. The call center jobs are moving overseas for any U.S. company wishing to deal with offshore, it's the next logical step in the progression. Anyone in the field should be ready for the shift. Don't panic, but plan for a change at some point.
I doubt they even make $5 an hour....I seem to remember a program on Indian CC and they were making an average of 250 per month US....Don't quote me on that.....But I think it's approx that.
Maybe someone else has seen the same documentry....I think it was "India calling" or something along those lines.
But yes I agree with you.
FutureChief88
09-21-2007, 10:15 AM
..
The_Dave
09-21-2007, 10:32 AM
deleted by user
Here is hoping you are right, but somehow I doubt it as the normal progression for a call centre is to save money and also put money in the shareholders pockets. Moving to where the workforce is cheaper, just as educated, government incentives are plenty and the proper technology is in place is the next logical step. This would include all jobs.
The_Dave
09-21-2007, 11:11 AM
deleted by user
The jobs can be performed from anywhere in the world for most call centres, so that doesn't necessarily mean Jamaica as they could not handle or meet the customers needs in the past for various positons. I would say though that other options are possibly being looked at. In my opinion of course.
krome
09-26-2007, 04:08 PM
Of course it's getting more attractive to buy from the states... Prices here are unbelievably high, it's not just the taxes as some people say, it's also because stores around here know we don't complain about the prices and don't know any better, so charge an arm and a leg for something that sells for half in the states.
For example, I wanted new (low profile) summer tires for my car, a bunch of places here in Saint John were going to charge me about $180 per tire, on brands that I've never heard of before, and (after researching) scored low on user reviews and safety ratings, so I was looking at $720 + 14% tax. I was able to buy a set of brand new low-profile tires (of an excellent brand name) online with high safety ratings for US$400, including shipping. That's more than $300 saved!
So I think that if shops don't adjust their prices accordingly, they'll run out of customers, simple as that.