What Shocked Us About America / Again!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
- The shocking truth about our visit to America as tourists, shattering preconceived ideas and notions about what we know of how the USA is in 2023. America is nothing like how the T.V. news portrays America, that in itself is a shock!
What Shocked Us About America after a long period of not visiting and having never been to the state of Alabama. We talk about positive impressions of our recent visit to America and during the mid term elections. #retirement
This is a fun look at the USA from a Canadian foreign tourist point of view as we head into 2023.
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You make an excellent point on American media's polarization of Americans. It's a cottage industry that has gotten much worse with the advent of cable news/talk radio/social media. I stay away from all of that. It is true that most people here get along and are friendly, especially when they don't talk politics. Love your channel. Stay well.
Thanks so much Frank we really appreciate your support.
Schisms are the thing, in Britain too. 49/51 approx
Come to Alabama as a non white and you will see how political it is. My city’s only two high schools in Madison Alabama are named after a ride or die segregationist Bob Jones and a slave owner, James Clemons. How’s that for polarization? How can you be proud of your high school when the named man would have voted you out of the school? The other slaver didn’t even see you as a human being. Yeah, Alabama is exactly and sometimes worse than it’s stereotype. But, there’s always the beach.
We have a rule in America. When you have guests in your house, don’t talk politics or religion. 😊
You’ll see the polarization if you have a level deeper of conversation with Americans. Then, people will describe their bias and prejudiced views against other groups. Surface level conversations won’t reveal this.
Cashier here, it is MANDATORY every person purchasing any alcohol is asked for an ID/carded, no matter if you look old enough. The cashiers and store can get in trouble if they don’t card properly, it docks it on the record of the cashier for life if they didn’t properly ID a customer and the store can get fined. A passport is a good substitute if you don’t have a driver’s license, there needs to be a government official record of your face, birthdate, and we also have to check if the ID has expired.
I can say as a 53 year old American that our politics (and the media that covers it) is a shameful disgrace. It is a terrible situation that is dividing the country in many ways. Politicians and media elites want to keep us fighting to distract from their corruption. It's such a shame because it doesn't need to be this way.
I'm not a fan of self checkout either. Prices being what they are, I expect cashier assist. Besides, the self checkout lanes never work right for me, so I wind up having to get assistance anyway.
Glad you are enjoying your trip!
Everything you said is 100% TRUTH! I love your comment!! ♥️🇺🇸♥️🇺🇸♥️🇺🇸
The funny think is you would expect prices to go down ⬇️⬇️ if we are now our own cashiers 💰 but that doesn’t seem to be happening Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
We do too Cheers 🇨🇦🇺🇸🇨🇦🇺🇸
I feel for those in the U.S. who are as fed up as the rest of the world re American politics (and media).
I agree. From Chicago same age. I’m so sick of the left and right divide. It’s really annoying and depressing at times.
I am American, I live in Michigan. NOTE: I ONLY use recyclable shopping bags!! In order to eat SUPER healthy I have to source food in five shops every week. I am grateful that the food is here, but it takes a lot of my precious energy to source it. 1) Our farmers market store where we buy our grass fed meat and eggs. 2) Our regular big box store where I buy as many groceries and organic vegetables as I can 3) The organic store to buy the special organic items I cannot get at my regular grocery store. 4) Sam's Club for large packages items like toilet paper, paper towels, Bai drinks (in abox),boxes of food items we use a lot of. My husband and I both have health issues, and we must eat an VERY special organic protocol. HONESTLY WE ARE FRIENDLY and kind PEOPLE here!
Most of your observations are spot on. The U.S. is now the world's largest producer of oil and gas, so it is not surprising that gasoline for autos is cheap compared with many other countries. Plus, if you go to a warehouse store like Costco that also sells gasoline, you can buy it for an average of perhaps 20 cents cheaper than you could at, say, an Exxon or Shell station. The self-service option now in many big stores is a huge plus for people like me who tend to buy a few items at a time. There is nothing more frustrating than standing in line at a supermarket or other store when you have 3 or 4 items and the person in front of you has a shopping cart filled to the brim with groceries. With self-service, you can avoid that situation and zip right through.
Plastic bags are slowly on their way out in the U.S. The state of Virginia just added a 5 cent charge per plastic bag at stores. When I shopped at a Food Lion this week, the cashier at the short line (12 items maximum) asked me if I wanted paper or plastic and I opted for paper (and not just because of the extra charge). Ultimately we will have to bring our own bags. The handwriting is on the wall.
The political polarization exists and is everywhere; it is being exploited by demagogues. You might have experienced it in some places if you had expressed an opinion on U.S. politics or even some international issue like the Russian attack on Ukraine. In the recent controversy over the "debt ceiling," there were some politicians eager to cause the U.S. to default on its obligations for political gain. The crazies have political power in many parts of the U.S. I actually know a couple of people who are considering a move to Canada because of our toxic political climate here.
I will tell you, as an American, what shocks me most about living here and that you did not mention (perhaps you did in your first video, which I have not yet watched). It is the insanity involving guns -- the fact that many states allow people to walk around in public with guns and that there is no effective means of keeping such dangerous weapons out of the hands of unstable or disturbed people who will not hesitate to use them on others. Weapons of war designed to kill many people quickly are still legal to own and there are mass shootings on a weekly basis. Massacres of children in schools have not led to action thanks to the effectiveness of the gun lobby. You are at risk whenever you are in a public place and sometimes even in your own home. On a recent visit to New Orleans, I had lunch at a restaurant where, four days earlier, there had been a drive-by targeted killing of a waiter outside the restaurant and a stray bullet had penetrated a wall of the restaurant and injured a Canadian tourist who was dining inside. No other country in the world has the level of gun violence that we do, outside of a war zone like Ukraine.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences and for your kind comment. We totally agree with you on the gun issue. As a channel we do avoid political and religious subjects and try and stay upbeat, after all we all have our own problems. We do value you viewing and commenting on this video.
America is No 1 Country!’❤❤❤❤❤
🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
Beer Store is now owned by three multinationals: Molson-Coors, Labatt (owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev) and Sleeman (owned by Japan’s Sapporo). While all three have breweries in Ontario, their ownership resides outside of the country. In Ontario, beer and liquor is a monopoly which is why there is very little choice for varieties of craft beer and any product not produced by this monopoly is over priced and not "pushed" like the monopoly holders products. Having a "monopoly" is illegal unless you are The Beer Store or the LCBO or the Government.
Yes you are right!
So glad you found that we regular Americans are friendly and kind. I agree...media makes it seem like we are all focused on political disagreements. Most if us are trying to live peacefully with our neighbors and visitors. Enjoy your stay! ♥️
Thanks Amy we had a lovely time in Alabama, we are back home in Canada 🇨🇦 now but had a great visit Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
I agree. Just like my mom says that people just want to live their lives! The media likes to Fan the flames and put out propaganda that upsets people and get some continue watching their crazy news stories. I really feel that they are responsible for the majority of the problems in America today.
Regarding the lower number of cashiers at US Walmarts, with Covid, so many folks preordered the items and had the merchandise delivered to their car trunks. That continues and now many of the folks who were cashiers, are now walking aisles filling carts for pickup orders.
That’s an interesting thought Chris thanks for sharing Cheers 🇺🇸🍷🇨🇦
In America the ATF [Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms] will pay under-age people who look over-age to attempt to catch a cashier selling them alcohol. Cashiers are forced to check every ID or risk jail.
Interesting thanks for sharing, sounds like a good side hustle for youth!
Yup, gas is less than $3 US a gallon in Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico, Nov and Dec 2022. Meanwhile gas was $7 in California!
Yes Paul we have a high taxation Province too British Columbia
California charges 10 cents a bag in the grocer. Some other retailers charge for bags as well. All that “organic” food is pricey. Most Americans cannot afford to eat healthy.
We agree healthy eating is expensive
I’m so excited that you have found the United States to have good surprises. I’m sure the world has been told a story that doesn’t show America at her finest. But there are thousands upon thousands of square miles that are amazing, and all around friendly and helpful. 💙🇺🇸💙
We had a lovely visit Canada and the USA both have beautiful areas to visit Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
I am feeling sad I was to go to Alabama this week and my daughter didnt want to go last minute so I never got to go .I am glad you had a great time I wish I had gone by myself love to hear more about your trip.I wanted to see Civil rights sites .We here in US need to stop using plastic bags I have many reusable bags use for Aldi but need to remember them for other stores always forget them .Thanks again
Hopefully you will get to visit Alabama in the future.
Your channel popped into my view today, and I am so glad it did! You are both charming. When my parents were alive, after they retired at 57 they traveled to Orange Beach for a little over a decade and rented a condo on the beach for the winter months to escape the cold of the northern US.
It’s good you did not see the political polarization in your day to day. 😊 It’s here, but generally people are people and I am glad you encountered kindness.
Cheers!
We had a great time in Orange beach Trent hope you have a. wonderful weekend Cheers 🇨🇦🍷🌺🙂🇺🇸
Enjoyed your video, especially as we were about to leave Ontario for a 2 month stay in Perdido Key, Florida, just east of Orange Beach, Alabama. We are now here, and loving every minute of it, but I wanted to share an observation which you might not have noticed. This morning I went grocery shopping at both Rouses and Walmart in Orange Beach, and found that Alabama charges a flat 10% tax on ALL grocery items, whereas Florida does not tax food. Yesterday I had shopped at Publix in Perdido Key, Florida (10 km away from Alabama), and only paid 87c tax on $75 grocery bill; today I paid $11.40 tax in Orange Beach, Alabama on a $114 grocery bill. Guess where I will be shopping the rest of my stay!?!
Very interesting Roger thanks for sharing , hope your weather is OK as it went quite chilly when we were there and we hear Really cold in some parts of Florida at the moment Cheers 🥳🥂🇺🇸🇨🇦
I am a 54 yo American and have lived in Florida my entire life. I stumbled upon your channel and I love it! It was so interesting hearing your views about our country. I am so glad you are enjoyed your stay. BTW, I refuse to use self checkout unless there is no other alternative. My husband is 74 and we have a 16 yo son and have been married 20 years. He is a physician and I am a nurse and we have our own medical practice. But I am dreaming of our retirement together and I absolutely love listening to you talk about all things retirement :)
That’s wonderful Rebecca so glad you enjoy our channel and that hearing some of our tips might help you too have a wonderful weekend and Merry Christmas Cheers 🇺🇸🎄🍷🇨🇦
As a lifelong American, I want to say "thank you" for sharing your 'shocking' experiences😃; always good to hear a fresh perspective. Yes, a lot of prices are (globally compared) pretty good but the cost of that is that we're all unpaid employees of many places we frequent: self check in is the norm at airports (even to the point of printing/affixing luggage tags), bank tellers are virtually unheard of (and often an added cost option), many grocers are self checkout (and self bag) -- after all, employees cost money.
I am glad that neither of you had to try our healthcare non-system, nor did you run into any local mass shootings or local political events.
You are very welcome as you mention all this self service is everywhere grocery stores , airports all trying to save money 💰 we hope you have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
In California, you will not
get plastic bags and will have to pay 10 cents for every paper bag. Most of us use recyclable bags.
And thank you for your kind words about our country. It is incredibly beautiful!✌️
Thanks Kristina, we really enjoy our trips to America and thank you for watching. 🇺🇸🇨🇦
Re: plastic bags - regional differences, for sure. In New England concerted effort to eliminate plastic bags. In Boston area a store bag costs money and majority of people bring their reusable cloth bags. Great to hear your impressions and experiences of the country. Really appreciate your channel!
Your very welcome and glad you enjoy our channel Glynys we appreciate your support have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
Where we live in NY state, there are no plastic bags in the stores. Only brown paper which you pay for.
Funny thing - my preferred bags to use for grocery shopping are from Brown's in Montreal! Husband is Canadian and we go frequently to visit family (and shop!).
New Jersey has banned them as well.
Here on the west coast we are much more conscious of the environment than in the south! Glad you got to see some of the US but it is indeed very very diverse.
Great video- no plastic in Colo- bring your own! Our oceans deserve it!
Note to Tina, you dont want to buy spreadable butter, as it means other oil had been added like canola or other junk to make it spreadable
Kerrygold do not add anything, instead they use the summer grass fed milk that has a higher butter fat so this is added to the regular grass fed milk and it produces a softer spread butter. No oils added, it’s just pasteurized cream and salt.
@This Is Our Retirement hello there again, no disrespect here, i am kinda an expert in food ingredients and i ve used kerry gold butter for years now. Regular kerrygold is not any more spreadable than any other butter, but the one in tupperware spreadable, i googled ingredients it has in fact canola oil
I'm glad you enjoyed your trip to the U.S. I am thankful our healthy options in grocery stores... I didn't realize that this was something special in the U.S. Thanks so much for your videos... I enjoy watching them.
Thanks so much for watching 🇺🇸🇨🇦
Not hard to eat healthy here… We just usually shop the outer isles at the grocery store… That’s what a lot of the nutritionist say to do. Because that’s where the meats, vegetables, fruit, dairy are located. And all we eat is kerrygold here at our house in the Midwest!!
Hi Roxanne, We agree we shop the outer isles and stay away from added sugar packaged food. We were saying in the video that every supermarket we went into had pasture raised eggs, our supermarkets here in Ontario Canada don't have them, they have free range but they are still in a barn not outside. No Kerrygold butter either only at Costco. Thanks for watching!
Hi Tina & Norm great to see you both again pleased you are having a wonderful time take care and keep the good work up.
Regards Christopher Barker
Thank you! Will do! have a wonderful weekend Christopher Cheers 🇬🇧☕️🇨🇦🇺🇸
I'm glad you guys had fun in the states! We're a very diverse country, and I'm glad you were made to feel welcome. Please spread the word across Canada that our news media does not represent us :)
Exactly!
We had a great trip Kelly and it’s obvious the media has its own agenda Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
Thanks Kelly we did have fun and felt safe the whole time, people need to experience for themselves and not get their information from the media.
Canadian news media doesn't represent us either, most canadians don't believe the media
In California, at our Walmart, their plastic bags cost ten cents each or you can bring your own bags. You guys were in the southern states. so maybe it is different in each state. Thank you we are friendly in the USA.
Funny how in all different states they have different costs for the plastic bags , in Canada 🇨🇦 we don’t have them at all just reusable bags 🤔Have a great week Patricia Cheers 🇺🇸🍷🇨🇦🌺
So glad your visit to the US was positive! I live in Mississippi. I use Jerry gold butter almost daily! It’s my favorite and use the grass fed beef and eggs you showed in the video. I try and stick to a diet without processed foods so those items are staples. Our gas is currently $3.09 a gallon. Love you videos.
I am Australian and have visited the US on half a dozen occasions. We found people to be very friendly and helpful. Our trips are always road trips. Travelled extensively to most of the country. Interested to hear your comments about wildlife. One thing very noticble to us as Australians is the lack of birds. You can not go anywhere hear without hearing constant bird calls. From the desert to the sea.
Thanks for sharing! have a wonderful week Greolt Cheers 🇦🇺☕️🇨🇦🇺🇸
There are tons of birds in North America
What a very lovely and positive video! You two are always fun to watch. It is true about what you say about Americans being friendly. Where I live everyone is doing well and are very happy. Our news outlets seem to want to give airtime to all the crazy people and it casts a bad light on us. Stay save and have fun!
Thanks Barrett glad you enjoyed our video we had a wonderful time visiting Alabama have a great week Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
I am so glad that the two of you had such a pleasant time in Alabama. Once again you have seen that the media, in general does not reflect reality. They thrive on confrontation and exaggerated stories in order to increase their viewing audience. The fact that you have had such friendly encounters in the States is a two way street. Both of you come across as "down to earth", personable individuals who are kind and courteous. People respond to your personalities. You are outstanding ambassadors for Canada 🇨🇦 👏. Take care. Wishing you a safe and enjoyable Christmas season. 🫂❤️🎄🙏🌎🕊
Thanks so much John for your very kind comment. We have always lived by the idea treat others how you would like to be treated. Merry Christmas to you too (We will be watching National Lampoons Christmas movie soon).
Thank you! I am a US citizen who has lived in Canada for 42 years. I braced myself a bit because I'm so used to people being negative about the states. I cannot even begin to express how nice it was to hear you say what I've already known. We get a bad rap and to hear you state your experiences in such a positive way brightened my evening. I love Alabama too (traveled there, not from there) and it's beautiful. Enjoy your stay there and again, thank you! PS. If you are able to visit St. Augustine FL while there, it would be worth your drive! Again, not from there but it was a bucket
list of mine to visit there and I did so, and whoa! More than worth the wait to get there.
Thanks so much Sony, we always look for the positives and want our video to be happy and uplifting. We have been to St Augustine twice and it is one of our favourite places in the U.S. Have a great weekend.
Thank you for your channel
Your very welcome 🍷🌺🍺
I annoys me to no end that, here in California, we are using resuable bags everywhere and recycling every bit of plastic, but down in the South, they are double-bagging groceries for free!
Sometimes there is just no answer 🤔have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
Annoys you to no end?…well bless your heart 😂
My wife is a visible minority. So the chance of us spending anytime and tourist dollars in mainland US is slime to none.
Sorry to hear that Paul have a wonderful week Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
Lovely video! So glad you enjoyed the USA and the people who you encounter make it great - not the "media coverage" portraying the situation. In Minneapolis, MN (Twin Cities) we have banned plastic bags and I do think the bigger cities are trying to get better with that but it's a slow process. I look forward to visiting Canada soon! Just returned from Ireland (2 weeks) and LOVED it.
Thank you so much! glad you enjoyed your trip to Ireland 🇮🇪 it’s a lovely place hope you get to visit Canada 🇨🇦 Cheers 🇺🇸🍷🙂🇨🇦
I love the positivity you both bring to life. Great video!
Thanks so much Duane!
Glad you like it down here on the gulf coast. Where you are at we call that the ‘redneck riviera’. It’s beautiful. Here close to the island of Galveston, I’m buying diesel for $3.39/gallon and regular gas is about $2.70. Gotta love the south
We had a great time Chris have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
I live in Oregon. In our state we no longer have film bags but often the replacement bag is a thicker plastic. You have to request a paper bag and pay for it too. I was so unhappy that the stores didn't embrace the spirit of the idea of not using plastic bags any longer. Many Oregonians use the reusable bags or no bag because of this. I'm happy you found nice people. The political scene that is highlighted in all types of media is so disheartening and polarizing. Yes we have some serious problems right now, but the display of that is causing an even greater problem. Thanks for all the nice comments you made about the states.
We do realize like Canada, people make the country not politicians or news media. We are fortunate to meet friendly people when we travel. America will always be a place we enjoy. 🇨🇦🇺🇸
As an American originally from New York, I am happy to see that there are videos on TH-cam not bashing my beloved nation. I must inform you that many stores sell reusable bags. Publix sells them. Americans, in general, do not like too much governmental overreach. Our nation is divided more now than ever due to politics, and it has gotten worse since the pandemic. Blue states like NY and California are trying force the nation to become like Europe, while Red states like Florida and Texas are battling against that push.
Stores in the US must ask for ID or they will get heavily fined. It's better to use your Canadian passport or driver's license for such checks. I remember being able to cross over every weekend into Canada with just my NY driver's license. Sadly, 9/11 changed that.
When you spoke about seeing dolphins early in the morning at the Gulf, I teared up a bit. While you were on your vacation, I was down in Mobile because of the death of my mother. (She had been sick a long time and the end was very peaceful.) I have a wonderful memory of when my mother and I spent a weekend together--just the two of us, without dad and the boys-- at Gulf Shores in 1999, and we would watch the dolphins in the morning. So, your trip conjures up lovely memories for me. I'm so glad you enjoyed yourselves!
We are sorry to hear about your loss Miriam but glad that our video brought back happy memories for you , we just loved watching the Dolphins 🐬 swim by and it will be a wonderful memory for us in the future have a nice weekend take care 💐🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
I really enjoy your videos. Just wanted to mention that plastic bags are indeed being slowly being phased out here in America. I live in Philadelphia, where plastic bags were banned a year or so ago. It hasn't been a hardship at all, everyone seemed to adapt quickly.
Thanks Carol we are glad you enjoy our videos have a very Merry Christmas Cheers 🍷🎄🌺☕️🙂
The western states embraced the notion of no plastic bags and even cutting down on paper bags for several years now.
I hate having to check myself out at Walmart. They don't pay me to work there!
We heard a funny story about a customer wandering into the break room at Walmart because after self checkout they felt they needed a break.
Don’t even get me started on the lack of cashiers. It has to do with Americans not wanting to work. And the companies seeing an opportunity to lower their cost. The self checkout is good for a few items. But if I’m at a Kroger and Walmart and they try to pull the no cashier bs. I go to customer service and force them to open
Good for you and if that works that’s great 👏 Gabe have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
No free bags in California, well, San Francisco!
Aldi has all the free boxes you might want.
Yep the plastic one use shopping bag is going the way of the Dodo 🦤
Good video. I agree I have a place in Arizona I go to several fresh markets each week and have lots of good food to get.
Good stuff
number 2 but the best i have been going from cdn to usa for 20 years im not shocked i love america
We enjoyed our visit too Grant always a nice place to visit have a great weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
Love the view .Alameda ca.
Thanks for watching Daniel Cheers 🍷🇺🇸🇨🇦🍺
My area in the USA-California- one is charged 25 cents per bag, if one doesn't bring their own bag in. Regarding beer, that old idea that the US has crap beer is based on Budweiser and mass market beer. There are so many craft beers out there.
This idea of bad food in the US is just a myth, one can eat as well or as poorly as one wishes. Lots of foodies here.
Yes the incentive to use reusable shopping bags is strong, however during the pandemic our supermarkets wouldn't allow them in the store! Back to plastic for a year. We were having a bit of fun with stereotypes and American beer, the small breweries are producing excellent beers, yep Bud and Coors still good for a backyard hot summer cool down!
@@ThisIsOurRetirement Yes, we weren't allowed to bring our bags in as well. So, one could either buy new bags in store or use the plastic ones. Back in the day when I was a kid, all there was were brown paper bags. Even though it wasn't called recycling then, we never threw them away. We made book covers for our school books out of it. They were repurposed for household things as well. Plastic bags at one time were considered to be eco- saving a tree and all that.
Maybe because plastic bags take up 1/12 of the space in the landfill as paper bags 🤔
Thank you again for a very pleasant positive video. In my 62 years of living in the United States, not once while going on vacation throughout the US, have I ever had a bad experience with the overall trip. I loved everywhere I vacationed and the trip always goes smoothly. People are always nice, food is always great for the most part, scenery is always beautiful, motels are always nice and clean.
That’s wonderful thanks for sharing have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
God bless you both.
Gas stations dont make much profit from selling gas. Just a few pennies per gallon. The money is inside the store. Drinks, coffee, food. or junk food. Low price of gas is to get you to stop and go inside.
We are sure that is the case of the gas ⛽️ being the lost leader Cheers 🇺🇸🍷🇨🇦🍺🙂
This is an outstanding video! I'm dual Canadian/American but have lived in Southern California for most of my life. I got so tired defending America arguing with Aussie's, Brits, and some Canadians (more knowledgeable of USA) about their wrong ideas of USA. First one is that our beer is weak, and piss water. Lol, as you stated the selection of great beer in The States is mindboggling. Also, all our food is unhealthy. I explain to them that Southern California is the health food capital of the world. Everything grows here, the fruits and vegetables are all fresh. Also, every supermarket has those Vital Pasture raised eggs; they are in my refrigerator right now. Glad you mentioned all the friendly people, as we Americans sure love our small talk, and are willing to help strangers. I always say, Canadians are polite, but Americans are warmer.
Love this comment!
That’s wonderful Grace thanks for sharing have a great weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
The biggest challenge for me visiting US is lack of recycles. People are warm, but to religouse for me.
@@freedomlife3623 how religious people are in the US tends to be regional.
You have to pay for plastic bags in states that care about the environment. Plus in those states about 1/2 of shoppers use recyclable bags. Southern states are way behind in terms of social and environmental issues.
Thanks for sharing Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
Out on the west coast some cities have banned plastic bags at grocery stores. You either bring your own bags or pay 5 cents for a paper bag. It makes sense: better for the environment and it put a price on not reusing bags. I even reuse plastic and paper bags from the produce department multiple times.
Thanks Tim for sharing your thoughts!
In Montreal just like in the USA no cashiers in Walmart 🤷and no plastic bags , just like in other Canadian stores 😉
Yep we have no plastic bags left either and very few cashiers. Have a nice weekend Miriam.
God Bless our USA! We have our current problems, but they will be straightened out with God's help!
Every country has its problems Arline Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
This was a funny episode, everything is Shocking! One thing that is totally true, the media makes it seem like we’re all at each other’s throats and honestly everyone is super nice to each other in my travels. Also Alabama and Mississippi always seem to have a negative reputation and both of those states have the friendliest people I’ve come across. At times it almost seems like a trick. Glad you seem to be enjoying yourselves!
Great comment Robert thanks for sharing.
Actually here in NY everyone is at each others throats. The whole state is held hostage by NYC.
@@anemoneii I live in NY, I'd say we're all held hostage by the Democrat run state but I think all the people are friendly still
I'm so glad you had a good time here. With all the politics and shootings, I can see why people might avoid it. I was almost afraid to watch your video. I was born in Colorado, spent most of my life in California and now live in Washington. I've never been to Alabama but from the places we've lived and visited there is beauty everywhere.
I’m so pleased to hear of your positive experience here in the US. I truly believe most of us are just pleasant to interact with on a daily basis. Thank you!
Of course our national news blows everything up and makes it quite ugly. There will always be radicals. In fact there have been times I stop watching the news finding it utterly depressing. While the vast majority of us are busy going about our day as normal. We use our votes to give our say.
As for politics between individuals, it’s rather a unwritten rule, like religion, not to discuss because some people are very fervent about their point of view. For instance, I never discuss politics with my brother-in-law at a family dinner. Just not worth the unpleasantness.
Thanks for sharing have a great week Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
So nice to hear so many compliments regarding your travels and stay in Alabama. I don't watch much news because it is more like "entertainment" than fact, the outlet appears bent on spreading mayhem and not reality! Enjoy your stay and safe travels during your visit.
Thanks Teri have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
6:34 I think that is starting to change, more and more stores are either going back to paper bags or customers bringing their own bags. (Aldi is phasing out their plastic reusuable bags).
ANd the double bagging---well, you probably noticed that the plastic bags are notoriously thin.
Kerrygold butter , could have been one of my grass fed cows. 🐄☘🐮
Wonderful we enjoyed it, can’t find it in Canada
Lots of grass fed beef and good eggs here in cowtown, I’m amazed you don’t get them in Ontario
We can get good eggs but not Pasture raised in our local grocery store Carol have a great weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
Here in Hamilton Ontario we are able to get pasture raised eggs, grass fed beef, irish butter at our local grocery stores- the SuperStore and Fortinos and Longos all have that- some NOFrills even do....
You mentioned traveling and not always knowing what prices the gas stations ahead would be at, to calculate exchange good deal. Gas buddy is a great app to download and be able to plan ahead...( just in case you haven't heard of, free and easy to use.)
Great suggestion! yes Nicola we use Gas ⛽️ buddy here in Canada 🇨🇦 too it’s great you can head straight to the cheapest station LOL 😂 Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
Gasoline is always overpriced in Michigan.
Funny how that ⛽️ is LOL 😂have a great weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
GREAT INFO!!! Non ethanol gas hovering around $10.00 per gallon here on Vancouver Island.CHEERS FROM HERE!!!
Yikes 😱 that is high for gas ⛽️ Darryl have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
Picture two guys in t-shirts. One says republican. One says democrat. The democrat has his arm around the republican's shoulder. The republican's t-shirt says, "Leave me alone." The democrat's says, "No."
Too funny LOL 😂😂
We stayed in Florida a few times (Disney and Miami) and we were amazed at the quality of food on offer especially pre-prepared salads, healthy vegetable trays, grass-fed beef, etc. Yes, it cost more than chopping up the ingredients yourself but certainly no more than a KFC or other fast food dinner. The flip side to that is there were two isles devoted to snacks, but you could eat healthily if you wanted to . I'd also like to add, I love the USA; the people are positive, kind-hearted, and generous. Ignore the media garbage, the country is welcoming and you should visit.
Wonderful thanks for sharing have a great weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
I’m well on in years,from Ireland living in uk,was in Florida last Jan I was totally gobsmacked when asked by a young salesman for I’d. Agree with you about Alabama so beautiful
Thanks for sharing we loved Alabama Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
It's quite funny to hear a Canadian point of view things in America that seems shocking when it's very normal to us! By the way I am in Michigan and we consider Ontario to be another part of the states because it's so easy to go back and forth across the Ambassador Bridge and the Blue Water Bridge. So glad you had a nice time and that you enjoyed some very surprising things here in the US 😊😊
It depends what state you are in when using the reusable bags. In New York, we have had to use reusable bags for a few years in almost all stores. A few stores have free paper bags but some others charge for paper bags. Unfortunately, the media does portray America as very polarized but most people are not like that. Stay well!
Thanks for watching Diane have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸🍷
I'm glad you enjoyed your visit to the US. As a holistic chef, I love all the food we have available, especially when I buy directly from a farm. Also, I haven't watched news (or TV) in more years than I can remember. It is so sad what they portray. We travel all over the US and absolutely love all the people and experiences we have. I do have to say, we were in Capecod this fall, and one of our favorite motels was changed to keyless entry. It was like buying a room from a vending machine. No human contact at all, totally took the charm out of the experience.
Really interesting Darcy thanks for sharing , yes checking into hotels has lost that human contact , having said that so is checking in to the condo we stayed in keys were in a box you are given a code but don’t meet anyone 🤔have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
I hesitated to watch this for a while because I thought it was an update of your original one on the subject. I was pleasantly surprised, this is totally different from your original shocking American video.
Some of the things you notice are the things my Australian daughter notices when she comes home for a month or two twice a year. It makes me laugh a bit.
Love your videos.
Thanks for watching Lorena glad you enjoyed it Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
You drove through my hometown on I 75! Love seeing those Ontario license plates heading south.
Very cool Stephanie! 🇨🇦🇺🇸
It's not really related to your channel, but we love the Canadian TV show 'Hudson and Rex'. Amazing how that dog solves the crimes. We live in the UK and love your channel too. Do you guys watch Hudson and Rex?
Glad you are enjoying your stay in the American South, my home region. My British and Irish friends have had similar reactions on their 1st visits to the USA .After my British friend drove from Chicago to Atlanta, he was surprised at how big the country was. The trip helped him better understand the Americans he dealt with in Northern Ireland.
When my Irish friend visited a Walmart, she was amazed how inexpensive the food was. Her comment was "they're almost giving the food away".
On my recent trips to the UK and Ireland, I forgot you have to pay for a shopping bag; after a few days, I remembered to take one with me to Tesco.
As for the healthy food choices in the supermarket, some of those food items have just become available in the last year or two.
All the best!
We did find prices of food a lot more expensive than when we were last there Chris , more expensive than in Canada 🇨🇦 which surprised us have a great weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
Petrol in the UK is massively expensive nearly £100 to fill a tank ..and sadly yes most Supermarkets now have these awful self service tills ...most customers wisely avoid them..
Although sometimes you can’t Terry , wow that’s a lot for gas ⛽️ Yikes 😱 have a great weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇬🇧🇺🇸
That is a new thing at Walmarts, self check-out. Very recent. They used to have more in person check outs open.
We mostly have self-checkouts in the Ottawa region Walmarts, too; maybe two regular cashiers are open. Also, in NY state, there are no plastic bags, and in Maryland, you have to pay for them; you are expected to bring your own reusable bag. It is a regional thing. We travel a lot between Ontario and the U.S.
I was shocked at how much we liked UK/Europe. The trains are so cheap and amazing! Restaurants/cafes charge you the menu prices and no tipping. Wine was a Euro a glass and a bottle was less than 2 euro....wow. Can't wait to go back!
So glad you enjoyed your trip yes the wine 🍷 is amazingly cheap and tastes good too Cheers 🇨🇦🍷🇺🇸🇵🇹
@@ThisIsOurRetirement Have you both done a video on European airlines? We flew Wizz Air from Venice to Gatwick for 15 euros and many of their flights are even less, like 9 euros from Faro to Gatwick. They fly to Iceland super cheap, also. Play Air just started a nonstop from Baltimore to Iceland and on to London for around 200. I don't know how they fly so cheap with many of the planes nearly empty, also. Can't wait to go back! Cheers from Coldwater MI.
@@clnelson321 Very interesting thanks for sharing, we flew Wow Air from Toronto to Iceland pretty cheap but alas these super cheap airlines go broke as did Wow Airlines. Will take a look at your suggestions, thank you!
Hi Norm and Tina! Here in the state of New Jersey plastic bags were banned. We must bring reusable bags every time we go to any type of store.
Just like us in Canada Jeannette Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
It depends on the state. New York and New Jersey and others have banned plastic bags. You have to bring your own bags.
Yes Mary same in our city in Canada, it's going to become the standard everywhere. Thanks for watching.
American here...the politics can get quite racy in my neighborhood, but there are enough of us here that try and keep the peace so no violence ensues, lol. But what I want to talk about is Birmingham, Alabama. This was decades ago, but my father had to take a company car down there, and he enlisted me to be the second driver (so he could get back to Pennsylvania). I was very young. But when we got to Birmingham, going through the city, we passed a school. Beautiful! Everything was new, there was an Olympic pool outside, a lovely track, football field, etc. Anything you wanted. I would like a school like that. But a few miles down the highway, we passed another. Some of the windows were broken, it was dirty, and there wasn't even grass, let alone a swimming pool or anything else. I thought it was abandoned until I saw kids coming out of it. When we stopped, I asked my dad what that was about as he was familiar with the area. One school was for white kids, one for blacks. My dad was racist and had no problem. But I decided I would never go to Alabama again. And I haven't. I hope someone from Alabama writes to tell me it has changed. I would like that!
Thanks for sharing have a nice week Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
The fallacy of single use plastic bags is that they aren't really single use. In the states that banned single use plastic bags saw a huge increase in purchases for trash bags. We use all those "single use" plastic bags for trash.
We did too now we buy trash bags for the kitchen bin. Using grocery plastic bags for home trash was recycling?
Rouses is unbelievable, my daughter has one near her apt in Mississippi
It was probably our favourite store they did great Crawfish 🦞 hot pies for lunch they were delicious 😋 Robert Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
I’m so glad you had an enjoyable trip. I know people are anti-plastic bags, and I do understand, but I reuse those bags for picking up after my dog, food trash, bathroom trash, etc. We are lucky that healthy food is available. I pray it stays that way. It's so fun to see things from your point of view.
We also used to reuse ♻️ all the plastic bags for garbage or up in the trailer so now we have to buy bags 🤔🤔have a great weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
@@ThisIsOurRetirement Interesting. So bags haven’t gone away, they are just not free anymore. Like many save the environment ideas this seems half-baked. Thanks for responding.
This was funny to me. Things I take for granted here in America. This makes me appreciate America so much more. Thanks for sharing.
Your very welcome Lori , we all often take things for granted in our own countries Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
I am an American but so much could be done here in the way of environmental control like charging people to use plastic bags if they don’t bring their own so simple but not inforced glad you keep us informed
Thanks for watching Carol have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
😆😆 Thanks! You just reminded me I need to take those plastic shopping bags to be recycled.
Have a great weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸♻️
Glad you two had a great trip. People here are great and so is America itself. In California it's 10 cents for a plastic bag. Paper bag is 5 cents each. You can also bring reusable bag. Gas here is almost $7 per gallon. It really depends on which part of America you're traveling too. Way less cashiers at the checkout as well.
Yikes 😱 gas ⛽️ is then very expensive in California Tina , have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
Where are you in California? Throughout LA gas is around $4.19-4.39. Some places like chevron have their gas at 5.59-5.79. I haven’t seen $7 in several months.
@@ThisIsOurRetirement the gas in California is refined differently to curb air pollution and is heavily taxed.
Hi Norm and Tina, also let’s not forget the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets that you experience when you visit the gulf areaThey are amazing and when I visit the beach it’s the only time I’m happy to get out of the bed so early in the morning😂 When my family visit from the UK they are always amazed at the price of gas. Great video this week and look forward to seeing more when you come back this way again. Speaking of getting asked your ID Tina, the cashiers cannot ring up the beer or wine if they are not 21, they have to get one of the supervises to do it.
In the Condo where we were staying Colette we saw both 🌅 Sunrises and Sunsets 🌅 from our balcony it was beautiful together with the wildlife of Pelicans , Herons and Dolphins 🐬 swimming by each day it was perfect Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
Did I hear you guys say your thinking about having a winter home there in Alabama Gulf coast. 🤔.. Let's see, that would be triple citizenship right?.
My oldest daughter was a cashier at Walmart here in Florida, and her job was phased out about 3rd years ago by the self check out! Before they went to primarily self checkout they had anywhere from 10 to 20 life cashiers. Kind of sad the amount of jobs lost nationwide.
Thanks for the great video. I appreciate them greatly!! Take care!
No we won’t be having a Winter home there David but nice to visit , sorry to hear your daughter lost her job it’s very sad that it causes job losses . Glad you enjoy our videos Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
@This Is Our Retirement thanks again. She went from Walmart to Whole Foods. Doing much better!
I’m kinda glad that we no longer hand out plastic carry out bags in Canada . I bought a couple of reusable bags in Walmart and they are great !
We all need to keep garbage to a minimum wherever possible and costs down ‼️
In the GTA , there are more and more self checkouts all the time
We agree we are used to the reusable bags , but the others were good as we reused as garbage bags Andy Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
Wow, the food choices are surprising for me as an American living in California because, while they're available where I live, I had an incorrect stereotype that they wouldn't be available in the South. (We refer to the southeastern part of the country as "the South" in the US.)
The east coast and the south has everything! America started here in the east.
Thanks for sharing Beth have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
I paid 2.55 a gallon for gas this morning here in South Texas.
It’s sad to say that is a great price!
The plastic bag situation, here in the States, is embarrassing.
It’s frustrating everywhere Thea enjoy your weekend Cheers 🇨🇦☕️🇺🇸
Go to New York ... many states charge for plastic bags & are very eco friendly
We love NY 🇺🇸
Because of our great climate in the United States, many millions of Americans grow their own organic vegetables. Canada actually gets 70% of its fruits and vegetables from from the United States, mostly California and Florida.
(61%), climate is the main reason and we are Americas biggest agriculture customer.
Hi Norm and Tina! I see a wonderful air fryer behind you? Neil Young sang about Alabama. America is a great place to visit and we have met very nice people. Have a great weekend! 😊😊
Hi Paul, we brought our own air fryer with us as we were driving, Lynyrd Skynyrd sang about Neil Young. You are right America is a great place to visit. Have a nice weekend 😀😀
@@ThisIsOurRetirement Lynyrd Skynyrd put Neil Young in his place. 😊
If you come to Atlanta GA on your next trip to the United States stop by and say hello! PS: I use Kerrygold Irish butter exclusively! 🙂