When I lived in San Diego, tons of people would walk or drive across for better deals - teenagers would even take the trolley and walk over since their money went so much further. I’ve heard that this is also common in Washington and Maine.
If the savings is enough, it’s guaranteed that people are going to try this. San Diego claimed a 158% increase in egg seizures last month, there’s no way you aren’t going to have people try that with iPhones.
~19M people live on the US-Mexico border alone in the US [1]. I am not ignoring nor unsympathetic to those who cannot, for whatever reason, make a trip outside of the US happen, but surfacing it as an option for those who can. When you are trapped within a suboptimal system, you have to find ways to hack around it.
My parents did certainly smuggle a fair bit on their trips. I'm so happy Americans can learn that experience too! :> (I don't. Why are you hitting yourself.)
When I lived in San Diego, tons of people would walk or drive across for better deals - teenagers would even take the trolley and walk over since their money went so much further. I’ve heard that this is also common in Washington and Maine.
If the savings is enough, it’s guaranteed that people are going to try this. San Diego claimed a 158% increase in egg seizures last month, there’s no way you aren’t going to have people try that with iPhones.
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/28/nx-s1-5342554/eggs-border-sei...
In Washington/Maine it's typically Canadians shopping in the US - groceries are cheaper in the US unless the CAD is doing particularly poorly.
~19M people live on the US-Mexico border alone in the US [1]. I am not ignoring nor unsympathetic to those who cannot, for whatever reason, make a trip outside of the US happen, but surfacing it as an option for those who can. When you are trapped within a suboptimal system, you have to find ways to hack around it.
[1] https://www.southernborder.org/border_lens_southern_border_r...
Ah, so like good old times in the Eastern Bloc ;)
My parents did certainly smuggle a fair bit on their trips. I'm so happy Americans can learn that experience too! :> (I don't. Why are you hitting yourself.)