An American deal some Canadians can't pass up. Buy one bottle of wine, get the second for only a penny.
The biannual sale at Happy Harry's liquor store in Grand Forks, N.D. liquor brings in hundreds of Canadians.
Store manager Greg Rixen believes Canadians make up 20 per cent of his customers during this sale.
"They'll come down and buy five, six, seven cases and take it back, because essentially it's buy one get one free,” he said.
That's more than the duty-free amount.
Still, Manitoban Courtnay Baumgart says the deals are worth paying extra at the border.
"Anything that's not on sale is (still) also a good price so you can stock up on anything,” she said.
But stocking up might never be the same.
Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries said expect changes this year.
That could mean an increase on the markup you pay at the border.
It could also mean adding a limit to the amount you can bring back.
Manitoba is the only province without restrictions on the amount you can bring back on top of the duty-free amount.
Many other provinces (including Alberta, Ontario and B.C.) allow each returning Canadian to bring back 45 litres - for example 60 bottles of wine.
But Saskatchewan only allows 9.1 litres, or 12 bottles of wine.
Winnipegger Jodie Crust hopes changes don't go that far.
"I think 12 would be way too restrictive, I think at least 24, 36, 60, 60 sounds good,” said Crust.
The Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries representative CTV spoke with couldn't provide details about what would change but said changes are at least several weeks away. They'd need time to first inform Canada Border Service Agency and the public.
Jodie Crust is glad she planned this pit-stop on her vacation so she could stock up at the sale.
Not knowing what changes could be coming, she's glad to drink it all in now.
The penny sale runs each spring and each Black Friday and lasts for two weeks.
Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries said changes will take effect sometime before 2014 ends.
