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Black Friday shopping: Tips for crossing the border

Black Friday shopping: Tips for crossing the border

Heading south for Black Friday deals next week? The Canada Border Services Agency has some tips for Manitoba cross-border shoppers to ensure a smoother return home.

The agency is gearing up for next Friday, when thousands of travellers are expected to drive south to shop for deals.

Additional border guards will be staffed at the Emerson border crossing to deal with the higher volume of traffic.

The CBSA gave media a tour of its Emerson port of entry on Friday — a week before Black Friday — and officials gave these pointers for holiday shoppers:

1. Don't even think of buying weapons as gifts.

The Emerson port of entry has an X-ray machine to make sure prohibited weapons don't enter Canada. Still, officials say some travellers try to sneak weapons in.

Knives, throwing stars and nunchucks are just a few of the items that have been confiscated by the CBSA recently.

"Prohibited weapons are not gifts, they are not items that can be brought into the country, so be very careful when purchasing things like that for friends or family to bring back," said Jason Evert, the CBSA's chief of operations for the Southern Manitoba District.

2. Do your research before you shop.

Evert says there are restrictions on items like baby walkers, playpens and car seats, as Canada has stricter safety requirements for those types of products.

To that end, shoppers should make sure to do their research before spending money on consumer products they cannot take across the border.

3. Have your receipts ready.

According to the CBSA, about 4,000 vehicles crossed into Manitoba at the Emerson port of entry during Black Friday weekend last year.

The majority of the traffic returned on Saturday or Sunday evening, and the longest that people had to wait was about an hour, officials say.

The agency says things would go much faster if travellers have their receipts with them at the border crossing.

It's advice that's familiar to Dale Johannson, who is driving from Manitoba to Minneapolis this weekend to visit friends. He says he and his wife plan to shop while they're there.

"Yeah, it seems that if you show the officer that you've got all your papers and your ducks in a row, so to speak, that they'll just wave you through if you're within your limit," he said.

4. Declare everything.

"Some people assume that if it's within their exemption they don't have to declare it. It's not the case," Evert said.

"Declare everything you have with you. Give us as much information as possible and it's just going make your trip a lot better."

More information for Canadians returning to this country from the United States can be found on the CBSA's website.