Canadians & Americans share a border. But that’s apparently not enough to make their daily habits similar, as the people south of our border are often quite different from us. They have routines that tend to surprise many Canadians when they visit the States.
Here are ten things that most Americans think are normal, but we often find unusual. Which one do you think is the strangest?
Free drink refills almost everywhere
Most American servers will give their customers extra soda without them even asking. Starbucks even offers free refills on brewed coffee & tea during the same visit. But that feels quite unusual to most Canadians.
They’re used to walking into smaller cafés and expecting to pay for each drink they get. The American approach of keeping things coming is odd to people who are used to places that charge per glass.
Tipping for many small or informal services
You’ll see prompts practically everywhere south of the border. It doesn’t matter whether it’s for a coffee pickup or at a takeout counter, even for shuttle drivers, because every small act of service is worthy of a tip, apparently.
Surveys show that people regularly tip around 18 to 25% on simple orders. Yet Canadians tend to reserve tipping for sit-down meals or taxis. They might tip at a bar. We see American tipping culture as perhaps too broad.
Very late store hours and more 24/7 businesses
It’s normal for Americans to do midnight grocery runs or grab medicine at 3 AM because quite a few stores are open 24/7. Walmart & supermarkets often run around the clock, yet it’s not the same way in Canada.
Our stores usually close around 10 or 11 PM. A true 24-hour grocery store is something that you have to hunt for over here, and it’s not to be taken for granted.
Drive-thru pharmacies and extensive drive-thru services
American chains like Walgreens rolled out pharmacy drive-thrus during the 1990s. The majority of Americans barely think twice about how they’re able to pick up prescriptions without leaving the car. It’s certainly not that way in Canada.
We do have a few drive-thru pharmacies, but they’re more like one-off conveniences. Most communities rely solely on indoor pickup & it makes the ease of an American drive-thru pick-up seem quite foreign.
Much larger restaurant portion sizes
Many Canadian visitors to the USA are shocked by the size of the entrées over there. Their plates are so oversized that even nutrition researchers have been surprised by them. Casual fast-food places in America have solo meals that are big enough to split among friends.
Canadian food portions tend to be a lot more modest than American ones. The size difference is enough to make eating out at a US diner feel like you’re doing an eating challenge.
More aggressive discounting and deep sale culture
The majority of American retailers go hard with their sales. They’ll have doorbusters & heavy markdowns, along with holiday blowouts that most Canadians can only dream of. Our sales are usually a lot tamer. It’s no surprise that so many people go down south to snatch a bargain.
Local discounts in Canada often bring items closer to everyday American prices instead of actually slashing them properly. Sales culture in America runs almost on a different planet compared to Canada.
Air conditioning being standard almost everywhere
Statistics show that approximately 88% of American households use AC. They usually have central systems in their homes. But the weather is far colder in Canada, so our usage is closer to 61%. The figures are closer to 33% in places like B.C.
Americans generally assume that they’ll feel cool in indoor areas. But it’s far more normal in Canada to run into older homes & shops where AC is practically non-existent. Having some kind of heating system is far more important for us.
Venmo and Zelle as default payment methods
Americans think that splitting the restaurant bill with Venmo or Zelle is normal. They’re so used to paying roommates & dog-walkers the same way that they don’t think anything of it. But data shows that Canadians are more likely to use Interac e-Transfer apps instead.
Canadians sometimes see Venmo & Zelle as being overly complicated. We’d rather keep things simple by using one app instead of six different ones to send cash.
Tailgating culture at sporting events
American football crowds often treat gathering in the parking lot as its own event. Surveys from Quicken and Talker Research show that 80% of Americans go to at least one tailgate a year. They’ll spend hours cooking on grills & sitting on lawn chairs, along with resting in tents, before kickoff even begins. Tailgates are equally as popular at huge games as they are at college games.
CFL tailgates do exist in Canada. But they tend to feel more contained & they’re usually limited to certain sections with tighter rules. We don’t really get the American pre-game ritual.
Daily civic rituals in schools
Hearing the Pledge of Allegiance in school is a regular part of student life in the United States. They can opt out if they want. But the routine is widely expected in America, although Canadians schools don’t have the same daily pledge.
Some schools might play “O Canada” in the morning. Such a difference in how students start their school day is quite surprising to Canadians when they visit American schools for the first time.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.