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Canada's Favourite Currency: Canadian Tire Money
Definitely Not the Opera, CBC Radio, October 20, 2001
(sound: cashier’s till)
So you’re at the Canadian Tire store, lined up to buy your weekly dose of paint thinner and carburetors. You hand your money over to the cashier. She gives you your change, and then she hands you something else. It looks like money. It smells like money. Upon closer examination, you notice Sir John A has been replaced by another Scotman, Sandy McTire, Canada’s Patron Saint of Thrifyness. And next week, you’ll be back to trade in your Sandy McTire bucks for a rake, a garden hose and more paint thinner.
Canadian Tire money is Canada’s second currency. Many Canadians feel more fondness towards it than they do for our real currency. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find one person in the whole of Canada who hasn’t heard of the stuff.
Sarah: Do you use Canadian Tire money?
Gruff sounding woman: Yeah, I got about five bucks at home. What about it?
Sarah: So you use the Canadian Tire money?
Gruff sounding woman: I will. I’m gonna get my oil changed for free next time. Ha ha. It’s 10w30 for the winter!
Sarah : Do you use the Canadian Tire money?
Man: No. no. I give it away to JCC over there.
Sarah: JCC? Jewish Community…?
Man: Yeah. Twenty cents, thirty cents, let them have it.
Sarah: What does the Jewish Community Centre do with the money?
Man: I haven’t the vaguest idea. Probably they use it for something.
Sarah: Do you use Canadian Tire money?
Man #2: No.
Sarah: Why not?
Man #2: ’Cause I can’t keep track of it. I have a wad of it at home. I don’t throw it out. I keep it, especially the dollar ones. Why I don’t use them I don’t know.
Sarah: Why don’t you throw them away?
Man #2: ’Cause its money honey! (laughs/snorts) It’s bad luck to throw any kind of money away don’t you think?
How did this pseudo-currency come about? Let’s flashback to 1958. Current Canadian Tire Vice President Eymbert Vaandering tells the story.
"It came out of the idea of one of our founders, A. J. Billes. It was actually his wife Muriel who came up with the idea to come up with a currency or coupons to compete against the major gasoline companies. Canadian Tire started in the gasoline retailing business in ‘58 and the gasoline companies always would have different promotions, they’d give away glasses and different items and an obvious thing came along. We sell gasoline and we have a store which sells all kinds of products, so the notion of handing out money at the Canadian Tire gas bars redeemable for anything in the stores was born."
Vaandering says ninety per cent of Canadian Tire customers participate in the program. It’s marketers dream and one of the most successful customer reward programs ever. In fact, the money has been used far beyond Canadian Tire stores.
"You hear all kinds of stories in Canada as well, where places will accept Canadian Tire money as real money. A lot of the islands in the south, in Europe, you’ll see Canadian Tire money displayed on the board with a lot of other currencies."
In Canada, various pubs, drycleaners and other businesses have accepted the currency. A bakery in Toronto’s Kensington Market used to trade Canadian Tire money for bread. A restaurant in Guelph even advertised ‘Canadian Tire Tuesdays’, where you could trade Canadian Tire Money at par.
But the most devoted fans of the currency are the Canadian Tire Coupon Collectors Club. The group boasts 300 members across the country, mostly concentrated in Ontario and Quebec. They claim to be the first bilingual currency club in the country, with meetings and a newsletter in both official languages. Roger Fox is the president. He lives in Newmarket Ontario.
"Canadian Tire money is an icon. It’s in everyone’s glove box or RV or cottage or around the home. There are actually millions of Canadian Tire coupon collectors. It’s just they don’t collect it for the same reason we do."
Fox got into currency collecting as a teenager in the 1950’s. When his hobby became too expensive, he switched to collecting Canadian Tire money. It wasn’t until the late 80’s when he realized other people were collecting it too, and the club was born.
Hamilton: "My collection is relatively vast. Of 450 I have approx 300 of the coupons. I do collect catalogues road maps, pins, old coffee mugs, anything with corporation logo…"
Ken Hamilton is from Mississauga, Ontario. He’s the Vice President of the club. He says at the beginning, traditional currency collectors thought of the club as a joke. Now they’re beginning to take them more seriously. They realize Canadian Tire money is valuable. Hamilton says some extremely rare Canadian Tire bills have sold for as much as $800. He says the key to collecting Canadian Tire money is by befriending the cashiers and owners of the stores.
"For myself to build up my collection, every week I will go in and get my necessities like garbage bags and light bulbs, some paint, cans of spray paint. I purchase cat and dog food through Canadian Tire. A lot of the cashiers do know me by name and they’re always asking me about what is new. I will do some exchanging with them."
While some people go to great lengths to obtain the notes, others are still not converts.
Man #3: I think it’s a good idea, but I wonder if it would be better to get a little card and build up credits on the card.
Sarah: It’s sort of old style.
Man #3: I think they’re actually counting on you not to spend these things. Take ‘em and toss them.
Englishman: Too much of a bother. It ends up in a freebee bowl. But if Canadian Tire does want to do something they should improve their service. There’s always lineups here whenever I come.
Many people still have a beef with Canadian Tire, or ‘Crappy Tire’, as it is often called. But this month, the company is receiving a prestigious honour. The Canadian Currency Museum is showing an exhibit of Canadian Tire Money. It’s one of the few times the museum has displayed a currency which isn’t legal tender.
Roger: Canadian Tire money is made by the same printers that print Canadian currency, so the parallel is very close. The connection to real Canadian currency is unbelievable. We’re not even first cousins in my mind, we’re brothers and sisters.
With the real Canadian dollar remaining something of an embarrassment, it’s nice to have a currency we can have a little affection for. And in these days of Air Miles, Bay Cards, Safeway Cards, and so on, it’s a good feeling to hold a crisp Canadian Tire ten cent bill in your hand.
So maybe we can add this one to the list of what makes Canadians Canadian. You remember, the list of traits which define our fuzzy sense of national identity. We’re not American. We have a strong tendency to become newscasters and comedians. And now we can add the inclination to use dodgy currencies to the list.
For Definitely Not The Opera, I’m Sarah Efron.