West Coast Duty Free

Love the chocolate deals!
Usually buy 1, get 1 free. In Canadian bucks too.
And the extra $ is well spent to jump 15 min of the lineup, don’t be cheap! Lol

Returning to the U.S. from Vancouver, we got a tip from a friend to skip the Peace Arch and detour a few miles to go through the less photogenic (but less busy!) truckers’ border crossing.
We were mainly there to save $$$ at the duty-​free, but you can also save time by cutting the line if you purchase something from the store, because the parking lot exit spits you out ahead of where you came in. They make a big fuss about taking down your license plate at the register and warning you that a guard will check your receipt on the way out, but as it turned out, the booth was unmanned when we left.
If you’ve been to a duty-​free store before, this one is pretty standard. The booze is prominently displayed as soon as you walk in, with a selection of alcohol ranging from supermarket brands like Captain Morgan to upscale whiskeys and tequilas, plus some B.C. wines and beer. The savings vary from product to product, so it helps to be familiar with local prices in your area — and the current exchange rate — to judge whether you’re getting a deal. (Also keep in mind that duty-​free is not customs, and they’re in the business of selling you stuff. Just because they package 2 bottles of Tanqueray in a cute tote bag does not mean that’s your legal allowance! 1 person, 1 liter.)
In addition to booze, they have the usual makeup and perfume, chocolate, and random jewelry and accessories. The chocolate selection mostly seems to be stuff like Toblerone and Cadbury, although you can find a few specifically Canadian candies like Smarties. Previous reviewers mentioned a selection of Canadian chips and salty snacks, but I didn’t see any of those as of January 2016, so if you’re looking for something cheap to buy just so you can jump the customs line, go for the candy bars.
Most of the non-​booze items seemed marked up so high that it wasn’t much of a bargain, even with the favorable exchange rate. We got our duty-​free allowance of alcohol and nothing else. If you forgot to get someone back home a Canadian souvenir, this is your last chance to grab a gift — but the main reason to stop here on your way through customs is BOOZE.

I usually come and check out the duty free store before passing the border. They carry various cosmetic brands such as Dior, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Stila, L’Occitane etc and it is a good deal not having to pay taxes. Chocolates are probably at least 30% more than normal retail. They sell anything from alcohol, toys, clothing, jewelry, snacks, souvenirs to charging cables etc. Store is clean and presentable with friendly staff. Parking available.

Duty-​free and open 24 hours? Yes please!
Recently stopped here when exiting Canada and was pleasantly surprised by the array of goodies that you can get duty-​free on your way out. Tons of perfume/​cologne choices, lots of tasty Canadian snack-​a-​doos, and of course, knick knacks. Need a Canadian moose or bear magnet? Or a huge box of Kinder chocolate bars? Nestle Kit Kats? They’ve got it!
Fun fact: If you are 19 in Canada, you can legally buy cigarettes and alcohol. So it’s not like I’m promoting «underage» alcohol purchasing, but you know…

Eh, not that great a deal, if you ask me. They sell hard liquor (but not all kinds) and wine, cigarettes, perfume & cosmetics (fancy department store brands), candy, some clothing, and some touristy knicknacks.
Prices weren’t all that amazing. I got a bag of Smarties candy (don’t, they’re gross) for $ 8.50. Icewine was $ 25 for 2 thin bottles. I suppose if this is what you want, it’s an okay deal.
Bathrooms are decent but not fancy. Toilets flushed and they had running water. That’s what you want, right?
We did get to «cut» in line exiting the Duty Free parking lot, but still waited about 10 – 15 minutes before reaching the border guard. I would say we probably saved 10 or 15 min in the car line, but we spent that much time in the store, so it’s not like you are really saving a ton of time.

This duty free shop is located at the South bound Pacific /​truck crossing. It can be used to shortened your border crossing wait times during long weekends if you know how to «use the system». Even though you still have to wait before being let back into the queue, you still save yourself time. Once you enter the Duty free shop, there’s no turning back unless you want to puncture your tires on the one way metal spikes. People waiting in the queue can use the washroom and walk back to their cars with no hassle.
The shop has a good variety of hard liquor and local BC wines. They also have a decent amount of perfumes/​colognes and health and beauty products. There is also a huge collection of souvenirs and chocolates. If you want to be a cheapskate, you can just buy a bottle of water or bag of ketchup potato chips. Just give them your license plate number and it’ll print on your receipt which you will need to show the parking attendant to prove that you bought something.
On a busy weekend, you can easily save yourself a good half to one hour by buying something at the Duty free if you know how to use all the tricks of this short cut.

I love this duty free store because they have all sorts of fun things. It’s really easy to kill an hour in this store just checking out the make up collection, perfume displays, Roger & Gallet soaps and lotions, chocolates to get for the additional 3 hour wait you will have to get to the border guard. I suppose if you need to get a souvenir or something for someone you’re visiting down south, then this would be a good place to get it.
They also have a bathroom for that 4 hour border wait.
But don’t bring the car into the parking lot unless you plan to buy something because otherwise they won’t let you out.

Went through again today. Absolutely no wait on the way out this time…

Would you like to be held in your car for 2 – 3 hours and not allowed into the customs queue because you made the fatal mistake of entering the West Coast Duty Free Ltd store.
If you do have 2 – 3 hours free to sit in a make shift car park outside the West Coast Duty Free store then you can watch other frustrated drivers and completely inept staff trying to handle the situation.
Please remember not to talk to the staff about warning future customers about the delays and the infuriating wait because you will get dumb answers like … «we only tell people about the wait if they ask» and my favourite «well you decided to shop here»
This was a truly awful experience which my twitter and facebook followers read on Sunday 26^th April. I would never go back to this place ever again on principle. Remember everyone can make mistakes it is how you handle the customers and the situation that define you as a brilliant service provider.
All the rest of the information on the store is below :
Is the shop good — It is average to good.
Is there a great selection in the shop — Yes it is not the best but it is not bad.
Is there tons of trickets and trash as well as alcohol, perfume etc — Yes
Are the rest rooms clean — No but that is not their busy either I suppose…
Are there staff polite, proactive and deliver great customer service — Hell NO!!!
You need to quote your license plate to purchase the goods.

I loved this store. Not only can you find some great souvenirs, when you drive out of the parking lot, you get closer to the front of the customs line.
Found a wonderful teapot, a wool scarf for Sis, Ice Wine Cream cookies to take home to Mom, some Ice Wine Truffles, and discounted perfume.
Remember your license plate when you go into the store, as you will need it to make your purchases, and yes, you have to show your receipt as you exit the parking lot.

This 24 hour duty free store is located along Hwy 15 southbound before the US Border. Once you enter the premises (tire spike entrance), you cannot U-​Turn back north and must go through US Customs. Before you go inside the store, REMEMBER YOUR LICENSE PLATE NUMBER.
The West Coast Duty Free Shop offers a good line of products such as liquor, jewellry, watches, Swiss Army knives, sunglasses, fragrances, cosmetics, apparel, snacks, candy, food, souvenirs, books, gifts, and more. This store stocks merchandise for the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Olympics including shirts, glasses, mugs, plush toys, postcards & other items.
I stopped here on my way back to the US and got some of my favourite Maple Cream Cookies, Maple Syrup, and some cool Olympic postcards. Some good deals here!
Plenty of parking and restrooms on site.
Just tell the cashier your LICENSE PLATE NUMBER, which goes on the receipt. Upon driving off the parking lot, there may be a staff member checking receipts upon exit towards southbound only.