Pattern
US site shown in Toronto
A visitor in Toronto gets the US site although a Canadian version exists, so they read US details that don’t apply to them.
3 findings at 2 companies in 2 sectors, filed under 2 heuristics
Where I found it
Apple Low
Find a Store opens on US stores for a visitor in Toronto
On /retail the heading reads “Stores in United States” over a list that starts at Canoga Park CA, Temecula CA and Lawrence Township NJ, while the banner above offers Canada. The hint reads “Search by location, ZIP, or store name”, and /ca/retail/ reads “postal code” in its place. There is no “use my location” control.
Desktop, 1440 px wide, taken 30 October 2026. The frame marks what the finding is about. Apple Medium
The country banner ticks Canada over US prices with no currency code
On a first visit from Toronto the banner reads “Choose another country or region to see content specific to your location and shop online.” At 390 px it is 135 px tall, with a ticked “Canada (English)” menu. The site beneath stays US: /iphone shows iPhone 18 Pro “From $1199” with no currency code, /ca/iphone/ shows “From $1749”, and the footer says “United States”.
Phone, 390 px wide, taken 30 October 2026. The frame marks what the finding is about. Costco Medium
Seen from Toronto, pages show a Seattle warehouse and ZIP 98101 the visitor never chose
Viewed from Toronto, Canada, the home page was the US site, marked ‘US’ at the top right. Under the navigation it shows ‘My Warehouse Seattle, Open until 6PM’ and ‘Delivery Location 98101’, and the product page says ‘98101 Available’ and ‘Seattle In Stock’. The country menu lists Canada. No prompt about the location or country appeared on the first screen.
Desktop, 1440 px wide, taken 25 October 2026. The frame marks what the finding is about.
What I’d change
When a visitor appears to be outside the US, say they’re on the US site and offer the site for their country once, with a choice to stay. Until they choose, label what the page assumed, so US details aren’t read as their own.