Rip Off Ireland Prices

After all the talk about British retailers not giving a fair exchange rate the new argos catologue came out yesterday. Here a few random comparisons.Is it any wonder people are shopping in the north.


Irish price: Madison 8 seater patio set (6523385)was €1299.99 now €922.99
Sterling Price: £499.99 approx £633.86
That’s €289.13 Dearer

Irish price Panasonic SDRH40EBS HDD Camcorder €369.99
Sterling Price: £249.99 approx £319.92
That’s €50.07 Dearer

Irish price Sony VAIO FW11s 16.4in Laptop €1799.99
Sterling Price: £1199.99 € 1,521.29 approx
That’s €278.70 Dearer

No surprises there , B&Q is worse , they use higher wage costs as the reason but always convienently forget to mention that they register as Irish shell companies to take advantage of the much lower corporation tax band.

If you don't like it don't shop in those stores. We have higher wages & VAT here but companies will charge what customer are willing to pay. If no one paid those prices they would not sell them. Is there a suggestion that Irish companies charge lower prices?

Is that true about B&Q? A few years ago when we were building the house their prices were very close to the UK equivalent (close enough that you could work out near enough based on their website)? Having said that, still cheaper than our home DIY stores in my experience, and much better stocked.

Like the way Tesco now have the balls to expect a pat on the back for essentially admitting they were ripping us off for years with their new range. I'll continue with Lidl thanks (and spend all my savings on tools and gadgets that I really do need, honest!).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pete

We have higher wages & VAT here but companies will charge what customer are willing to pay. If no one paid those prices they would not sell them

---

That's what I never understand about the Irish. They whinge and whinge about companies ripping them off and yet fail to realise that every single company charging them extra are doing so because they are following the simple economic law of supply and demand. Do people even realise that when Argos put a price on a TV of €1,000 that all they are doing is asking you to make them an offer on it? You can choose to pay it, you can choose to bargain with them or you can choose to leave the store, either way it's not foreign companies ripping the Irish off, it's the Irish being too ignorant and lazy to change the system, but what else is new there?

Competition brings down prices. Competition from Lidl/Aldi is why Tesco have responded with lower prices. I haven't been in Lidl for a good while mainly because it is not convenient but they are like Ryanair in that they bring prices down even if you do not use them.

Foreign (UK) stores are attracted to Ireland due to good margins. If prices were not high to start with they would probably not have come in here.

Irish retailing is summed up to me by the massive rents paid on Grafton Street. It is more expensive than cities multiple times the size of Dublin. Interesting to see Lidl trying to get the lease for former Habitat store on College Green.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pete

Irish retailing is summed up to me by the massive rents paid on Grafton Street. It is more expensive than cities multiple times the size of Dublin. Interesting to see Lidl trying to get the lease for former Habitat store on College Green.

---

Even better is to sit back and watch the Southsiders get in a huff over the tone of the area being brought down :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jebus

Even better is to sit back and watch the Southsiders get in a huff over the tone of the area being brought down :D

---

Best still is watching locals claim that Stringfellows would bring down the tone of Parnell Street. Anyone who claims that has either a tenuous grip on reality or no experience of Parnell Street.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pete

If you don't like it don't shop in those stores. We have higher wages & VAT here but companies will charge what customer are willing to pay. If no one paid those prices they would not sell them. Is there a suggestion that Irish companies charge lower prices?

---

If enough of us shop in the north, they'll have to have look at their prices. Tesco CEO admitted that the "new" range would still not be as chaepas the north. I was also looking at stuff in Belfast in the Disney store. it was dual priced £2 or €4. That is just ripping off someone paying in Euro.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by John83

Best still is watching locals claim that Stringfellows would bring down the tone of Parnell Street. Anyone who claims that has either a tenuous grip on reality or no experience of Parnell Street.

---

I found that very funny myself.

I don't think Tesco actually want people to buy these new own brand products. Apparently they will be on the same isle with horrible yellow/black shelves. I don't see that encouraging any one to purchase.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pete

I found that very funny myself.

I don't think Tesco actually want people to buy these new own brand products. Apparently they will be on the same isle with horrible yellow/black shelves. I don't see that encouraging any one to purchase.

---

Was in Tesco yesterday with the re-branded aisles and ended up buying a load of Tesco own brand stuff.

So I guess it worked on me :o

I buy very little in big stores like this anymore all my grub comes from local buchers/ fruit and veg shop. about all i but in Tesco is milk and butter.

All my games/dvd/cd gadgets and a lot of my clothes are all bought online.

Always brought my meat in the butcher - better prices and a better product. We've never found the tesco own brand stuff as good as Lidl and Aldi anyway. If they stocked Kellogg's cereal and the right brand of baby milk I'd happily never darken tesco's door again for the family shop.

Tesco is convenient to me but I almost never buy meat there as I find it poor quality. Mainly Superquinn for meat even though can be pricey is good quality & reasonably convenient.

i work part time in a deli in dunnes stores while im in college.i have to say their meat is decent quality alright but the prices are a total rip off,a manager told me some ridiculous profit margin figures on chickens and lamb,ill try ask him again and give ye them.

If you go into shops like ''New Look'' you'll notice that a top thats £20 is usually €30 :eek:, mark ups are usually along those lines!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pete

I don't think Tesco actually want people to buy these new own brand products. Apparently they will be on the same isle with horrible yellow/black shelves. I don't see that encouraging any one to purchase.

---

Noticed on the dart coming in yesterday that Tesco had adverts at every station the whole way in from Greystones that has the big billboards advertising the own brand, with the tag "Nobody helps you spend less" - yeah right :rolleyes:

Also noticed the price comparisons on the shelves in Tesco are now Lidl and not Dunnes, although the product I noticed them on (milk) it was only price matching Lidl, not cheaper. Didn't bother checking anything else, but if the height of it is only price matching Lidl, I'll stick to Lidl thanks.

How can Lidl offer such cheap prices? Who are they exploiting to get those deals?

E25 for Drogs v Kiev. Pats v Olimps is only E10. Are Drosg the M&S (without the quality) of the LOI?

:p

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pete

How can Lidl offer such cheap prices? Who are they exploiting to get those deals?

---

Limited range of products, same layout for all stores, no fancy displays. I think the have a lower unit profit than Tesco (who are hardly known for the great deals they give to farmers/ suppliers are they?), but work on the volume of sales of the limited range.

Slightly off topic but I saw an advert for Lidl jobs last week. I would have thought they paid minimum wage but paying something like E2 above it for starting salary.