Tesco Clare Hall Shopping Centre

robbie1876

Opened today! Took a mooch down to see what it's like. Jolly impressive it was too. I'd say it's easily the biggest supermarket in Ireland. Very well laid out, seems to have lots more of everything than a regular Tesco, and its open 24 hours.

Happy days indeed. Made doing my bit of shopping a pleasure for a change. The rest of the shopping centre is not great though, none of the shops would appeal to me at all.

Only problem was the opening 'offers'. For example, 2 for 1 DVDs on a selected line. DVD were about €22 each, and included the likes of Robocop and Platoon. LOL!!

monkeyfudge

Was it very busy? I figured I wouldn't bother trying it out today on account of the crowds...

sure it's probably not too busy now (12.40am) but I don't feel like walking down to Clare Hall at this hour... for obvious reasons...

jesus_thats_gre

It is the biggest supermarket in Ireland.. They were allowed to ignore planning restrictions for it... They pretty much want to build quite a few more of these beauties around the country and take shops out of the centre of town or consolidate two shops into one..

munkeehaven

great..everything will end up looking the same..nothing beats walking down narrow streets peeking into all the little shops...huge shopping centres make me feel so...robotic.....its like ''this is your only purpose... to shop''...you know they constantly have someone on the intercom..drilling things into your brain....its like when your in a shop and you find yourself singing the song that had been playing in the background....

jesus_thats_gre

Plot to take over the world maybe??

I prefer having a better selection at low prices over browsing tiny, overpriced, backward shops in town centres... Getting parking is nice too...

Preferences... huh

munkeehaven

well.....i dont know really, i suppose whatever i want never seems to be in the humongomarkets. i mean the ones in america are a joke, they should be seperate countries...i remember living there as a wee girl and thinking i'd never get out of one of those damn shopping malls....

impr0v

That's the theory behind the planning laws which usually limit the size of such developments, and which also prevent the likes of Ikea entering the Irish market, it's to try and protect the town centres and viability of smaller shops.

Why fight your way into town to buy something when you can go the the great barn of anonymity, park in one of the 1.5 million free parking spaces and get the item for half the price, in half the time?

Where is Clare Hall anyway, for those from the sticks, and why were they allowed build big there and nowhere else?

Dr. Loon

It's on Dublins Northside, kind of between Darndale and Donaghmede. The new Tesco is on the Malahide road.

Anyone know if the petrol station is open yet?

Hobbes

Originally posted by Dr. Loon
It's on Dublins Northside, kind of between Darndale and Donaghmede. The new Tesco is on the Malahide road.

Anyone know if the petrol station is open yet?

Not sure, someone told me it was open before the store was.

Its on the malahide road, no where near Donaghmede (unless your coming from that direction via clarehall).

Just passed the Darndale roundabout on the way to malahide, you can't miss it. Near O'Tooles GAA club.

monkeyfudge

Clare Hall is just an estate... they don't seem to like to call attention to the fact that it's in Coolock.

The Clare Hall estate only exists about 8 or 9 years now.

But this new Tesco will never be as great Northside Shopping Centre in all it's RUC-Barracks style beauty....

whosurpaddy

yea the petrol station is open and has forced all the garages on the malahide road to lower prices as i9ts selling for 91.9cpl. its so busy they have people working on the forecourt just to keep people moving.

post about it on the bargains board.

Mossy Monk

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
They were allowed to ignore planning restrictions for it...

why?

robbie1876

The petrol station is indeed open, 91.9 petrol, 81.9 diesel. To get to the centre from the sticks, come to the end of the M50 towards the airport, but keep going straight, following signs for Malahide. After a mile or so of going straight, turn right at the traffic lights. You cant miss it. It's the building that looks like it should be the new terminal for Dublin Airport.

robbie1876

But this new Tesco will never be as great Northside Shopping Centre in all it's RUC-Barracks style beauty....

Northside ... (beuw...!)
Northside... (beuw....!)
The great great shopping centre!

Dr. Loon

Originally posted by Hobbes


Its on the malahide road, no where near Donaghmede (unless your coming from that direction via clarehall).

If you were passing the Tesco on your way into town on the Malahide road. A left at the next roundabout (Darndale roundabout) basically brings you into Donaghmede. So yeah, it's near Donaghmede/Clarehall/Darndale

oq4v3ht0u76kf2

I live in Clare Hall (feck you all) and having that place around the corner is brilliant... 24 hours Monday to Friday and the self-scan checkouts are brilliant. There's not too many other shops in the place - a few girls clothes shops, GameStop, Elverys and a couple of others. Tesco... 4 litres of Deep River Rock for €1.35 (I know, unlimited litres of tap water for €0.00 but like I said, feck you all).

Hobbes

I think Tescos alone might put the other stores out of business in the place.

DVDs are very cheap there.

monkeyfudge

Really? They have a Gamestop in there? That's certainly better than Dolphin Discs in Northside.. ha



I guess it does look a bit like an airport terminal, but I think the place looks like the front of a Car Showroom.. for eh... really BIG cars....

haven't been up there for about 3 weeks.. it still looked heavily under construction back then... I'm amazed it's already open..

delly

I did my shopping there yesterday, along with some KFC mmmmmm. It kicks ass having such a big selection of stuff. Theres not much you won't find inside.

I'm on the road fixing PC's most of the day, but have to dress semi-formal, so I usually wear short sleeve white shirts. They get filthy when your fixing a donkeys old PC, so I go through loads of them. Tesco have them for €5 a pop, bargain or what? Also handy for any barmen out there.

robbie1876

OrangeRhino, how do them self-scan checkouts work? I passed them tonight, but was scared of them to be honest. Do you have to register, like you do at Superquinn? What are the chances of being able to stroke something? How do weigh your bananas?

sceptre

Originally posted by delly
I'm on the road fixing PC's most of the day, but have to dress semi-formal, so I usually wear short sleeve white shirts. They get filthy when your fixing a donkeys old PC, so I go through loads of them. Tesco have them for €5 a pop, bargain or what? Also handy for any barmen out there.

What a shame they haven't invented some kind of mechanised shirt cleaning machine. It could fill with water and soap and wash your shirts While U Wait.

Nice to stock up though.

monkeyfudge

Originally posted by robbie1876
What are the chances of being able to stroke something? How do weigh your bananas?

That sounds like a very personal question.... yes?

robbie1876

What exactly are you implying?

Nah, I was just looking at all the scangers using the computer screens and wondering how many cans of Dutch Gold go through unscanned...

Actually, how do they check for age at the computer checkouts? Didnt seem to be too many staff in that area when I was there.

Dancing duck

Only one question; how much space dedicated to sweets?

robbie1876

Fantastic question, and sadly, I know the answer. Waaaay too much is the answer. It's like Willie Wonka's chocolate factory in there.

monkeyfudge

oh I'm definitely going there tomorrow after work....

Has anyone gone at 3.30am yet?

munkeehaven

the biggest one near me is the crescent in limerick.....but i only go there for specsavers and the health food store....oh and the cinema..

robbie1876

I have been going to the Finglas store at 3 or 4 am regularly. On my way home from gigs. The store is fairly messy at that time, it's when they restock the shelves, and there are boxes, trolleys and crates down the middle of all the ailes. The staff at that time are fairly cool though, they'll move the stuff out of your way and help you find things no bother.

I've yet to try Clare Hall at 3am, but I've a very late gig this Friday so I'll let you know!!

Dub13

Does anybody no if they are doing the deal they used to do in tesco...I think its something like if you spend 40euro on your shopping they give you an extra 5cent a liter of your fuel....?


Also there is a big hotel going up just across the road from this new Tesco,that whole area is going to change for the better.

segadreamcast

Originally posted by monkeyfudge
oh I'm definitely going there tomorrow after work....

Has anyone gone at 3.30am yet?

I get off work at 1am. If I can find anyone insane enough to bring me at that time - I'll give it a try .

jesus_thats_gre

Originally posted by Mossy Monk
why?

I can't remember to be honest.. Under existing rules in the Republic, the largest single-use retail warehouse cannot exceed 6,000 square metres. For example, IKEA has told the government it would open in the Republic if a sufficiently large store could be constructed. IKEA outlets typically span 28,000 sqm. I remember something about it when I worked for Tesco years ago..

I think B&Q in Liffey Valley may have been allowed to ignore the limit.. That store seems to be massive, not sure though..



Done a few searches in google..

"The Clare Hall development will comprise a Tesco anchor store of 5,452 square metres including food and non-food retail space with supporting storage and staff facilities."

So I was wrong

jesus_thats_gre

Actually checked it again.. The whole centre is:

Clare Hall will comprise some 8,955 sq.m of retail space on three levels with the Tesco anchor store located on the first floor. The scheme will also accommodate a food court which will occupy up to 1,208 sq.m . On the ground and first floors there will be 28 unit shops which have been designed to suit a wide range of both multiple and independent retailers.

monkeyfudge

Originally posted by Dub13
Also there is a big hotel going up just across the road from this new Tesco,that whole area is going to change for the better.

That's my summer holiday plans sorted then! A romantic weekend in Coolock, just across the road from Tesco is just what the doctor ordered.

segadreamcast

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
Actually checked it again.. The whole centre is:

Clare Hall will comprise some 8,955 sq.m of retail space on three levels with the Tesco anchor store located on the first floor. The scheme will also accommodate a food court which will occupy up to 1,208 sq.m . On the ground and first floors there will be 28 unit shops which have been designed to suit a wide range of both multiple and independent retailers.

Yeah but that's the centre...i.e. Gamestop etc too, no?

So perhaps the Tesco is 5,500 sq.m, therefore under the limit?

jesus_thats_gre

Originally posted by NoelRock
Yeah but that's the centre...i.e. Gamestop etc too, no?

So perhaps the Tesco is 5,500 sq.m, therefore under the limit?

Depends what they consider to be one warehouse..... Do they consider the Tesco store and one or the whole centre?

Under existing rules in the Republic, the largest single-use retail warehouse cannot exceed 6,000 square metres

Victor

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
I think B&Q in Liffey Valley may have been allowed to ignore the limit.. That store seems to be massive, not sure though..

They bypassed it by building 5 stores at the limit and then merging them into one store, which the judge said wasn't a material alteration and wouldn't need planning permisison.

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
Depends what they consider to be one warehouse..... Do they consider the Tesco store and one or the whole centre?

Just the Tesco.

jesus_thats_gre

I was waiting for ya to come along

Victor

monkeyfudge

Well I managed to get over there last night at about 10 or so...

I actually live pretty close to it..

It has very nice wide aisles... no stupid music in the background.

And the best offer in shop quite simply has to be Unicron out of transformers for only €19.99, it costs €80 in Smyths.

It's huge, but really hard to transform... I missed a morning of work trying to get him to turn into a planet... no luck yet though...

Hobbes

Originally posted by Dub13

Also there is a big hotel going up just across the road from this new Tesco,that whole area is going to change for the better.

Right beside the Governments affordable housing?

ixoy

Originally posted by Victor
They bypassed it by building 5 stores at the limit and then merging them into one store, which the judge said wasn't a material alteration and wouldn't need planning permisison. Just the Tesco.

What's to stop IKEA or whomever doing this too? Looks like a loophole.

Dub13

Anybody know what Hotel group are building the new Hotel there (Right beside the Governments affordable housing).....?

ArphaRima

Talking about this cheap petrol at 81.9... When the hell is this coming to the southside?

Dub13

Originally posted by fluffer
Talking about this cheap petrol at 81.9... When the hell is this coming to the southside?

You lot dont need it with all the cash you lot have....all these off shore accounts and stuff.

ArphaRima

I think you'll find they are all crammed into Howth and Malahide. Blackrock and co. are so passe..

monkeyfudge

Originally posted by Dub13
Anybody know what Hotel group are building the new Hotel there (Right beside the Governments affordable housing).....?

I belive it's a Bewleys hotel...

John R

Originally posted by fluffer
Talking about this cheap petrol at 81.9... When the hell is this coming to the southside?

Well there is one in Waterford, probably a bit too southside tho'.

oq4v3ht0u76kf2

The self scan checkouts are brilliant... you walk up to them, press start and then scan your stuff in. Loose items like apples and stuff are easy to do, select loose items and then choose your fruit / bread / etc. They don't check age (or at least not when I've been there - various times between midnight and 4am over the last week).

After you scan an item in you have to put it in the bagging area... until you do so you can't scan the next item. Also, you can't put any old item on because they seem to know somehow. It's not radio frequencies like PC World or whatever uses for their security because all Tesco products use EAN standard 13 digit barcodes so I am assuming that they do it by weight but I would love to know more about it.

monkeyfudge

It doesn't let you buy booze on the self-scan does it?

Does it let you buy condoms? that would be really great.. as I still get embarrassed trying to buy the things from a human... ha

jesus_thats_gre

Every barcode number is associated with a product, this product has a standard weight. Your shopping is weighed and then compared to the weight of the items you scanned into the machine. If it all matches, dandy..

robbie1876

It's fairly slick that self scan system. It even goes so far as to block you from scanning anything in if you remove anything from the pile of stuff you've already scanned through.

I know this, because one of the checkout girls was watching me scan stuff through and came over to take a 4 pack of yoghurt from my pile, which leads me onto my next point....

She thought that I had to scan the yoghurt through 4 times, but we checked on screen and it did charge me for a multipack. But there are no doubt some multipack items in the store that only scan through as one unit. Although, I suppose the weight thingy would pick it up straight away. Feckers are too clever...