think buying irish this christmas and then shop online..

fatboypee

Christmas is coming, the shopkeepers are getting FAT..

unbelieveable retaillers here these days..

just three examples:

1. wanted to buy my wife a body warmer for christmas, catologue UK price, 39 pounds. 2 stores here: 115 and 119 euro respectively.

2. a cheap bike for christmas for my daughter.., online price for known make 138 euro delivered to my door. local bike shop(s) cheapest, 165 for obscure make with bad quality fittings.

3. a banjo for christmas for my boy, local stores (checked 3) all around 200 for a good generic. online, delivered to my door with case: 139 (same make as checked in shops).

Thats just the tip of the christmas cake...

So, think Irish this Christmas... then buy elsewhere...:mad:

FBP.

parsi

fatboypee wrote: »

3. a banjo for christmas for my boy,......139

Earmuffs for the neighbours - priceless.


(couldn't resist. Sorry. Good points though)

wyndham

Well worth shopping around and buying early, it's true.

Guy:Incognito

Internet in cheaper than shops shocker!:eek: Who'da thunk it.

311

it's funny how you never hear people complaining ,about how much their house went up in value, in the last ten years.

Oryx

unbelieveable retaillers here these days..

just three examples:

Rent, rates, light and heat

Volume sales v margin.

Suppliers cut.

To say all retailers are robbers is oversimplifying a tad.

Archeron

In fairness, the OP has a point. In a store that is well renowned for greeting cards and teddies and the like, they had these ridiculously big teddy bears in christmas suits. The point of sale stand was obviously from the UK, as where it was marked £40 for the largest one, someone had made a bad sized sticker saying €100 and put it over it, but in such a way that you could still see the UK price.
I know we're an island, and transport and fuel and so on, but come on. This seems to be happening all the time and sometimes is only really obvious when it is something thats marked UK prices first. As someone said to me before, when it comes to high prices, you have to factor in the Irishness.
As a result, I've decided to spend feck all on Christmas this year. Bah humbug and so on and so forth!

majiktripp

Isn't it a publicised fact that the Irish are the biggest spenders in Europe when it comes to Christmas? (Something crazy amount in the billions was mentioned on TodayFM)
Of course the retailers are going to jack the prices up a bit , when christmas comes people go a bit crazy and there will always be people to take advantage of that.
Even if local shops do have to pay light,heat,rent,ongoing costs etc. whats to stop them also setting up an online e-store where they can sell say 1/2 of there stocked merchandise at a reduced price than that of the marked up price in their nice warm,well lit store?

fatboypee

Yep,
Internet is cheaper than shops... who would've thought it... still, I don't mind paying a bit over the web prices for stuff as getting back to a real, not virtual shop if the item is incorrect or breaks is easier.

And no, not all retaillers are robbers, my point is simply that I'm a lazy fat-git (clue is in the name)... and will not normally shop the web if there is a viable real shop alternative, I've simply been astounded at the costs of some stuff that I wanted to buy is not just expensive, but ridiculously so.

Again, overheads of real shops.. yeeeerrrs... ok some of it, but I simply reckon somebody, someplace is making a feckn' killing off the back of all these high prices, if not the retailler then somebody, as there seems to be absolutely no chance of value for money in anything these days, very little price competition and an 'if you don't like the cost, don't buy it' impression at most places..

Or am I just naieve as some of the other posters on this thread point out ??

FBP.

mcaul

Here's a real example of costs.

Last year I operated Special Days in Liffey Valley - here are the BASIC costs

Rent - €381,000 per year
Rates - €48,000 per year
Srrvice Charges - €34,000 per year
Security - €26,000 per year

and that's before you open the store & pay wages! - and it was only 2200 sq ft!

Now we're online, ( www.giftmaster.ie ) prices are down 15 - 20% and we have a bigger selection and we can offer free delivery!

So its not the retailers themselves making a killing, its the landlords who charge astronomical rents which are in return kept by property companies in which many of us have our pension funds with!

As for online - Rent of €15,000, rates of €1,200, no service charge, no security charge. Yep, its quieter, but a lot less headache!

bytesize

mcaul wrote: »

Here's a real example of costs.

Last year I operated Special Days in Liffey Valley - here are the BASIC costs

Rent - €381,000 per year
Rates - €48,000 per year
Srrvice Charges - €34,000 per year
Security - €26,000 per year

and that's before you open the store & pay wages! - and it was only 2200 sq ft!

Now we're online, ( www.giftmaster.ie ) prices are down 15 - 20% and we have a bigger selection and we can offer free delivery!

So its not the retailers themselves making a killing, its the landlords who charge astronomical rents which are in return kept by property companies in which many of us have our pension funds with!

As for online - Rent of €15,000, rates of €1,200, no service charge, no security charge. Yep, its quieter, but a lot less headache!

What are rates?

mcaul

bytesize wrote: »

What are rates?

Commercial rates charged by local councils to all businesses. Based on size of premises & location of premises & purpose of premises.

In UK you have community charge paid by all individuals. So swings & roundabouts! - Approx. 1% - 2% of retail price goes to commercial rates.

bytesize

mcaul wrote: »

Commercial rates charged by local councils to all businesses. Based on size of premises & location of premises & purpose of premises.

In UK you have community charge paid by all individuals. So swings & roundabouts! - Approx. 1% - 2% of retail price goes to commercial rates.

yeah but he also said he was charged rates even though he sells online. what for or why would he be charged them if his business is online?

parsi

Because even online stores operate out of a bricks'n'mortar business premises....

bytesize

parsi wrote: »

Because even online stores operate out of a bricks'n'mortar business premises....

you mean their office and/or stock building?