Will You Be Popping North

Biggins

Was reading this morning about the lines of cars that are now rushing up to Newry, etc.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/ripoff-refugees-choke-all-roads-to-northern-el-dorado-1558323.html

How many of ye will be also thinking of heading north before Christmas?

minxie

heading to newry next sat cant wait...:D

Biggins

minxie1 wrote: »

heading to newry next sat cant wait...:D

Go early then. According to that news report, traffic will be bad and parking will be even worse!

minxie

Biggins wrote: »

Go early then. According to that news report, traffic will be bad and parking will be even worse!

yip am leaving galway at 6am should be there early enough

dr.bollocko

I must go. No reason in the world not to when you consider the difference in price and the drop in the price of petrol.

themadchef

If i lived a little closer i certainly would.


Finally the Irish are talking with their feet. Maybe, just maybe companies south of the border will stop trying to rape us.

Irish people are quick to blame all these companies..but remember a couple of years ago..a hell of alot of people bought regardless of cost. Shopping around seemed to be an evil phrase. They gave the consumer no value for money and the consumer rarely complained.

It's going to take a whille for the shops to cop on but they will "get it" eventually, it's change or business practice, or go out of business.

ninebeanrows

It will only be good for us in the long run, it will sort this shower of thieves that are the shops down here.

They deserve everything they get IMO.

Sizzler

minxie1 wrote: »

yip am leaving galway at 6am should be there early enough

Try 5am. Q's started outside Newry at 8am yesterday :eek:

minxie

Sizzler wrote: »

Try 5am. Q's started outside Newry at 8am yesterday :eek:

jeez :eek:

Mint Sauce

heading to either enniskilen or derry in the week, will do most or all of the xmas shopping then, might head up there for the sales in january as well

Biggins

I never thought we'd see these days back again. :-(

dr.bollocko

Biggins wrote: »

I never thought we'd see these days back again. :-(

Long term we are probably just screwing ourselves and the country if it goes on. Although on the other side, have you seen the amount of things you can get on the 99p menu in Mc. Donalds up there?

javaboy

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Long term we are probably just screwing ourselves and the country if it goes on.

That's my thinking. I know there are massive savings to be had by going up north but imo it's a case of being pennywise and pound foolish. I'm not one for calling for patriotism or anything but sending a huge amount of our Christmas spend to another country is really a kick in the teeth that our economy can ill afford at the moment.

Terry

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Long term we are probably just screwing ourselves and the country if it goes on. Although on the other side, have you seen the amount of things you can get on the 99p menu in Mc. Donalds up there?

Of ocurse we're screwing ourselves.

We're supposed ot be putting money back into the economy.

It wasn't as bad when the punt was tied to sterling, but it's ridiculous now.

Go to Spain or something.
Flights are cheap.

mumhaabu

Will be heading up to Belfast from Kerry soon probably in the next week, will leave at 2am and have multiple drivers, it should be mad craic! Will be doing alot of the Christmas Shopping done and give a quick run to IKEA to see the latest fibre board crap furniture.

dr.bollocko

It's a bit of a consumer frenzy as a result of the media frenzy about it. Trying to stem the tide of prudent consumers worrying about kids and mortgages and bills is the trick though.

Terry

By media, I assume you mean British owned tabloids.

While you are all travelling across the border, spare a thought for your family and friends who work in retail.

Wertz

Mate's woman's been looking to go up the last couple of weeks for xmas shopping and that and since they don't have a car I elected to bring them down and do a bit when I'm there myself. It's not just the prices, it's the service, the free parking, heck even the fact that you get plastic bags with your groceries, that attracts. I'm a regular shopper in Newry and have been for years, or at least I was till the flow from Dublin and the pale became a flood and is now culminating in standstill traffic, no parking, packed aisles and empty shelves.
Currently working out routes/ways of getting to S Belfast midweek mornings, whilst completely avoiding Newry. My route is currently looking like something out the circuit of Ireland rally.
Have mates that live down there and they reckon at some times of the day/week it's like being under siege in terms of bing able to drive anywhere or get a few groceries in...so much so that some are heading further north themselves.
The place will be a victim of it's own success and if Irish, or UK retailers operating in Ireland, don't start to get the message about lowering prices soon then I have to despair for the plight of our weakened economy.

Agent Smith

Yes. but my family is from there, so its allowed.



Now if i happen to pop into the Quays Shopping centre in Newry...

Biggins

All I know is that we are being ripped off down south.
A simple example. We had to buy a double buggy last week. In my home town and Dublin, the cheapest we could get was 350+.

We got the same model from England for 160 total including carriage.
Now taking into account the currency exchange rate and profit margins, etc, surely some have no choice but to go north when facing the same rip-off!
I know we had to!

Supermanscat

While i fully appreciate Terry's comments about how we are only making the economy worse, ive a background in economics, it all comes down to people looking after number one. By rights we should be spending all our money here but that wont matter a fcuk to people as long as they are getting cheap prices elsewhere.

Tipsy Mac

I will be shopping up North for some items.

It's every man for himself now in this country and I tend to be of that frame of mind now. From a patriotic point of view if someone was to believe in a united Ireland then shopping in the North would form part of that in that you would be supporting jobs of fellow Irish people up North.

mumhaabu

The funny thing is Cowen & Co. are saying to be patriotic in our spending, is not Shopping in the North patriotic too considering it is on the Island of Ireland and we are all Irish after all. Himself and Bertie thought it was no bother sending millions of taxpayers money North during the boom so it is hypocritical of them to say otherwise.

I'd love to see the Media inflate this further and have the likes of Jeffrey Donaldson, Ian Paisley and Peter Robinson out in the streets of Belfast and Newry greeting and meeting Southern shoppers and welcoming them to the new peaceful Northern Ireland which is now a shoppers tax haven from Tomorrow and point out the mess the Southern burecrats are making of the once great tiger.

Posy

This Christmas people aren't thinking about the economy. It's a matter of where things are cheaper. And it's not our fault if this effects the economy negatively, the government should have thought about this when they raised the VAT and the British government lowered it. This is really hammered home if you're shopping in Debenhams/Oasis or somewhere with dual pricing. I saw a bag in Debenhams priced £80/€120. That's nearly €25 cheaper in the north! A boxed set of friends I was thinking of buying a friend is €90-€100 here but I seen it in Belfast for £49.99. Can you blame people for heading there with such big price differences?

biko

I'm up North for a wedding after Christmas so will pop in to IKEA then for bits and bobs.

javaboy

Of the people who choose to shop up north, how many of you would be up in arms if an employer here decided to outsource their jobs to India (like Hibernian did)?

You're effectively doing the same thing.

biko

Except that it's a once-off for us but an outsourcing employer leaves the country altogether. Imo.

anonymous_joe

If it weren';t for the lower wages payed to people up North things wouldn't be so cheap...

Yay for fairness. :P

Terry

Supermanscat wrote: »

While i fully appreciate Terry's comments about how we are only making the economy worse, ive a background in economics, it all comes down to people looking after number one. By rights we should be spending all our money here but that wont matter a fcuk to people as long as they are getting cheap prices elsewhere.

So...Selfish bastards.

It's the Celtic Tiger all over again.

javaboy

biko wrote: »

Except that it's a once-off for us but an outsourcing employer leaves the country altogether. Imo.

Same net result. Lost jobs. Lost tax revenue.

ejmaztec

I think that the British should have a second embassy in the south-west, the size of Newry and full of outlet centres, for us poor buggers down here.

Failing that, an outlet-centre converted oil-tanker should be anchored in international waters with a shuttle service to the mainland.

ejmaztec

Terry wrote: »

So...Selfish bastards.

It's the Celtic Tiger all over again.

The Orange Tiger.

Elessar

No sir, I will not be.

No kids in the extended family and there's just two people living at home. Don't see the need for it. I'm broke so I won't be buying presents.

ejmaztec

At least shop-lifting is free wherever you go - as long as you don't get caught. It also save you the bother of sitting in a car for eight hours.

Biggins

Elessar wrote: »

No sir, I will not be.

No kids in the extended family and there's just two people living at home. Don't see the need for it. I'm broke so I won't be buying presents.

If its any consolation, you won't be on your own more so this year in that condition.

---

Even in my home town, we are ripping each other off within yards of each other.
Just one items but typical example: a box of Roses. One shop is selling it at 6 something quid, another other a few yards up is selling the exact same thing at 14.50 Euro!
If we are doing that in many cases for many items, how can we not afford to go elsewhere when we have kids, mortgages, rising ESB, gas and phone bills around the corner?

We are in a tough situation and I honestly can't see any workable solutions.
Those doing leisure shopping for non-essentials might be called upon to be more "patriotic" but for those that can just about afford the basic essentials, its all about survival.

Red Alert

They used to encourage us to shop around a while back, now we do it and they call us unpatriotic.... they got they wanted didn't they!

ejmaztec

Red Alert wrote: »

They used to encourage us to shop around a while back, now we do it and they call us unpatriotic.... they got they wanted didn't they!

I bet the heli-pad in Newry (if there is one) is full of EI private choppers, so the TDs won't get stuck in any jams, leaving them with more time to discuss the resolution of the economic downturn.

efb

Lads we whinge about everything, but the fact of the matter is prices have fallen in the South too! I'd rather pay my Irish Tax and Duty to help Irish tax intake than the Queen and her underclass minions whose Welfare habits make the Shameless' Gallaghers look like the Buckets!

But seriously, whens the next bus to Newry???

PS: Jameson 1l Eur25 in Tesco RoI this weekend

I go up to Newry every year to fill the boot with beer and goodies, this year will be no different, apart from the fact it'll take me alot longer to actually get into the town

I'm going on a Monday, what do you reckon traffic will be like?

AckwelFoley

I dont plan on going up north to foreign lands to spend my money.

Biggins

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm going on a Monday, what do you reckon traffic will be like?

A lot quieter than the weekend for obvious reasons. Monday or Tuesday (allowing stocks to be re-built on Monday) would be good days.

OPENROAD

javaboy wrote: »

That's my thinking. I know there are massive savings to be had by going up north but imo it's a case of being pennywise and pound foolish. I'm not one for calling for patriotism or anything but sending a huge amount of our Christmas spend to another country is really a kick in the teeth that our economy can ill afford at the moment.

Then should our govt/shops not be encouraging us to shop at home?

AckwelFoley

snyper wrote: »

I dont plan on going up north to foreign lands to spend my money.

You, Shut the fcuk up!
Just been told by friends that they got 45 cans of beer in ASDA for 20 pounds.
Im headin up next weekend

Marcus.Aurelius

F**k the irish retailers, spend the money where it gets you the best standard of living. If irish retailers can't stop making x times 100% profit, their loss.

KnifeWRENCH

Nah, too far away.
Cork and Limerick might be more expensive, but they're so much closer.

Plus I'm not forking out for trains/buses so I'd have to rely on parents to drive me.
And I suspect that if I woke my Dad at 4am to drive me to Newry, he wouldn't be overly impressed.

Wertz

You know all this talk of patriotism from our government leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.
WTF would they know about patriotism?
This is the same squad that actively encouraged foreign property investment and mass immigration when times were good and were more than happy to have thousands of construction workers travel from NI to work and pay taxes in the south to fuel the building boom...but the moment things start looking hairy and people start to try and cut costs in whatever way they can they're told that spending money outside the economy is somehow wrong and that it will be the consumer's fault that retail staff and small business owners fall on very hard times in 2009.

I really can't express my disdain for this shower of wastrels.

Sierra Oscar

I probably should If I want to be nice to my wallet, but I cant be bothered.:(

deleriumtremens

Dundalk is likely to be hit hardest of all the places in this country, being only a short drive from newry but that dosent stop me, my friends, my family or indeed anybody I have so far been talking to from shopping in newry. The price differences really are too great to prevent somebody living 25 minutes from newry from shoping there.
During the celtic tiger years Dundalk was doing pretty well for itself, so well in fact that if you walked into a retail outlet just to browse around you would nearly be asked to leave and any attempt at haggling over the price of an item would have been met with a firm reply that you can take the price or leave it. And too be honest they havnt really improved even though they should now be begging for us to buy their stuff. Now they just suss you up as you walk into the shop to see if your either going to buy or rob and they make you so uncomfortable by, everytime, asking if you need help...if i needed help I would ask for it.
In my opinion the quality of customer service provided by the staff of the quays, the buttercrane and other places in newry is well above that of dundalks retailers.
I am well aware that by shopping up the north we are all slowly killing the irish economy but, as rational consumers, could anything else be expected of us?!! number one ftw!!! :cool:

Dman001

I can't believe I'm going to say this but I think I'll shop down here in the South. I love a bargain just as much as the next person but in these times I think its only right to give the local shops the business cos I'm sure they're felling the pinch. They really should have pre-Christmas sales here to attract the customers though.

JB04

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm going on a Monday, what do you reckon traffic will be like?

What Monday are you thinking of going? Tomorrow might be ok. Next Monday the schools are off, so that might be busier. The following week could be ok, but as that is 15th December, it might be too close to Christmas to be quiet.

Mossy Monk

I wont be going up north as I live on the south coast so it will continue to be Lidl for food and internet for 95% of everything else.