Overpriced items in the likes of Spar, Centra etc

Pyr0

What items do you think are well over priced in the likes of Centra, Spar and *insert chain here* ? For me it's those packed sandwiches going for 4.59 or the wraps at 4.79 ! In the Centra in Eastpoint a Chicken filltet baguete "deal" which comes with an average bottle of coke is 6.40 ! The roll itself being 4.80, most items in these types of shops should be at least 1.20 cheaper.

Anything else to add to the list ?

AlmightyCushion

Pretty much everything bar things that are at a set price like newspapers.

OPENROAD

Everything is, I avoid these stores if at all possible, their is a little newsagent near my local spar if I get stuck and have found them to be cheaper on most items.

javaboy

They call those kind of shops convenience stores in Americay. You pay for that convenience. If I ran one of those shops, I'd do the same thing.

Aidric

A weekly supermarket shop should reduce the number of visits to these rip off merchants.

Wishbone Ash

Pyr0 wrote: »

most items in these types of shops should be at least 1.20 cheaper.

The customers are responsible for the high prices. The price will be set at what the market tolerates. If people refused to pay those prices, the prices would drop.

OPENROAD

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

The customers are responsible for the high prices. The price will be set at what the market tolerates. If people refused to pay those prices, the prices would drop.

Which may well happen now.


The one thing that really bugged me was the price of filled rolls at the deli counter, total rip off imo, with very little filling in them.

shayser

A friend of mine owns one of these types of shops. He told me that the franchiser is really a wholesaler/distributer and that he must buy his stock from them. And at their prices. In some cases the product costs him more than the the selling price of the product in other shops.

banshee_bones

Chicken Fillet Baguette with no salad 3.90! FFS! il still pay it coz its convienient... yeah those "convienince" stores in America and Canada are total rip offs because most of the big supermarkets and chains are out in the suburbs where everyone does their weekly shop where its cheaper.

MIN2511

On NYD i wanted a few items and i found out that all the stores were closed. I ended up in my local spar i was very mad when i saw the prices.
I didn't buy anything as they were way over priced


+ Fairy liquid was 3.96 when in Tesco its way cheaper than that

javaboy

I hate when people call things ripoffs when they're not forced to buy them.

javaboy

Domo230 wrote: »

Ive never understood how they can charge so much for packaged sandwhiches.

Over a fiver for two slices of bread, some butter, a slice of ham and a handful of cheese.

The mind boggles

It's simple really. People will buy them.

BeansMeansHynes

I never buy anything out of these places. They are such a ripoff!

1.20 for a bottle of River Rock water. It should be 80c.

99c for a packet of Hunky Dory Crisps. I think the normal price is about 69c.

Everything is always at least 20 or 30 cent dearer than anywhere else.

banshee_bones

javaboy wrote: »

I hate when people call things ripoffs when they're not forced to buy them.

eh hello they are still a rip off whether you purchase or not! You can tell this from looking at the prices, beind disgusted and walking out

javaboy

banshee_bones wrote: »

eh hello they are still a rip off whether you purchase or not! You can tell this from looking at the prices, beind disgusted and walking out

eh hello how does that make them a ripoff? The difference in price is due to the convenience. If milk is 90c in Tesco 5 miles away, it might be worth it to pay 1.20 in the Centra 2 minutes walk away.

Don't like the price of convenience, don't shop in convenience stores. I still don't think it's a rip-off.

OPENROAD

javaboy wrote: »

I hate when people call things ripoffs when they're not forced to buy them.

Nothing wrong with calling things a rip off once you don't buy them

javaboy

The way I see it, ripoffs are unsustainable long term. If people didn't see them as acceptable prices, they wouldn't pay them. But they clearly do and have for years despite there being cheaper alternatives available in less convenient places. So people obviously find the price charged for convenience to be acceptable.

A real ripoff can't last long as people will only fall for it for so long imo.

OPENROAD

javaboy wrote: »

eh hello how does that make them a ripoff? The difference in price is due to the convenience. If milk is 90c in Tesco 5 miles away, it might be worth it to pay 1.20 in the Centra 2 minutes walk away.

Don't like the price of convenience, don't shop in convenience stores. I still don't think it's a rip-off.

Thing is though although as you rightly say it is convenience, a 3 min walk from my spar the local shop sells things like milk,bread,toilet roll, kitchen roll cheaper.

MJOR

What about the prices at the airport??? Its a right rip off.

javaboy

OPENROAD wrote: »

Thing is though although as you rightly say it is convenience, a 3 min walk from my spar the local shop sells things like milk,bread,toilet roll, kitchen roll cheaper.

So you've two small shops fairly near each other selling basically the same things but Spar charges more? Why do you reckon Spar are getting away with charging more?

connundrum

BeansMeansHynes wrote: »

I never buy anything out of these places. They are such a ripoff!

1.20 for a bottle of River Rock water. It should be 80c.

99c for a packet of Hunky Dory Crisps. I think the normal price is about 69c.

Everything is always at least 20 or 30 cent dearer than anywhere else.

These items are priced exactly as they should be i.e. at a level which most customers will pay.

A beer at a concert does not cost anywhere near €5 or €5.50 but it is sold at this price, because people will pay it.

I can't remember the last time I walked out of a local convenience store because I was disgusted with the price. I obviously placed more weight on the fact that it took 4.5 minutes to walk to the shop as opposed to the 30c I would have saved on an item by walking a further 20 minutes.

banshee_bones

OK centra nearest to me is still only a three minute walk from dunnes.

Opening hours maybe? Dunnes closes at 7. You need milk at 10.30 pm whos open. Centra.

OPENROAD

javaboy wrote: »

So you've two small shops fairly near each other selling basically the same things but Spar charges more? Why do you reckon Spar are getting away with charging more?

Indeed and I agree with you, the local shop has a post office in it, so I really hope they get more business, if I am ever stuck they certainly get my business.

PCPhoto

ok ..... at the risk of getting my head bitten off or even sounding a bit like a prick.

I don't enjoy shopping in the big supermarkets - even if the price is cheaper I end out spending far too much money on far too much stuff.

I want to go into a shop buy something fresh for tonight's dinner and maybe tomorrows breakfast/dinner.

shayser

shayser wrote: »

A friend of mine owns one of these types of shops. He told me that the franchiser is really a wholesaler/distributer and that he must buy his stock from them. And at their prices. In some cases the product costs him more than the the selling price of the product in other shops.

Examples or its a lie

RonMexico

Ok two things - Spar and Centra ARE expensive, certainly more expensive than a family run corner shop with the same goods for sale.

However the average person on the street hasn't a ****ing clue what it involves to run a small store like these. Massive overheads, insane hours, having to pay staff wages at the same rate as multinationals, constant shoplifting and these stores cannot buy in bulk like the larger stores do so therefore the profit margins are ****. You basically have no life running a store like this. ****ing nightmare. Then there is the customers...don't get me started.

RonMexico

RonMexico wrote: »

Ok two things - Spar and Centra ARE expensive, certainly more expensive than a family run corner shop with the same goods for sale.

However the average person on the street hasn't a ****ing clue what it involves to run a small store like these. Massive overheads, insane hours, having to pay staff wages at the same rate as multinationals, constant shoplifting and these stores cannot buy in bulk like the larger stores do so therefore the profit margins are ****. You basically have no life running a store like this. ****ing nightmare. Then there is the customers...don't get me started.

Without the customers there would be no spar/centra.:rolleyes:

marco murphy

It won't effect you unless you silly enough to buy the overpriced items.
Yes its a rip off, but don't get worked up about it, just run a mile from them.

Senna

rarnes1 wrote: »

Examples or its a lie

he's talking about a franchiser, thats how they work, you rent the name and only buy stock from them. Example McDonald or every single other franchise.

eh hello how does that make them a ripoff? The difference in price is due to the convenience. If milk is 90c in Tesco 5 miles away, it might be worth it to pay 1.20 in the Centra 2 minutes walk away.

Exactly. Everyone knows these stores are a rip off but sometimes you just want the convenience. Earlier I needed some tea bags, milk and honey. I could have walked 25 minutes in the freezing cold to Lidl and 25 minutes back or 1 minute to the Spar round the corner. The time I saved made it worthwhile to pay the extra couple of euro.

javaboy

[quote=[Deleted User];58457300]Exactly. Everyone knows these stores are a rip off but sometimes you just want the convenience. Earlier I needed some tea bags, milk and honey. I could have walked 25 minutes in the freezing cold to Lidl and 25 minutes back or 1 minute to the Spar round the corner. The time I saved made it worthwhile to pay the extra couple of euro.[/QUOTE]

So not a ripoff at all then but in fact a fair price for the convenience?

ejmaztec

Unfortunately, people have always bought stuff from these shops, but instead of kicking the windows in and burning them to the ground, they moan about it afterwards - and still go back and buy stuff! Lambs to the slaughter!

not that I condone violence in any way shape or form.

InkSlinger67

Conjures memories of Dublin Bus/Iaranriod Eireann price increases due to external factors despite the price of fuel going down.

Today I walked into a Mace and paid €1.10 for a can of Diet Coke! Disgraceful! Seeing as OPEC have reduced the cost of crude diet coke per barrell along with petroleum!

I feel dirty enough without you displaying disgust at my willingness to pay such a fee for such a ****e product!

ejmaztec

InkSlinger67 wrote: »

Conjures memories of Dublin Bus/Iaranriod Eireann price increases due to external factors despite the price of fuel going down.

Today I walked into a Mace and paid €1.10 for a can of Diet Coke! Disgraceful! Seeing as OPEC have reduced the cost of crude diet coke per barrell along with petroleum!

I feel dirty enough without you displaying disgust at my willingness to pay such a fee for such a ****e product!

Fupping rip-off Colombians!

So not a ripoff at all then but in fact a fair price for the convenience?

Eh, no. I can choose to buy something and still think it's a rip off.
Sometimes I don't think the price is 'fair', no. Sometimes it's taking the p*ss, for example, hot dogs being sold for a fiver around the city centre at weekends - the convenience isn't worth 5 euro for a manky bit of meat on a cheap bun. I still realise it's my choice to buy it, and that if people didn't buy them, they'd be sold for 2 euro. Fair play to the person who gets away with charging that much. Doesn't mean it's not a rip off. That clear enough?

javaboy

[quote=[Deleted User];58457464]Eh, no. I can choose to buy something and still think it's a rip off.
Sometimes I don't think the price is 'fair', no. Sometimes it's taking the p*ss, for example, hot dogs being sold for a fiver around the city centre at weekends - the convenience isn't worth 5 euro for a manky bit of meat on a cheap bun. I still realise it's my choice to buy it, and that if people didn't buy them, they'd be sold for 2 euro. Fair play to the person who gets away with charging that much. Doesn't mean it's not a rip off. That clear enough?[/QUOTE]

Ok but you said yourself it's sometimes "worthwhile to pay the extra couple of euro". I just don't agree that something being priced to make the most profit makes it a ripoff. We'll just have to disagree on that one.

Degsy

Its a bit like the pubs.They are expensive but people will pay the money.
If you think 6 quid for a greasy roll full of mayonaise and a cup of bad coffee is good value you deserve to be fleeced.

Rich1691

Those freshway sanwiches are a complete rip off! In my school we get them for 2.50 and in the usual shops they are anything from 3.50 to 5

K-9

OPENROAD wrote: »

Nothing wrong with calling things a rip off once you don't buy them

IYO it's a rip off. People who buy there continuously don't!

Well they'll probably moan about it, but still pay for the convenience!

Dunnes is a rip off compared to the North, but hey, it's convenient!

Ok but you said yourself it's sometimes "worthwhile to pay the extra couple of euro". I just don't agree that something being priced to make the most profit makes it a ripoff.

Well, what IS a rip off then? I see your point but I still don't think the fact you are willing to buy something because it's convenient doesn't mean it isn't a rip off. Sometimes it's worth being ripped off if I'm too tired/lazy/have no time to walk to Lidl. I don't complain about Spar prices because if I were REALLY broke, the option is always there to walk to the supermarket.

javaboy

[quote=[Deleted User];58457686]Well, what IS a rip off then?[/QUOTE]

Very little imo. As far as I'm concerned, if it's a reasonably avoidable expense, it's not a rip-off. It really irritates me when I hear people calling bottled water for example a rip-off or daylight robbery etc. when they could just choose not to buy it or to buy it cheaper.

I see your point but I still don't think the fact you are willing to buy something because it's convenient doesn't mean it isn't a rip off. Sometimes it's worth being ripped off if I'm too tired/lazy/have no time to walk to Lidl. I don't complain about Spar prices because if I were REALLY broke, the option is always there to walk to the supermarket.

See that's the part I find contradictory. How can it be worth being ripped off? If it's worth it, it's not a rip-off and if it's a rip-off, it's not worth it.

OPENROAD

Seanies32 wrote: »

IYO it's a rip off. People who buy there continuously don't!

Well they'll probably moan about it, but still pay for the convenience!

Dunnes is a rip off compared to the North, but hey, it's convenient!

Yes imo, as I said a local shop just down the road from my Spar is cheaper, if I'm out of stuff I buy there.

Re Dunnes well more and more people are doing a large shop up North and saving, hardly convenient but for some the inconvenience is worth it for the savings

Kintarō Hattori

Packed lunches ftw. Your mammy wasn't making them for the good of her health. It's cost effective and most likely more nutritional.

Spar/centra and the like are convenience stores and as such you aren't supposed to do much shopping there or do it reguarly. If I'm on the way home from tesco's and I've forgotten milk it's convenient (but more expensive) to pop into centra and get it rather than trekking back to tesco. If I'm in work and fancy some chocolate to go with my coffee it's convenient to pop up to Spar and buy some. Sure it's more expensive than the supermarket but I'm only buying one or two items.

Context people. If you buy alot of items there you can't really complain, you should know better. Oh and once more....... packed lunches ftw.

mikemac

OPENROAD wrote: »

Which may well happen now.


The one thing that really bugged me was the price of filled rolls at the deli counter, total rip off imo, with very little filling in them.

What you do then is insist on getting what you want.
They will charge you for multiple fillings. But if you know what you want and the portions are tiny, ask for more, all they can do is say no. And they probably won't

This won't work if your roll is getting weighed though.

Don't realy eat rolls or sandwiches but if I did, I wouldn't pay for an overpriced roll and walk away unhappy

Edit: be nice about it, it'll get you better results.

quad_red

The Centra under our apartment building takes the buscuit. I do my absolute utmost not to give them our business.

What always got me were the multi packs - y'know, two for the price of one kinda things. They had so little respect for the customer that they'd split the packs, sell both for full price and not even bother to remove the bits of '2 for 1' tape stuck to the packets.

They're also dour and have zero manners - but that's a different thread

javaboy

quad_red wrote: »

What always got me were the multi packs - y'know, two for the price of one kinda things. They had so little respect for the customer that they'd split the packs, sell both for full price and not even bother to remove the bits of '2 for 1' tape stuck to the packets.

Did you report the posts? Damn I've been on Boards too long..... I mean did you report that? Usually they're not allowed separate promotional packs. Unless it was a promotion they were doing themselves.

OPENROAD

mikemac wrote: »

What you do then is insist on getting what you want.
They will charge you for multiple fillings. But if you know what you want and the portions are tiny, ask for more, all they can do is say no. And they probably won't

I did and they said no so didn't buy it, that was the last time I bought a roll from Spar, I make my own now, cheaper and much nicer

quad_red

javaboy wrote: »

Did you report the posts? Damn I've been on Boards too long..... I mean did you report that? Usually they're not allowed separate promotional packs. Unless it was a promotion they were doing themselves.

No, I know I should have. But that behaviour meant that any local shopping I did (milk etc.) was done down the road, in a shop where people acknowleged your presence and didn't try crap like that.

mikemac

OPENROAD wrote: »

I did and they said no so didn't buy it, that was the last time I bought a roll from Spar, I make my own now, cheaper and much nicer

So the staff ended up making a roll that nobody even bought? So it was thrown out?

Pretty stupid from the shop, for the sake of some extra fillings they would have made a sale.
But it's possible they had to throw out a roll and fillings just to be petty.

If I was manager............

OPENROAD

mikemac wrote: »

So the staff ended up making a roll that nobody even bought? So it was thrown out?

Pretty stupid from the shop, for the sake of some extra fillings they would have made a sale.
But it's possible they had to throw out a roll and fillings just to be petty.

If I was manager............

Felt a bit guilty, but I wasn't prepared to pay the price for the roll, they lost out as I used to buy two rolls per day five days a week, that was over a year ago and haven't bought one since.

Capt'n Midnight

BeansMeansHynes wrote:

1.20 for a bottle of River Rock water. It should be 80c..

Tesco did 1.5L of water for something like 35c

what's wrong with tap water ?
You aren't in Galway Sligo or Dundalk !