Northern Ireland Pet Shop Prices

Lemlin

Was down in Belfast and was amazed at the prices in NI pet shops. I knew that alot of items were a bit cheaper from previous visits to Jollyes in Enniskillen but couldn't believe some of the bargains I saw yesterday.

The same XL dog kennel that I saw for €174.99 in my local Petmania was £97 in Newry. And there was no mention of it being a special offer or anything.

Kongs and other items which are €11 or €12 in any shop I've seen up here were as cheap as £5.99.

I got 28 Bakers Delight Dental Chews for £5. A pack of 7 up here is nearly €3.

I'm all for supporting our economy and I was only down there on a day trip but it was amazing. How an irish shop can justify a price being about €70 higher (even our higher wage rate etc.) is beyond me.

leelee_m

I find the same! You get soooo much more for your money in petshops up North! The giant bags of treats are amazing and so cheap!

Neady_b

i save nearly €18 per week on dog food if i buy it in derry, as opposed to letterkenny, thats the difference in purena anyways.

Molberts

Lemlin wrote: »

How an irish shop can justify a price being about €70 higher (even our higher wage rate etc.) is beyond me.

Its not just higher wages... its higher rent, co. council rates, VAT rate (21.5% vs 15% in NI), utilities, erm pretty much everything you can think of really

70 does seem a big difference for a kennel though :eek:


-edit to add: possibly the kennel was purchased from a UK supplier before the currency fluctuation at the higher price and now theyre stuck with it?

Spitfire666

Molberts wrote: »

Its not just higher wages... its higher rent, co. council rates, VAT rate (21.5% vs 15% in NI), utilities, erm pretty much everything you can think of really

70 does seem a big difference for a kennel though :eek:


-edit to add: possibly the kennel was purchased from a UK supplier before the currency fluctuation at the higher price and now theyre stuck with it?

had the same expierence with kennels today. one in woodies down here was 250 and the same one in newry was 100pounds in a shop up there.
same size, both made of wood, same roof, door, etc.
essentialy the same kennel,

i dont buy that excuse for a second. i've heard that pathetic excuse loads of times but when the price of anything goes up, it goes up at shop level imediately so why cant it go down imediately?
claiming they bought it at the higher price doesnt make it okay.

SCI

It's the same with most things up here,the south has higher vat and with the pound being so weak is it any wonder places like Newry don't even know about the recession.

Lemlin

SCI wrote: »

It's the same with most things up here,the south has higher vat and with the pound being so weak is it any wonder places like Newry don't even know about the recession.

Have to agree there. That shop was the first I'd seen in a long time with an ad up looking for staff.

ISDW

I go to Jollyes in Eniskillen and took a trip up there yesterday. I bought a 10kg bag of Go Cat (I know, not great food, but my cats love it) for £21.99. I had some friends round last night, and we got talking about the animals and they also buy the 10kg bag of Go Cat locally, and pay over €40 for it. Now even taking into account the higher VAT and currency fluctuation, theres no way it should be that much more. Don't forget, the shops in the North still have to pay to have the stuff shipped in from the mainland, so I think their prices are probably higher than mainland UK even.

roxiesmammy

I go up to eniskillean at least every 6 weeks, asda first where i buy all the grocerys and such up there i get trays of Zioflora which here costs in my local supervalu 3.11 in asda for a bigger bottle costs me 1.13. then to the pet shop where i buy at least 6 weeks worth of dog and cat food for less than half of what i pay here. saw a rabbit hutch there on Sat, same one here cost 179e, in joilleys it was 69. if i had a rabbit would have defo bought it.
Then to Iceland where i fill my freezer for about £100. esp with the kids home at the moment its a god send.

SCI

ISDW wrote: »

I go to Jollyes in Eniskillen and took a trip up there yesterday. I bought a 10kg bag of Go Cat (I know, not great food, but my cats love it) for £21.99. I had some friends round last night, and we got talking about the animals and they also buy the 10kg bag of Go Cat locally, and pay over €40 for it. Now even taking into account the higher VAT and currency fluctuation, theres no way it should be that much more. Don't forget, the shops in the North still have to pay to have the stuff shipped in from the mainland, so I think their prices are probably higher than mainland UK even.

Most pet shops in Ireland as a whole are buying from the same wholesaler here in N.Ireland,your higher cost of living would effect every thing. Higher wages,rents and yes you likely would have higher transport costs too.

Molberts

Spitfire666 wrote: »

had the same expierence with kennels today. one in woodies down here was 250 and the same one in newry was 100pounds in a shop up there.
same size, both made of wood, same roof, door, etc.
essentialy the same kennel,

i dont buy that excuse for a second. i've heard that pathetic excuse loads of times but when the price of anything goes up, it goes up at shop level imediately so why cant it go down imediately?
claiming they bought it at the higher price doesnt make it okay.

Its not an excuse though, its a (very annoying) fact of doing business with different currencies. Putting prices "up immediately" if a shop has the stock bought in already at the lower price already is not on imo I would agree with you there; but if the currency fluctuates in the other direction unfortunately yes the next order will have to be priced higher. Especially for pet food, the markup is crap enough as it is especially at the higher end.

if people want to shop in the north fair enough its their perogative, just pointing out that the (majority of) southern shops aren't trying to be greedy or rip people off, its just a completely different ball game in the south.

Lemlin

Molberts wrote: »

Its not an excuse though, its a (very annoying) fact of doing business with different currencies. Putting prices "up immediately" if a shop has the stock bought in already at the lower price already is not on imo I would agree with you there; but if the currency fluctuates in the other direction unfortunately yes the next order will have to be priced higher. Especially for pet food, the markup is crap enough as it is especially at the higher end.

if people want to shop in the north fair enough its their perogative, just pointing out that the (majority of) southern shops aren't trying to be greedy or rip people off, its just a completely different ball game in the south.

There are plenty of shops though who use that excuse to make huge profits. A price difference of €150 for a dog house is unreal. If what the poster above says is true, you could buy two houses in Jollyes and have €50 left before you get one in Woodies.