shopping trip to northern ireland

daddymick66

hi all , we are thinking of going on a shopping trip to northern ireland, maybe newry ,but open to suggestions, any info would be greatly appreciated

which is the cheapest supermarkets?

is it worth going to the big centres - buttercrane etc?

wheres the nearest asda to the border?

are cars still stopped when crossing the border?

thanks everyone:)

lintdrummer

daddymick66 wrote: »

are cars still stopped when crossing the border?

There is no physical border anymore so you won't be stopped. You'll only notice you're up north when the road signs change to miles!

Skopzz

daddymick66 wrote: »

hi all , we are thinking of going on a shopping trip to northern ireland, maybe newry ,but open to suggestions, any info would be greatly appreciated

which is the cheapest supermarkets?

is it worth going to the big centres - buttercrane etc?

wheres the nearest asda to the border?

are cars still stopped when crossing the border?

thanks everyone:)

Hi,

I just came back from shopping in the north. Go to Asda...

Newry has no Asda, just Dunnes and Sainsbury's (more expensive than Asda), also the Sprucefield centre has no Asda either. The nearest Asda is in Kilkeel (about 20 km away from Newry). But its not as big as Asda Enniskillen and also some of the offers listed on the Asda website weren't available in the Kilkeel store when I went there.

If you're going to the north, go to Asda Enniskillen because its much bigger and theres much greater selection of stock at really low prices. Asda are currently the cheapest and they have excellent offers on all groceries. I regularly do my shopping there.

frostie500

Skopzz wrote: »

Hi,

I just came back from shopping in the north. Go to Asda...

Newry has no Asda, just Dunnes and Sainsbury's (more expensive than Asda), also the Sprucefield centre has no Asda either. The nearest Asda is in Kilkeel (about 20 km away from Newry). But its not as big as Asda Enniskillen and also some of the offers listed on the Asda website weren't available in the Kilkeel store when I went there.

If you're going to the north, go to Asda Enniskillen because its much bigger and theres much greater selection of stock at really low prices. Asda are currently the cheapest and they have excellent offers on all groceries. I regularly do my shopping there.

Where abouts in Galway are you from? Travelling to Enniskillen seems like an excessive distance for shopping on a regular basis.

gramlab

Waht about shopping local?

bladebrew

i assume you are driving from cork..if so the fuel you use will cancel out any savings you make,unless your spending a huge amount of money,

i have heard sainsburys in newry is more expensive than other supermarkets further north,and it can get very busy,i was there recently on a thursday afternoon and it was crazy,at the weekend aparently you have to queue to get a parking spot then queue to get a trolley:),

certain things arnt any cheaper either,eg red bull 4pk is almost the same price in newry as it is in dunnes in cork,

dont bother with the buttercrane its not that nice,the quays is much better

mik_da_man

bladebrew wrote: »

i assume you are driving from cork..if so the fuel you use will cancel out any savings you make,unless your spending a huge amount of money,

I totall agree with the above, a lot of prices in supermarkets have come down here in the last few months.
You would want to be buying a car full of booze to make it worthwhile

diego ribas

gramlab wrote: »

Waht about shopping local?

some people like to give their shilling to the queen.:(

daddymick66

thanks for the advice, i have access to a large diesel vehichle , and beleive me it will be worth our while travelling up there.

daddymick66

well if the good old paddys are fleecing us , as mary harney famously said, let them shop around, patriotism doesnt come in to it any more,its harsh economic reality im afraid

daddymick66

economic realitys are what its about, as mary harney said SHOP AROUND !!!!

murphym7

emmettogara wrote: »

There is no physical border anymore so you won't be stopped. You'll only notice you're up north when the road signs change to miles!

And the road surface improves!

daddymick66

daddymick66 wrote: »

economic realitys are what its about, as mary harney said SHOP AROUND !!!!

yep just don't go moaning when the government stings you in the budget because of the amount of lost revenue your giving to the british exchequer,

anyway cant see a hole lot of saving in regular visits to the north, the amount of petrol, wear and tear to vehicle, tolls, wasted time driving in your car, exchange rate close to 90p (are they offering euro for pound if not you'll prob get 87p to the euro) but get on the bandwagon like everyone else and moan about the upcoming budget as the gov struggles with public finances

frostie500

Deleted User wrote: »

yep just don't go moaning when the government stings you in the budget because of the amount of lost revenue your giving to the british exchequer,

anyway cant see a hole lot of saving in regular visits to the north, the amount of petrol, wear and tear to vehicle, tolls, wasted time driving in your car, exchange rate close to 90p (are they offering euro for pound if not you'll prob get 87p to the euro) but get on the bandwagon like everyone else and moan about the upcoming budget as the gov struggles with public finances

They are only giving 85p on a euro which is pretty bad. I agree about the moaning with the budget, how can we improve our economy with 250000 families going North and shopping? You don't save much from going to the North and all that happens is that it takes longer for our economy to improve

Skopzz

Deleted User wrote: »

tolls,

We don't have to use the tolled highways if we don't wish to. Going through Drogheda at 50 km/h will save you more on fuel economy than going 120km/h on the bypass, plus the toll.

Skopzz

gramlab wrote: »

Waht about shopping local?

That wouldn't be a problem if only we weren't a 'Rip-off country'. Too expensive to buy down here. Also, people don't have to the money to fleeced anymore.

bladebrew

Skopzz wrote: »

That wouldn't be a problem if only we weren't a 'Rip-off country'. Too expensive to buy down here. Also, people don't have to the money to fleeced anymore.

+1, anyone living near the border will go north for shopping,i wouldnt recommend driving from cork though,even the tolls add up fermoy=€1.90 m50=€3,m1 toll,€1.90, multiply that by 2(going up and back)=€13.60!!

although clothes shopping has bigger savings than food,i got a pair of jack and jones jeans for €40 in newry,the exact same pair in dundrum a few days later were €50! i know people will say we have much higher costs to cover down south,but its all too easy to pick em up in newry

gramlab

Skopzz wrote: »

That wouldn't be a problem if only we weren't a 'Rip-off country'. Too expensive to buy down here. Also, people don't have to the money to fleeced anymore.

I would not have advocated shopping local during the boom times when shop owners were raking it in.

Situation is different now though. Prices are lower than they were here and you only end up spending extra up north anyway because its seen as "a long way so I might as well stock up"

The economy is in the toilet, and the same people going up north are most likely the same who will complain about wage cuts, job losses and the upcomoing budget.

Skopzz

gramlab wrote: »

I would not have advocated shopping local during the boom times when shop owners were raking it in.

Situation is different now though. Prices are lower than they were here and you only end up spending extra up north anyway because its seen as "a long way so I might as well stock up"

The economy is in the toilet, and the same people going up north are most likely the same who will complain about wage cuts, job losses and the upcomoing budget.

I have 2 children and it makes more economy to shop every month in Asda Enniskillen. I still save even after I take fuel into account, since I drive a fuel efficient car.

Prices haven't come down that much here; Tesco lied about their price pledge (the so called "change for good" lie), they also increased the prices of their school clothing during september. Tesco increased the prices on some of their groceries here in Galway because they are just too greedy.

Musgrave are holding firm against lowering their prices (as expected), while Dunnes are closely following Tesco's pricing. Not really great competition when one store puts up the price after they see their rival increase theirs.

I have no problem with the minimum wage being reduced, thats one of the factors keeping operating costs high in ireland. But thank Fianna Fail for creating that mess because it was them who kept increasing it!