Rip Off Northern Ireland!

Terrontress

An interesting one. When people on boards post about something being less expensive in NI than in ROI we get people coming on talking about the lower minimum wage, the lower VAT, costs of doing business etc.

Take a look at the following items from Lidl when you compare GB (England, Scotland, Wales) with NI.

http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20091119.p.Bed_Tray.ar1

http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home_ni.nsf/pages/c.o.20091112.p.Bed_Tray

20% more expensive in NI.

http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20091112.p.Electric_Oven_and_Grill.ar1

http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home_ni.nsf/pages/c.o.20091112.p.Electric_Oven_with_Grill

£2 more expensive in NI.

I wonder what the excuse for pricing differentials is there.

ejmaztec

Perhaps they want to encourage the unemployed down here to cook their meals in bed, and not bother having to get up. Fair play to them for thinking of the vulnerable members of society.

Hank_Jones

Could be that they have more stores in the republic and have to ship the items from the republic to the north.

Possibly...

DubDani

The reason for that is the Lidl NI is run by Lidl Ireland and not by Lidl UK. That's why Lidl Ireland and Lidl NI prices and special offers have no relation to them at Lidl UK.

Clooney Fan

DubDani wrote: »

The reason for that is the Lidl NI is run by Lidl Ireland and not by Lidl UK. That's why Lidl Ireland and Lidl NI prices and special offers have no relation to them at Lidl UK.

Surely it shouldn't make any difference whether it is Lidl Ireland or Lidl UK? All customers should be treated the same, regardless of where they live.

Senna

Clooney Fan wrote: »

Surely it shouldn't make any difference whether it is Lidl Ireland or Lidl UK? All customers should be treated the same, regardless of where they live.

Go to a Dunnes Stores in Dublin and one in Kerry, are all items the same prices? or is the Dublin one dearer?

rubadub

Terrontress wrote: »

£2 more expensive in NI.

I wonder what the excuse for pricing differentials is there.

Well I do not like the term "excuse" since they do not have to give one, or "justify" anything. Perhaps ask simply why the market prices are different. One obvious reason would be shipping from mainland europe to the UK might be cheaper than to NI. Stuff might be produced in the UK and have to be shipped to NI. A single full truck might be able to stop off in more shops in the UK if it is more densely populated, like 100miles worth of petrol might serve 10 stores.

Clooney Fan wrote: »

All customers should be treated the same, regardless of where they live.

Why? If costs are different for them? should mcdonalds charge the same no matter what country people live in?

If a dunnes truck can service 10 shops in dublin with a fraction of the petrol & time costs of delivering to 10 shops spaced out in rural areas then they should price accordingly. Of course varying prices has its own expense, so it can be cheaper to stick to one.

The ESB have rural and urban rates, and rightly so, for a given length of installed cable far more houses are serviced in urban areas, it would be unfair to expect people to subsidise others.

ejmaztec

Clooney Fan wrote: »

Surely it shouldn't make any difference whether it is Lidl Ireland or Lidl UK? All customers should be treated the same, regardless of where they live.

Lidl charge different prices in each country that they operate, even in countries next door to each other. Go off and examine their international sites for proof.