price of fags,newspapers.

howyanow

just wondering if anyone can explain to me why cigarettes and newspapers are always the same prices in shops?is this not just one country wide cartel?
does any one know of any where that sells for above or below the recommended retail price,apart from cig machines?

Boombastic

The price is printed on the front of the newspapers

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

they're things the shops use to get people in and once they're in they might buy a snickers or bottle of coke, where the profit lies.

IM0

howyanow wrote: »

just wondering if anyone can explain to me why cigarettes and newspapers are always the same prices in shops?is this not just one country wide cartel?
does any one know of any where that sells for above or below the recommended retail price,apart from cig machines?

think hard now, you can do it

Guill

Fags? So many jokes, so many possibilities of getting banned.

slingshot

It would probably be because the price of both are regulated. The government works out the tax on cigarettes from the retail price to the tune of 73%. Vending machines have a derogation.

Rabies

howyanow wrote: »

just wondering if anyone can explain to me why cigarettes and newspapers are always the same prices in shops?is this not just one country wide cartel?
does any one know of any where that sells for above or below the recommended retail price,apart from cig machines?

Price of a news paper is set and printed on it. A shop can charge less if it wants.
Ciggs have a min set price by the government (i think).

ejmaztec

The gubberment is so concerned for our health and well-being that they don't want us to buy cheap fags.*




* Might be bullsh1t.

Colmustard

The shops profit on the fags is marginal, tiny, they just have them because customers will look for them.

There is no room to undercut anyone else, supermarkets don't even bother.

The price of the paper is fixed by the newspaper.

NegativeCreep

Smokes and newspapers are not the same price. Am I missing something?

Edit: It just clicked
Answer: I dunno.

howyanow

i know the price is on the paper and that is partly my point.if petrol was the same price everywhere would people not be saying that its a cartel and not competitive.the price of nearly everything else varies from place to place but these two items seem to be the same price everywhere

howyanow

ps the recommended retail price is up to each individual retailer,thats why i feel it more unusual than nobody will go to a different price level than the rest,no need to highlight it for me!

Jimminy Mc Fukhead

All the news agents just happened to be on the same golf course one day by "coincidence". There's no law against that is there?

Certain understandings were reached.

No handshakes. No written contracts. And very little talk. Mostly some nods were exchanged, there was a bit of talk about "numbers" on score cards.

That's all it took. The price was FIXED.

the_syco

I'm sure the church would rather people didn't take fags home from the shop with them at all... them being bad for your health when you suck on them :pac:

OnTheCounter

NegativeCreep wrote: »

Smokes and newspapers are not the same price. Am I missing something?

Edit: It just clicked
Answer: I dunno.

you should be worried that it didnt click straight away.

NegativeCreep

OnTheCounter wrote: »

you should be worried that it didnt click straight away.

I came to terms with the fact I'm thick a while ago

Fromthetrees

If you smoke illegal fags and steal the newspaper you will have solved this problem.

Down with the system man.

ErnieBert

My mate is a newsagent. Cigs are the only items at a fixed price in a newsagent. The profit margin is on average, 9%.

Newspapers have a recommended retail price but the retailer can charge what they want but stick with the RRP. The profit margin is around 25%.

Most shops round up the profit on imported magazines as the priced is usually only in STG£.

Prices of sweets, greeting cards, soft drinks etc fluctuate greatly. These items are generally most expensive in some of the chains (Centra, Spar etc) and well located petrol stations.


Cigs are the same price everywhere.

jimthemental

No need for a newspaper if you have an iphone, even for cleaning up after your puppy's mess. Sure if you have an iphone you'll become so insufferable that the dog will simply leave.

Lplated

howyanow wrote: »

just wondering if anyone can explain to me why cigarettes and newspapers are always the same prices in shops?is this not just one country wide cartel?
does any one know of any where that sells for above or below the recommended retail price,apart from cig machines?

They're different issues.

1) Newspaper prices are set by the sellers [the newspapers], they won't allow a shop to sell them for a lesser price - i.e. they will withdraw supply if a shop decided to unilaterally offer them for half price or whatever.

2) Cig prices are set according to a number of compositions - first the Government excise take which is set not on the sale price but on the Kg price of tobacco - then a round up to allow for profit for the Cig Co, then a round up to allow a set % profit for the shops. Finally round up on top of all that to allow for VAT [cigs are subject to excise at point of entry, as well as vat on sale].

What they [cigs and newspapers] have in common is that they are a high demand item for shops and that the margins involved to all the commercial parties [i.e. supplier companies, distributors and shops] are relatively very small. Shops are happy to carry them despite the low margin as they are a good customer draw.

Mickey H

Guill wrote: »

Fags? So many jokes, so many possibilities of getting banned.

Go for it. The floor's yours.

goose2005

In UCD the Irish Times is only 80 cent.

sligojoek

jimthemental wrote: »

No need for a newspaper if you have an iphone, even for cleaning up after your puppy's mess. Sure if you have an iphone you'll become so insufferable that the dog will simply leave.

You can't swat flies with an iPhone