Independent and shopping up north article

J.pilkington · 17-07-2016 10:45AM #1

Rant ahead related to something I am passionate about

I see the independent (the tabloid paper where facts need not apply) has started the spin with sensationalist headlines about shopping up north. Do these journalists (mark o regan in this case) not have to do a course on journalism anymore where minimum strandards of journalism are taught?

Article is almost non existent on facts, looks like the journalist went out of his way to find high price variations and all they could come up with is special k (who pays €7 for special k down south? Nobody does so you shouldn't write an article based on this).

That article must have taken 10 mins to write, then slap a headline which is a lie. Is that what modern journalism is about? Is this what mark O'regan aspired to do when he was young?

Sad thing is a lot of people will fall for this and head north save nothing (even lose out after travel costs) and at the same time their local towns are dieing then they will wonder why there are so many boarded up shops and no employment. Shop local folks

http://m.independent.ie/business/irish/savvy-shoppers-flock-north-to-save-50pc-by-cashing-in-on-weak-sterling-34889750.html

Dirty Dingus McGee · 17-07-2016 10:48AM

J.pilkington wrote: »

Rant ahead related to something I am passionate about

I see the independent (the tabloid paper where facts need not apply) has started the spin with sensationalist headlines about shopping up north. Do these journalists (mark o regan in this case) not have to do a course on journalism anymore where minimum strandards of journalism are taught?

Article is almost non existent on facts, looks like the journalist went out of his way to find high price variations and all they could come up with is special k (who pays €7 for special k down south? Nobody does so you shouldn't write an article based on this).

That article must have taken 10 mins to write, then slap a headline which is a lie. Is that what modern journalism is about? Is this what mark O'regan aspired to do when he was young?

Sad thing is a lot of people will fall for this and head north save nothing (even lose out after travel costs) and at the same time their local towns are dieing then they will wonder why there are so many boarded up shops and no employment. Shop local folks

http://m.independent.ie/business/irish/savvy-shoppers-flock-north-to-save-50pc-by-cashing-in-on-weak-sterling-34889750.html

We can only hope that happens.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k · 17-07-2016 10:51AM

I'm buying all my stuff on asos/boohoo in £ rather than € and on average I'm saving between 6-9 euro per item, wouldn't be arsed driving to the north for a box of special k though, I'd eat the cardboard off the coco pops box first

SteM · 17-07-2016 10:54AM

Worst rant ever.

Alf Stewart. · 17-07-2016 10:58AM

Anyone wantin to save "up to 50%" on their shoppin bill should just put up with a lil name change and head to Aldi.

Penguin bars, buy "Seal" bars in Aldi
Lion bars / "Roar" in Aldi.
Hunky Dorys/ "okey dokeys"
O'Haras pale ale, / O'Sheas pale ale
Budweiser, = Breysters.

I don't see the point in payin more than double in some cases for the name of the brand on the packaging.

The Backwards Man · 17-07-2016 10:59AM

The average shopper from Dublin would have to buy about 200 bags of kettle chips in Banbridge to break even. Anyone stupid enough to read the Indo is stupid enough not to realise that though.

stimpson · 17-07-2016 11:00AM

Weekend in Belfast with the missus coming up. Executive suite in the Hilton Belfast: £120 per night. Similar room in Hilton Kilmainham: €239 per night

GreatDefector · 17-07-2016 11:02AM

Kettle Chips would set you back €2.37 in Northern Ireland compared with €2.49 in the South.

Fook me, someone should post in BA immediately

Duckworth_Luas · 17-07-2016 11:04AM

Alf Stewart. wrote: »

I don't see the point in payin more than double in some cases for the name of the brand on the packaging.

Exactly!

I used to buy the Irish Independent but now purchase Lidl Super Value Toilet Tissues instead.

seamusk84 · 17-07-2016 11:04AM

stimpson wrote: »

Weekend in Belfast with the missus coming up. Executive suite in the Hilton Belfast: £120 per night. Similar room in Hilton Kilmainham: €239 per night

The only problem is you have to stay in Belfast.

Alf Stewart. · 17-07-2016 11:06AM

seamusk84 wrote: »

The only problem is you have to stay in Belfast.

Belfast is one of the best cities in Ireland!

Haven't been in a while, but its a chic and vibrant place, with a good food and bar scene.

kneemos · 17-07-2016 11:08AM

Alf Stewart. wrote: »

Belfast is one of the best cities in Ireland!

Haven't been in a while, but its a chic and vibrant place, with a good food and bar scene.

Aye.

17-07-2016 11:11AM

stimpson wrote: »

Weekend in Belfast with the missus coming up. Executive suite in the Hilton Belfast: £120 per night. Similar room in Hilton Kilmainham: €239 per night

I wouldn't go to Belfast again if you payed me 100 euro per night

Subcomandante Marcos · 17-07-2016 11:12AM

If you lived within 45 minutes of a border town like Newry you'd be an idiot not to do your weekly shop in an Asda, Sainsbury's or Tesco up north, especially with the recent fall in sterling.
Even if you were just going to somewhere like Halfords or B&Q to spend a few hundred quid on stuff you'd be better off going north.

por ejemplo;

This bike is being sold by the same shop, Decathalon, a European wide sporting goods store's outlet in Belfast on two different websites, a .ie for the republic and a .co.uk for the north.

it's €389 in south and £299 or €357 in the south.

Now, in fairness to Decathalon, a lot of that price difference would be because of the VAT difference between north and south, and it's probably not worth your time driving from Dublin to Belfast to save €30, but if you lived in Dundalk and you had the choice of a halfords in Dundalk or driving 20km to the one in Newry and you were spending north of €1000, I'd be straight up the A1.

alias no.9 · 17-07-2016 11:13AM

Alf Stewart. wrote: »

Belfast is one of the best cities in Ireland!

Haven't been in a while, but its a chic and vibrant place, with a good food and bar scene.

Cheap rooms in mid July too

kneemos · 17-07-2016 11:14AM

The **** is Special K made from?

Subcomandante Marcos · 17-07-2016 11:15AM

kneemos wrote: »

The **** is Special K made from?

According to the internet, 134567890g of sugar per 80g serving.

It's magic.

OldMrBrennan83 · 17-07-2016 11:16AM

This post has been deleted.

cournioni · 17-07-2016 11:18AM

Alf Stewart. wrote: »

Anyone wantin to save "up to 50%" on their shoppin bill should just put up with a lil name change and head to Aldi.

Penguin bars, buy "Seal" bars in Aldi
Lion bars / "Roar" in Aldi.
Hunky Dorys/ "okey dokeys"
O'Haras pale ale, / O'Sheas pale ale
Budweiser, = Breysters.

I don't see the point in payin more than double in some cases for the name of the brand on the packaging.

The humour put into the names of the products alone is enough to make me shop in Aldi.

cournioni · 17-07-2016 11:20AM

Patww79 wrote: »

Belfast isn't in Ireland.

Eh, yes it is.

mansize · 17-07-2016 11:20AM

Alf Stewart. wrote: »

Belfast is one of the best cities in Ireland!

Haven't been in a while, but its a chic and vibrant place, with a good food and bar scene.

It isn't though. Went there for Adele concert, could wait to get back to the Free State quick enough.

Fr_Dougal · 17-07-2016 11:22AM

Hopefully it will put some pressure on retailers down here to be a bit more competitive.

cournioni · 17-07-2016 11:22AM

mansize wrote: »

It isn't though. Went there for Adele concert, could wait to get back to the Free State quick enough.

There's your problem right there.

mansize · 17-07-2016 11:24AM

cournioni wrote: »

There's your problem right there.

She was great, Belfast, not so much...

OldMrBrennan83 · 17-07-2016 11:25AM

This post has been deleted.

stimpson · 17-07-2016 11:32AM

Id take Belfast over Kilmainham any day.

Never had any hassle in Belfast. Even in July. There are some great pubs up there and I've always found the people very friendly.

Alf Stewart. · 17-07-2016 11:36AM

mansize wrote: »

It isn't though. Went there for Adele concert, could wait to get back to the Free State quick enough.

I'm not surprised.

Adele concert?

She's a good singer, don't get me wrong, but what the fcuk happens at an Adele concert? Does everyone stand around wailing their lamps out about ex boyfriends, and love that was lost?

I'd be wanting to go home after that too mate.

biko · 17-07-2016 12:50PM

Unfortunately "shop local" for some people means to spend their money in foreign chains that happens to have local presence.

They go to Tesco, Lidl and Aldi instead of local Irish shops. In 10 year or less when the local shops are all killed by the major chains they will complain that "there is no local competition", "high street shops all the same" when in fact it was they themselves that helped kill small businesses.

Get local eggs, bread, fish etc Only get from chains what you can't get from local farmer or shops.
Do the bulk of the veg shopping at farmer's markets.

OldMrBrennan83 · 17-07-2016 12:55PM

This post has been deleted.

kneemos · 17-07-2016 01:13PM

biko wrote: »

Unfortunately "shop local" for some people means to spend their money in foreign chains that happens to have local presence.

They go to Tesco, Lidl and Aldi instead of local Irish shops. In 10 year or less when the local shops are all killed by the major chains they will complain that "there is no local competition", "high street shops all the same" when in fact it was they themselves that helped kill small businesses.

Get local eggs, bread, fish etc Only get from chains what you can't get from local farmer or shops.
Do the bulk of the veg shopping at farmer's markets.

You can buy the same Irish produce for a quarter of the price in the Supermarket. Farmers Markets are a complete piss take.

Chartsengrafs · 17-07-2016 06:06PM

stimpson wrote: »

Weekend in Belfast with the missus coming up. Executive suite in the Hilton Belfast: £120 per night. Similar room in Hilton Kilmainham: €239 per night

Just a heads up, you'll get stung for parking if you're taking the car. I stayed there for two nights and was left with a hefty bill.

Independent and shopping up north article

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