Will You Be Popping North

Biggins · 30-11-2008 03:01PM #1

Was reading this morning about the lines of cars that are now rushing up to Newry, etc.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/ripoff-refugees-choke-all-roads-to-northern-el-dorado-1558323.html

How many of ye will be also thinking of heading north before Christmas?

minxie · 30-11-2008 03:05PM

heading to newry next sat cant wait...:D

Biggins · 30-11-2008 03:07PM

minxie1 wrote: »

heading to newry next sat cant wait...:D

Go early then. According to that news report, traffic will be bad and parking will be even worse!

minxie · 30-11-2008 03:08PM

Biggins wrote: »

Go early then. According to that news report, traffic will be bad and parking will be even worse!

yip am leaving galway at 6am should be there early enough

dr.bollocko · 30-11-2008 03:10PM

I must go. No reason in the world not to when you consider the difference in price and the drop in the price of petrol.

themadchef · 30-11-2008 03:10PM

If i lived a little closer i certainly would.

Finally the Irish are talking with their feet. Maybe, just maybe companies south of the border will stop trying to rape us.

Irish people are quick to blame all these companies..but remember a couple of years ago..a hell of alot of people bought regardless of cost. Shopping around seemed to be an evil phrase. They gave the consumer no value for money and the consumer rarely complained.

It's going to take a whille for the shops to cop on but they will "get it" eventually, it's change or business practice, or go out of business.

ninebeanrows · 30-11-2008 03:10PM

It will only be good for us in the long run, it will sort this shower of thieves that are the shops down here.

They deserve everything they get IMO.

Sizzler · 30-11-2008 03:11PM

minxie1 wrote: »

yip am leaving galway at 6am should be there early enough

Try 5am. Q's started outside Newry at 8am yesterday :eek:

minxie · 30-11-2008 03:13PM

Sizzler wrote: »

Try 5am. Q's started outside Newry at 8am yesterday :eek:

jeez :eek:

Mint Sauce · 30-11-2008 03:14PM

heading to either enniskilen or derry in the week, will do most or all of the xmas shopping then, might head up there for the sales in january as well

Biggins · 30-11-2008 03:14PM

I never thought we'd see these days back again. :-(

dr.bollocko · 30-11-2008 03:17PM

Biggins wrote: »

I never thought we'd see these days back again. :-(

Long term we are probably just screwing ourselves and the country if it goes on. Although on the other side, have you seen the amount of things you can get on the 99p menu in Mc. Donalds up there?

javaboy · 30-11-2008 03:21PM

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Long term we are probably just screwing ourselves and the country if it goes on.

That's my thinking. I know there are massive savings to be had by going up north but imo it's a case of being pennywise and pound foolish. I'm not one for calling for patriotism or anything but sending a huge amount of our Christmas spend to another country is really a kick in the teeth that our economy can ill afford at the moment.

Terry · 30-11-2008 03:22PM

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Long term we are probably just screwing ourselves and the country if it goes on. Although on the other side, have you seen the amount of things you can get on the 99p menu in Mc. Donalds up there?

Of ocurse we're screwing ourselves.

We're supposed ot be putting money back into the economy.

It wasn't as bad when the punt was tied to sterling, but it's ridiculous now.

Go to Spain or something.
Flights are cheap.

mumhaabu · 30-11-2008 03:23PM

Will be heading up to Belfast from Kerry soon probably in the next week, will leave at 2am and have multiple drivers, it should be mad craic! Will be doing alot of the Christmas Shopping done and give a quick run to IKEA to see the latest fibre board crap furniture.

dr.bollocko · 30-11-2008 03:27PM

It's a bit of a consumer frenzy as a result of the media frenzy about it. Trying to stem the tide of prudent consumers worrying about kids and mortgages and bills is the trick though.

Terry · 30-11-2008 03:31PM

By media, I assume you mean British owned tabloids.

While you are all travelling across the border, spare a thought for your family and friends who work in retail.

Wertz · 30-11-2008 03:32PM

Mate's woman's been looking to go up the last couple of weeks for xmas shopping and that and since they don't have a car I elected to bring them down and do a bit when I'm there myself. It's not just the prices, it's the service, the free parking, heck even the fact that you get plastic bags with your groceries, that attracts. I'm a regular shopper in Newry and have been for years, or at least I was till the flow from Dublin and the pale became a flood and is now culminating in standstill traffic, no parking, packed aisles and empty shelves.
Currently working out routes/ways of getting to S Belfast midweek mornings, whilst completely avoiding Newry. My route is currently looking like something out the circuit of Ireland rally.
Have mates that live down there and they reckon at some times of the day/week it's like being under siege in terms of bing able to drive anywhere or get a few groceries in...so much so that some are heading further north themselves.
The place will be a victim of it's own success and if Irish, or UK retailers operating in Ireland, don't start to get the message about lowering prices soon then I have to despair for the plight of our weakened economy.

Agent Smith · 30-11-2008 03:39PM

Yes. but my family is from there, so its allowed.

Now if i happen to pop into the Quays Shopping centre in Newry...

Biggins · 30-11-2008 03:42PM

All I know is that we are being ripped off down south.
A simple example. We had to buy a double buggy last week. In my home town and Dublin, the cheapest we could get was 350+.

We got the same model from England for 160 total including carriage.
Now taking into account the currency exchange rate and profit margins, etc, surely some have no choice but to go north when facing the same rip-off!
I know we had to!

Supermanscat · 30-11-2008 03:44PM

While i fully appreciate Terry's comments about how we are only making the economy worse, ive a background in economics, it all comes down to people looking after number one. By rights we should be spending all our money here but that wont matter a fcuk to people as long as they are getting cheap prices elsewhere.

Tipsy Mac · 30-11-2008 03:48PM

I will be shopping up North for some items.

It's every man for himself now in this country and I tend to be of that frame of mind now. From a patriotic point of view if someone was to believe in a united Ireland then shopping in the North would form part of that in that you would be supporting jobs of fellow Irish people up North.

mumhaabu · 30-11-2008 03:54PM

The funny thing is Cowen & Co. are saying to be patriotic in our spending, is not Shopping in the North patriotic too considering it is on the Island of Ireland and we are all Irish after all. Himself and Bertie thought it was no bother sending millions of taxpayers money North during the boom so it is hypocritical of them to say otherwise.

I'd love to see the Media inflate this further and have the likes of Jeffrey Donaldson, Ian Paisley and Peter Robinson out in the streets of Belfast and Newry greeting and meeting Southern shoppers and welcoming them to the new peaceful Northern Ireland which is now a shoppers tax haven from Tomorrow and point out the mess the Southern burecrats are making of the once great tiger.

Posy · 30-11-2008 03:54PM

This Christmas people aren't thinking about the economy. It's a matter of where things are cheaper. And it's not our fault if this effects the economy negatively, the government should have thought about this when they raised the VAT and the British government lowered it. This is really hammered home if you're shopping in Debenhams/Oasis or somewhere with dual pricing. I saw a bag in Debenhams priced £80/€120. That's nearly €25 cheaper in the north! A boxed set of friends I was thinking of buying a friend is €90-€100 here but I seen it in Belfast for £49.99. Can you blame people for heading there with such big price differences?

biko · 30-11-2008 03:56PM

I'm up North for a wedding after Christmas so will pop in to IKEA then for bits and bobs.

javaboy · 30-11-2008 04:05PM

Of the people who choose to shop up north, how many of you would be up in arms if an employer here decided to outsource their jobs to India (like Hibernian did)?

You're effectively doing the same thing.

biko · 30-11-2008 04:08PM

Except that it's a once-off for us but an outsourcing employer leaves the country altogether. Imo.

anonymous_joe · 30-11-2008 04:15PM

If it weren';t for the lower wages payed to people up North things wouldn't be so cheap...

Yay for fairness. :P

Terry · 30-11-2008 04:16PM

Supermanscat wrote: »

While i fully appreciate Terry's comments about how we are only making the economy worse, ive a background in economics, it all comes down to people looking after number one. By rights we should be spending all our money here but that wont matter a fcuk to people as long as they are getting cheap prices elsewhere.

So...Selfish bastards.

It's the Celtic Tiger all over again.

javaboy · 30-11-2008 04:17PM

biko wrote: »

Except that it's a once-off for us but an outsourcing employer leaves the country altogether. Imo.

Same net result. Lost jobs. Lost tax revenue.

ejmaztec · 30-11-2008 04:20PM

I think that the British should have a second embassy in the south-west, the size of Newry and full of outlet centres, for us poor buggers down here.

Failing that, an outlet-centre converted oil-tanker should be anchored in international waters with a shuttle service to the mainland.

Will You Be Popping North

Will you be heading north for shopping? 178 votes

Comments