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Shopping in Northern Ireland

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    #1382
    tregan
    Registered Users Posts: 173 ✭✭tregan


    well i've been up and survived! :D it was grand really ... we left north dublin at 8.20ish and took an hour or maybe a bit more as traffic was slow from that forkhill roundabout but not mental ... we went straight through the roundabout, didn't take the right recommended by the diversion signs and took the next right and got into car park no bother and found parking easily - go away from the front of the building and there are little spots off the main car park but still within it iykwim?

    got my vodka £14 for a litre and i'm a fan of port and got a bottle of warres for £8.99. got box of 12 corona for £9.99 so good value. didn't buy lots of groceries as didn't think there was a huge difference and couldn't be bother ed to tell you the truth - got some non perishibles but recommend you know your prices down south and don't just assume everything is cheaper as found with a simple think like tins of tomatoes they weren't so put them back!

    we didn't have time (or rather my husband didn't have the patience!) to go over to buttercrane centre but we did spend 7 hours there in total. oh yeah the toyshop across from sainsburys is very low on popular toys or in the case of a few things i wanted they were sold out! but good it's euro for pound. btw debenhams were .87 to pound, sainsburys were .89 to pound. place we went to eat upstairs were a bit bold as only got .80 to the pound :(

    all in all a good day, sorry didn't get more done but there you go - enough spent!


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    #1383
    DublinWriter
    Registered Users Posts: 9,555 ✭✭✭DublinWriter


    bcirl03 wrote: »
    100% agree with ya - In Newry Friday last and it hit me in the face how friendly and helpful they all are. Also no monkeys (security guards) on the doors of every shop you walk in.
    +1

    Norn Iron people are really friendly. None of the grunting till-jockey munters you get down in Dublin. I'm almost on first name terms with the security guard in Dunnes Newry from the several times he helped us to load our over-flowing trolley.

    Dublin retailers can kiss goodbye to the couple of hundred Euros I'll be spending on the big Christmas shop there next Saturday.


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    #1384
    okidoki987
    Registered Users Posts: 10,619 ✭✭✭✭okidoki987


    Sterling hit a new low against the euro this evening after more weak UK economic figures fuelled expectations of more interest rate cuts to come.

    The euro reached 87.52p against the UK currency


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    #1385
    flakey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 33 ✭flakey


    hi does anybody know were the gstar shop is in belfast any info would be great. im thinking of heading up to Belfast on monday for some bargains :D


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    #1386
    Racket
    Registered Users Posts: 191 ✭✭Racket


    Will be going with the family to Asda in Enniskillen Thursday morning to do the annual trip for food, been doing it for about 5 years now, we usually end up saving about €100 on groceries, but with the way the £ has plummeted, we'll probably be bringing home 3 trolley loads instead of the usual 2!

    Was in Tesco and Dunnes in Monaghan earlier, saw a lot of lower prices on things, but its still nowhere near enough to entice me to shop there.


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    #1387
    TheHairyFairy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,285 ✭✭✭TheHairyFairy


    holly8 wrote: »
    I think locals down here would already have started complaining about traffic, etc if the situation was reversed. Anyone I spoke to yesterday was lovely - where are you from? have you been up here before? are you enjoying it? etc, etc

    And thanks HairyFairy - I used your map from pages & pages ago on this forum. You might know - Is there only 1 river crossng in Enniskillen?

    Depends. If you are coming in from the Sligo Road then you initially cross a large noticable bridge. Then as you drive past Erneside on your right you cross the lake again. I say lake of course as they are not rivers etc. Same if you come in from Donegal, you do 2 crossings, though the second one is hardly noticeable.

    Also note that the for sale sign went up on Woolworths today, I've heard that theres 50% off on everything in the shop. There should be lots of savings to be had up in the main town. Its within walking distance with some pretty damn decent pub grub that doesnt cost a packet.


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    #1388
    devil-80
    Registered Users Posts: 955 ✭✭✭devil-80


    Hi.How looks opening hours in Asda at Sunday? Do they change something before christmas?


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    #1389
    mickoneill30
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,073 ✭✭✭mickoneill30


    DublinWriter wrote: »
    +1

    Norn Iron people are really friendly. None of the grunting till-jockey munters you get down in Dublin.

    I got that too on any trip I've been on up the North. It's almost as if they want your business.


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    #1390
    Tawny
    Closed Accounts Posts: 290 ✭✭Tawny


    Has anyone been shopping in Omagh? Is it busy yet?


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    #1391
    smashey
    Registered Users Posts: 21,676 ✭✭✭✭smashey


    devil-80 wrote: »
    Hi.How looks opening hours in Asda at Sunday? Do they change something before christmas?
    ASDA open from 1.00pm to 6.00pm on Sundays. That can't change.
    Tawny wrote: »
    Has anyone been shopping in Omagh? Is it busy yet?
    Omagh is busy in the evenings and especially the weekends. If you could get there on a weekday morning, it shouldn't be too bad.


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    #1392
    vibe666
    Registered Users Posts: 13,016 ✭✭✭✭vibe666


    devil-80 wrote: »
    Hi.How looks opening hours in Asda at Sunday? Do they change something before christmas?

    assuming it's the enniskillen one (but they are all prob. the same) don't go on sunday. they don't normally open till 12 or 1pm so everyone and his sister is there by then. it's open 24 hours for the rest of the week, so what we do is just leave the weekday alarm on and get up early as if we're going to work and head out there first thing on saturday morning so we miss all the traffic and we're there nice and early and finished the majority of it by 10am before the queues get too bad.

    once the main shop is done then we can have a stop to eat and relax for a bit and do a bit of casual browsing in the shopping centre (where next etc. is across from asda) nearby with no time pressures before we head back after lunch, again missing the majority of the traffic. :)


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    #1393
    Dionysus
    Registered Users Posts: 3,420 ✭✭✭Dionysus


    Going to the Six in the next week. I need three things:

    1) an outlet centre store to get clothes/ fashion for a guy (Would it be cheaper than, for example, Kildare Village?)

    2) Aftershave and perfume at a great price (Would it be cheaper to get that in those discount perfume shops in Dublin?)

    3) A DAB radio with an IPOD dock

    I'm only on page 19 of this (massive) discussion but I figure it makes more sense to post this ceist and it will probably be answered by the time I get to the end.


    PS: What's the craic for shopping in Derry? It's the only city/major town in Ireland that I've never been to so I'd be open to staying overnight there and doing the history tour.


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    #1394
    gazzer
    Registered Users Posts: 4,056 ✭✭✭gazzer


    vibe666 wrote: »
    assuming it's the enniskillen one (but they are all prob. the same) don't go on sunday. they don't normally open till 12 or 1pm so everyone and his sister is there by then. it's open 24 hours for the rest of the week, so what we do is just leave the weekday alarm on and get up early as if we're going to work and head out there first thing on saturday morning so we miss all the traffic and we're there nice and early and finished the majority of it by 10am before the queues get too bad.

    once the main shop is done then we can have a stop to eat and relax for a bit and do a bit of casual browsing in the shopping centre (where next etc. is across from asda) nearby with no time pressures before we head back after lunch, again missing the majority of the traffic. :)


    Would Sunday not be the best day to go though in terms of there being a lot of stock on the shelves due to the fact that the shop has been closed for over 12 hours? The last time I went up to Enniskillen (2 weeks back) I went up on a Sunday. I got there for 12.30. There was about 200 people waiting to get in but once the doors opened I was able to get around and get everything I wanted in an hour.


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    #1395
    Dionysus
    Registered Users Posts: 3,420 ✭✭✭Dionysus


    Bond-007 wrote: »
    I use my friends address on the mainland for Nectar points.

    Tesco ones from the south work ok up north. As do cards from Dunnes.


    The "mainland"? What the Hell? To echo other posters: since when did a rather troublesome island between Ireland and France become a "mainland" for anybody, never mind Irish people?


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    #1396
    josh59
    Registered Users Posts: 384 ✭✭josh59


    mickoneill30 wrote: »
    I got that too on any trip I've been on up the North. It's almost as if they want your business.

    +1


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    #1397
    brettmirl
    Registered Users Posts: 2,429 ✭✭✭brettmirl


    gazzer wrote: »
    Would Sunday not be the best day to go though in terms of there being a lot of stock on the shelves due to the fact that the shop has been closed for over 12 hours? The last time I went up to Enniskillen (2 weeks back) I went up on a Sunday. I got there for 12.30. There was about 200 people waiting to get in but once the doors opened I was able to get around and get everything I wanted in an hour.

    Judging from other people's posts on this thread, Sunday seems to be the busiest day to go shopping in Norn Iron.


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    #1398
    smashey
    Registered Users Posts: 21,676 ✭✭✭✭smashey


    Dionysus wrote: »
    PS: What's the craic for shopping in Derry? It's the only city/major town in Ireland that I've never been to so I'd be open to staying overnight there and doing the history tour.

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=58200172&postcount=3

    If you stay overnight, try the City Hotel as it's very central. You'll have to drive to the Crescent Link.


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    #1399
    mickoneill30
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,073 ✭✭✭mickoneill30


    Dionysus wrote: »
    1) an outlet centre store to get clothes/ fashion for a guy (Would it be cheaper than, for example, Kildare Village?)

    Theres an outlet imaginatively called "The Outlet" in Banbridge (about 20 mins past Newry).

    I've been to the one on Kildare and the one in Banbridge. Much cheaper in Banbridge even a year ago.


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    #1400
    Our man in Havana
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,476 ✭✭✭✭Our man in Havana


    Dionysus wrote: »
    The "mainland"? What the Hell? To echo other posters: since when did a rather troublesome island between Ireland and France become a "mainland" for anybody, never mind Irish people?
    I may not be Irish. ;)


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    #1401
    vibe666
    Registered Users Posts: 13,016 ✭✭✭✭vibe666


    gazzer wrote: »
    Would Sunday not be the best day to go though in terms of there being a lot of stock on the shelves due to the fact that the shop has been closed for over 12 hours? The last time I went up to Enniskillen (2 weeks back) I went up on a Sunday. I got there for 12.30. There was about 200 people waiting to get in but once the doors opened I was able to get around and get everything I wanted in an hour.
    as asda is open 24 hours for the rest of the week they keep re-stocking shelves the whole time. never had any issues iwth stuff missing off the shelves and it's a lot easier to navigate a few shelf stackers trolleys than thousands of shoppers.

    i've done both, we did a sunday in august and a saturday 3 weeks ago and we'll never be doing a sunday again, saturday morning FTW, esp. around this time of year. :)

    we just take a trolley each and head down the middle and leave the trolleys on the ends of the isles and fill them up as we go. last time we went we had to pay for those and then come bck and filled 2 more trolleys. :D

    thank god for a big boot on the car! it was a hu-age shopping trip but we got a good 3 months supply of a lot of stuff so well worth it.


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    #1402
    gazzer
    Registered Users Posts: 4,056 ✭✭✭gazzer


    vibe666 wrote: »
    as asda is open 24 hours for the rest of the week they keep re-stocking shelves the whole time. never had any issues iwth stuff missing off the shelves and it's a lot easier to navigate a few shelf stackers trolleys than thousands of shoppers.

    i've done both, we did a sunday in august and a saturday 3 weeks ago and we'll never be doing a sunday again, saturday morning FTW, esp. around this time of year. :)

    Good to know. Im heading up again next Thursday. Taking the day off work so going to get up as early as I can. Only going to buy food and drink. There are a couple of electrical items and some clothes I want to buy but I am going to wait until the sales after xmas for those.


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    #1403
    justsomebloke
    Registered Users Posts: 10,407 ✭✭✭✭justsomebloke


    anybody know how decent the asda in belfast is?


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    #1404
    Jimpsta
    Closed Accounts Posts: 59 ✭✭Jimpsta


    Going to try it myself before the holidays to see what all the fuss is about! :)


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    #1405
    twenty8
    Registered Users Posts: 456 ✭✭twenty8


    I have planned to go to IKEA this Friday morning. I have no idea of the layout of towns etc in NI.

    Can anyone tell me if I am going to get stuck in the horrific traffic that everyone is talking about outside Newry? Will I avoid it? Roughly, how long should I expect to take to get from the airport to Belfast?

    Thanks.


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    #1406
    Drummerboy2
    Registered Users Posts: 881 ✭✭✭Drummerboy2


    Where is the best place to buy wine in Newry? Thanks in advance


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    #1407
    Dagon
    Registered Users Posts: 857 ✭✭✭Dagon


    Just picked up a PS3 in Enniskillen last Saturday for about €330, with 3 free items (I got Resistance 2, Motorstorm Pacific Rift and an extra controller)... very nice!

    Girlfriend also bought a lot of stuff, and we both saved a ton of money on gifts.


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    #1408
    TarfHead
    Registered Users Posts: 1,192 ✭✭✭TarfHead


    twenty8 wrote: »
    I have planned to go to IKEA this Friday morning. I have no idea of the layout of towns etc in NI.

    Can anyone tell me if I am going to get stuck in the horrific traffic that everyone is talking about outside Newry? Will I avoid it? Roughly, how long should I expect to take to get from the airport to Belfast?

    We drove to IKEA about 6 weeks ago. From Dublin Airport, it was less than 2 hours without going over the speed limit. I can't speak for traffic volumes at the roundabout outside Newry.

    When you get to Belfast, follow the signs for Belfast City[/i] Airport (aka George Best airport). IKEA is past this airport. It's all well sign-posted and hard to go wrong, though I did (unintentionally) manage to go down the off-ramp at the Odyssey Centre because I stayed on the left hand side of the carriageway. It wasn't difficult to get back to where I wanted to be.

    AA route-planner or Google maps would be a good use of your time before heading off ;). Or borrow a SatNav ?


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    #1409
    Wertz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,909 ✭✭✭✭Wertz


    Dionysus wrote: »
    Going to the Six in the next week. I need three things:

    1) an outlet centre store to get clothes/ fashion for a guy (Would it be cheaper than, for example, Kildare Village?)


    3) A DAB radio with an IPOD dock

    1) Outlet Banbridge as mentioned...I picked up some nice stuff there last week. Decent selection of shops...can't comment on kildare village, but it's defo cheaper than local shops here and a good choice of stock.

    2) Argos had a nice Sony unit with DAB and ipod dock last week...£120 or so. Check stock online at their co.uk site and reserve one before you go down. [edit] Meh just checked and the model I was on about (CMTHX70R) is no longer on the site. I did see it in a sony store in Craigavon though; they were looking £150 IIRC...


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    #1410
    twenty8
    Registered Users Posts: 456 ✭✭twenty8


    TarfHead wrote: »
    We drove to IKEA about 6 weeks ago. From Dublin Airport, it was less than 2 hours without going over the speed limit. I can't speak for traffic volumes at the roundabout outside Newry.

    When you get to Belfast, follow the signs for Belfast City[/i] Airport (aka George Best airport). IKEA is past this airport. It's all well sign-posted and hard to go wrong, though I did (unintentionally) manage to go down the off-ramp at the Odyssey Centre because I stayed on the left hand side of the carriageway. It wasn't difficult to get back to where I wanted to be.

    AA route-planner or Google maps would be a good use of your time before heading off ;). Or borrow a SatNav ?

    Thanks for that. The Sat nav sounds like a necessity!! Just curious about the Newry traffic. Don't want the day spent sitting in traffic!!


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    #1411
    Wertz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,909 ✭✭✭✭Wertz


    twenty8 wrote: »
    Thanks for that. The Sat nav sounds like a necessity!! Just curious about the Newry traffic. Don't want the day spent sitting in traffic!!

    Newry's bypass is fine on weekday mornings offpeak...but to get to that part of the journey you have to go through the bottleneck at the end of the M1 and get past the r'about there...the real problems with Newry's traffic start after that r'about on the hill down into the south of the town.
    This map has the trouble area outlined in red, and your route in blue (after you get through the small red part)

    newry_traffic1.jpg

    There are roadworks on the bypass (blue bit) but these aren't too bad if traffic isn't too heavy. You may get held up at the five ways (B&Q) with traffic volumes too...but again it's not like the hill down into the town where all the real snarl ups happen...

    [edit] Oops...on that map I have the Belfast route marked wrongly...instead of that exit off the r'about you take the next one. It's all well signed anyhow...


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