What foreign business or service would you like to see in Ireland?

AndyBoBandy · 24-03-2015 01:32PM

One of the larger type supermarkets, like Carrefour (Spain/France) or Maxima (Baltic states), and to a lesser extent Walmart (something like Walmart, but not actually Walmart)

a place where you can buy chicken fillets, tyres for your car, a kids drum set, burger buns, a hockey stick, a Family Guy T-Shirt & a Kylie Minogue CD all under the 1 roof and pay for it all at the same till

jmayo · 24-03-2015 01:41PM

Andybobandy wrote: »

One of the larger type supermarkets, like Carrefour (Spain/France) or Maxima (Baltic states), and to a lesser extent Walmart (something like Walmart, but not actually Walmart)

a place where you can buy chicken fillets, tyres for your car, a kids drum set, burger buns, a hockey stick, a Family Guy T-Shirt & a Kylie Minogue CD all under the 1 roof and pay for it all at the same till

You forgot the guns and ammunition

ROCKMAN · 24-03-2015 01:54PM

Drivers ED.

SEPT 23 1989 · 24-03-2015 01:54PM

anncoates wrote: »

Used to be here years ago, if memory serves.

I lived in the one in Rathmines

what happened them?

RayCon · 24-03-2015 01:58PM

MightyMandarin wrote: »

Getting back deposits for returning bottles like you do in Germany, Holland and a few other European countries. I think it's a great idea as bottles get re-used (obviously after cleaning in a factory) and it encourages recycling in society.

Plus it's handy to get a few euro back after returning a crate of bottles to the shops.

This to me is one of the biggest cons of the whole "Green" policies that have been brought in (for the good of the environment mind you ... not in any way a money making operation).

Back in the 80's - you brought your glass empties back to the shop for a refund (if I remember correctly it was about 5p per bottle). The bottles either got washed, sterilized and reused or crushed and re-smelted into new glass.

In 2002 , the Irish Glass Bottle company closed.

Now, we are "encouraged" to recycle our glass by paying for it to be collected (via your Bin Collections) or drive to your local bottle bank and carefully separate your empties by colour and place in the appropriate bin .... oh and if you could wash them and remove the labels , that would be ace.

So we've gone from a scenario where we were paid for our empties to a situation where

1. We pay for them to be taken away !
or
2. At our expense - We supply raw material to the glass recycling industry and carry out fist stage preparation for them (sorting and washing) !

We are muppets.

eviltwin · 24-03-2015 02:09PM

Some of those big playgrounds you see in other countries and a decent dog park.

A cat cafe.

petronius · 24-03-2015 02:15PM

I think insurance is a thing which the so called open single european market in the EU has not allowed for fairer/cheaper insurance prices. Why can i not insure my car with a german company or finnish one..

I think bottle recycling is something which in germany is obvious and builds a recycling culture, not unlike it was here with milk bottles, or deposit on soft drinks bottles in the past.

sconhome · 24-03-2015 02:16PM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

I lived in the one in Rathmines

what happened them?

Yep used to be a few of them around.

Loved the pack a box and go multi deals. They fizzled out and were appearing in Esso garages in a display rack for a while. Lovely when fresh from the shop, nasty yokes when they have been in a garage for a few days

Haven't seen them in years.

Bob24 · 24-03-2015 02:24PM

jmayo wrote: »

You forgot the guns and ammunition

Maybe that's why he wrote "something like Walmart, but not actually Walmart" :-p

Faith+1 · 24-03-2015 02:26PM

Andybobandy wrote: »

One of the larger type supermarkets, like Carrefour (Spain/France) or Maxima (Baltic states), and to a lesser extent Walmart (something like Walmart, but not actually Walmart)

a place where you can buy chicken fillets, tyres for your car, a kids drum set, burger buns, a hockey stick, a Family Guy T-Shirt & a Kylie Minogue CD all under the 1 roof and pay for it all at the same till

Thank god I'm not the only one who likes another countries supermarket!

kowloon · 24-03-2015 02:33PM

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

The German Government

From the 1933-45 period. They'd fix the hole in the road.

Faith+1 · 24-03-2015 02:44PM

kowloon wrote: »

From the 1933-45 period. They'd fix the hole in the road.

God knows with what!?:eek:

anncoates · 24-03-2015 02:50PM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

I lived in the one in Rathmines

what happened them?

They were in one of the universities in Dublin too. Possibly UCD iirc.

iDave · 24-03-2015 02:54PM

London Underground

Bob24 · 24-03-2015 02:55PM

iDave wrote: »

London Underground

I'll take the Paris one instead. Better service and cheaper (at least for passengers ... don't know about taxpayers). Never been to Tokyo but I imagine it's even better in terms of service.

jimgoose · 24-03-2015 02:56PM

I'd love a Taco Bell nearby. Mmmm... burritos...

Buona Fortuna · 24-03-2015 03:30PM

iDave wrote: »

London Underground

Yes - I used to hate it but ....

Aglomerado · 24-03-2015 03:33PM

Maoz. All over Amsterdam. Yummy!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maoz_Vegetarian

Bob24 · 24-03-2015 03:40PM

Any chain of shops with a good selection of Photography/Hi-Fi/Computer/consumer electronics equipment on display and sold at decent enough prices (Media Markt, Fnac, or something like these).

Selection at places like PC World is not great and prices often too high.

kowloon · 24-03-2015 03:43PM

anncoates wrote: »

Used to be here years ago, if memory serves.

I remember there being one in Balbriggan.

Billy86 · 24-03-2015 03:57PM

jimgoose wrote: »

I'd love a Taco Bell nearby. Mmmm... burritos...

To be honest, Taco Bell is muck. I remember having it years ago as a teenager and kind of liking it a bit, but moved to Canada a few month back and I'm telling you, it's dirt. Far better burritos in local places around here, same for Pablo Picante, Burritos and Blues and a few others in Dublin.

On that note, I would import poutine by the megaton.

kowloon · 24-03-2015 03:58PM

Billy86 wrote: »

To be honest, Taco Bell is muck. I remember having it years ago as a teenager and kind of liking it a bit, but moved to Canada a few month back and I'm telling you, it's dirt. Far better burritos in local places around here, same for Pablo Picante, Burritos and Blues and a few others in Dublin.

On that note, I would import poutine by the megaton.

Yeah, was disappointed by Taco Bell, bland mush in those burritos.

jimgoose · 24-03-2015 03:59PM

Billy86 wrote: »

To be honest, Taco Bell is muck. I remember having it years ago as a teenager and kind of liking it a bit, but moved to Canada a few month back and I'm telling you, it's dirt...

Mmm, maybe - I seem to have fond memories of it from being very hungry one time in Luis Muñoz Marín airport near San Juan. :pac:

Bob24 · 24-03-2015 04:00PM

Billy86 wrote: »

I would import poutine by the megaton.

Healthy stuff! :-D But I have to say whenever I go to Québec I do have some ... and then go to Cora for breakfast to make myself feel better about my diet (wouldn't mind having Cora in Ireland either).

1time · 24-03-2015 04:36PM

Whole foods from US
More Organic/Farmers Markets

Billy86 · 24-03-2015 04:41PM

Bob24 wrote: »

Healthy stuff! :-D But I have to say whenever I go to Québec I do have some ... and then go to Cora for breakfast to make myself feel better about my diet (wouldn't mind having Cora in Ireland either).

No offense, but I don't understand how someone could like Taco Bell (one of my flatmates loves the stuff, the rest of us hate it). It can make decent drunk food I guess; just make sure you're sleeping close to a bog! :pac:

How is Montreal by the way? Just arrived in Toronto in January and got myself sorted with a job and apartment in Feb so haven't had the chance to go around travelling much and my French is nonexistent which would make living there impossible, but a lot of people can't say enough good things about the place.

retalivity · 24-03-2015 04:47PM

The little service buttons you get on tables at bars/restaurants in Korea/Asia
Patio furniture outside convenience stores to eat and drink at
More street food
Kyochon Chicken
A countrywide leap card with better integration of the multiple travel services i.e. not being charged 2 separate full price tickets for 2 connecting journeys

scdublin · 24-03-2015 04:49PM

Victoria's Secret - and not just in the airport! Bath and body works. The Cheesecake Factory. Morton Williams supermarket. A system like the New York Subway/Metro.

gutenberg · 24-03-2015 04:49PM

Mine would be Trader Joe's, a Californian supermarket chain. Had one near me when I was out in Cali for a few months, and loved it. Emphasis on fresh & organic etc., and their biscuits & confectionery were amazing. Plus they did a $5 'mystery wine' every week- could be absolute plonk, could also be a really fab wine.

That and WholeFoods, which I think has been mentioned already.

EDIT: And Sephora!

Bob24 · 24-03-2015 05:01PM

Billy86 wrote: »

No offense, but I don't understand how someone could like Taco Bell (one of my flatmates loves the stuff, the rest of us hate it). It can make decent drunk food I guess; just make sure you're sleeping close to a bog! :pac:

How is Montreal by the way? Just arrived in Toronto in January and got myself sorted with a job and apartment in Feb so haven't had the chance to go around travelling much and my French is nonexistent which would make living there impossible, but a lot of people can't say enough good things about the place.

I was talking about poutine, not Taco Bell :-)

I spent 6 months and then 3 months in Québec for work placements a decade ago, and have been to Canada many times on holidays.

From what I can see Montréal is a much nicer city to live in than Toronto (unless you are a fan of North American cities with sky scrapper in a quiet city centers and highways going to huge suburb areas) - but not as good in terms of the local economy.
What I like in Montreal is that it is in between a European and an American city (and they definitely have better food!).
Most people there speak English and you can definitely live there without speaking French, but what I understand is that employement opportunities will be quite restricted if you have no French at all (not experienced myself as I am a native French speaker).

Definitely go there for a weekend - I guarantee you will have more fun than in Toronto and you will want to go back :-)

What foreign business or service would you like to see in Ireland?

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