Shopping in Northern Ireland

Samsung

I am going to buy a tv up the north this christmas..
Does any one have any advise?
richersounds.ie is the only advise i could find on this thread..
I wonder if currys or dixons will do a £ for € deal.

smashey

Samsung wrote: »

I am going to buy a tv up the north this christmas..
Does any one have any advise?
richersounds.ie is the only advise i could find on this thread..
I wonder if currys or dixons will do a £ for € deal.

No £ for € deals in Currys.

sesswhat

micmclo wrote: »

I don't know what distributors charge ROI pub owners but it's getting to the stage where pub owners should be checking out if they can make a saving on these btls of spirits

It's been at that stage for over 30 years;).

These days you can see plenty of Donegal publicans in ASDA in Strabane, as well as shopkeepers loading up the multipacks.

sesswhat

Samsung wrote: »

I am going to buy a tv up the north this christmas..
Does any one have any advise?

Have a look through this thread if you need to know which models have an MPEG4 decoder built-in to pick up the new Irish Digital broadcasts.

big b

Loads & loads of great advice in this thread, well done & thanks to all.:)

Assuming my TV will always be via Sky, the MPEG 4 won't matter to me, yes?

In that case, will I find a good deal on a 40 or 42" TV in Eniskillen, or would I be better pushing on to Omagh?

I don't really want to stop at both towns, and I'm guessing that the TV will be the major saving, so it seems to make sense to go to the town with the best TV deals?

I tried Googling, but couldn't find a good site for Enniskillen shops.

Any advice or links to good sites welcome!

Rosielee

thanks for the reply Muffler...i just called them and they're giving 79p to the euro...not great but it still works out cheaper than than argos.ie.

ronbyrne2005

Why is everyone so worked up about what rates different stores offer? Pay with a credit card in sterling and you will get the best rate available at the time, or remove sterling from an ATM machine up there. Those offering best rates in store for euro cash often are charging more for same products than those offering "worse" rates.

samo

Back from Newry today - have been going up nearly every 2nd Thursday early for the past 5 months and today is the busiest I've ever seen it. Huge queues and no parking even at 10.30 :eek: but none the less 3 weeks worth of shopping and drink for around 380 euro - cannot complain Just dreading attempting to go again - even midweek before Christmas!

Offers today in Newry Sainsburys were

Celebrations/Roses tins for £4.49
Smirnoff 1l and Barcardi 1l £11 (saw a woman wheeling out a whole trolleyfull of around 6 cases of 12 bottles of Smirnoff :eek:)
Guinness 2 x 12 cans for £18
3 x Kumala Shiraz Red wine for £10
3 X Le Piat Dor for £10
Also big bars of Aero for a £1


The off license today looked like the night before Good Friday x 100 - serious amount of drink made its way down South going by these eyes!

gollyitsolly

Does anyone know if I can use my debenhams card registered down here,up north? And how would the exchange rate work? Debenhams down here is woeful.

Dooish

madscone wrote: »

has anyone been to the asda in lisburn? had a quick look on google and it says theres one on moira rd but havent a clue if its just clothes/home or is there a grocery dept too?

There is no asda in lisburn

Hail 2 Da Chimp

Quick question, I will be up north in a few days. Was thinking of buying a new mobile (from carphone warehouse or the likes), I'm on Vodafone now, but thought I'd save a few quid if I bought it up there.
Does anyone know would the mobile work in the republic or does it have to be bought down here?

maninaskirt

Hail 2 Da Chimp wrote: »

Quick question, I will be up north in a few days. Was thinking of buying a new mobile (from carphone warehouse or the likes), I'm on Vodafone now, but thought I'd save a few quid if I bought it up there.
Does anyone know would the mobile work in the republic or does it have to be bought down here?

Hi, you can buy a pre-pay Vodafone and it will work, or tell the sales person that you need one that's unlocked and they will work fine.

muffler

gollyitsolly wrote: »

Does anyone know if I can use my debenhams card registered down here,up north? And how would the exchange rate work? Debenhams down here is woeful.

Is this like a points type card? If so I would doubt it.

Boots for example dont work that way. You cant add on points to your Boots card for items bought in the North unless of course you have a seperate card with a NI address. I recently I wanted to return something to Asda that I bought here but it was handier for me to return it to one of their stores in N.I. but they said no.

Skyuser

Argos IRL : €459.00

Argos NI : €392.96 (£329.00)

Save : €66.04

Rowley Birkin QC

Looking to buy a Garmin Nuvi with European mapping.

Anyone pick up any deals in the North lately?

kingshankly

gollyitsolly wrote: »

Does anyone know if I can use my debenhams card registered down here,up north? And how would the exchange rate work? Debenhams down here is woeful.

No problem my mother used hers last week and got 25% off then she proceeded to the service desk and paid for what she bought(she hates owing money) at the rate of 85p

shoegirl

ThOnda wrote: »

However the price difference is HUGE.

You see, this is what I don't get. I live in Cork so the odd shopping trip to the North is a rare affair, but it does occur occasionally since my family live in north co Dublin.

What I cannot understand is retailers lame excuses regarding the failure to pass on exchange rate differentials to Irish consumers. This is absolutely inexcusable. ALL of them, even the so-called hard discounters, have a significant difference between UK prices and Irish prices. What I don't get is that this should have dropped after sterling fell but can somebody please explain to me ANY possible reason why this differential has been kept as additional profit over the last few months except for profiteering, price gouging and the sheer complexity of having to update massive numbers of prices on a regular basis?

What I simply do not get is that I purchased a radio on my last trip to Belfast from a well known retailer. I would have paid 89.99 in the south - I paid 74.62 for the same product. Now the point I would make here, is even allowing for a same difference in VAT, a few months ago had I purchased the product in the UK I would have paid closer to the price in the south. But now sterling has fallen so I should pay a little less. I understand that certain kinds of retailers are at a disadvantage, but even so, they can discount at the till. The point is, they are not. The differences are not being passed on and I can only assume that the extra amount generated by a stronger euro is being kept as additional profit.

The only unease I have to say is that quite frequently I am simply tempted to boycott all of these retailers north and south, on account of what they are doing, but I suspect non-UK high street brands are doing the same as a significant proportion of wholesale trade is likely to come via the UK.

I listened to the guys on the radio this morning in sheer disbelief. Since this government is taking money out of my pocket in the form of higher taxes, quite simply in order to make what is left compensate I have no choice but to shop where it is cheaper.

Vorsprung

Skyuser wrote: »

Argos IRL : €459.00

Argos NI : €392.96 (£329.00)

Save : €66.04

Dabs.ie - €334.50 delivered

kingshankly

maninaskirt wrote: »

Hi, you can buy a pre-pay Vodafone and it will work, or tell the sales person that you need one that's unlocked and they will work fine.

all vodafone phones bill and prepay are locked to vodafone uk have previously inquired about this in the vodafone shop in newry

gazzer

samo wrote: »

Back from Newry today - have been going up nearly every 2nd Thursday early for the past 5 months and today is the busiest I've ever seen it. Huge queues and no parking even at 10.30 :eek: but none the less 3 weeks worth of shopping and drink for around 380 euro - cannot complain Just dreading attempting to go again - even midweek before Christmas!

Offers today in Newry Sainsburys were

Celebrations/Roses tins for £4.49
Smirnoff 1l and Barcardi 1l £11 (saw a woman wheeling out a whole trolleyfull of around 6 cases of 12 bottles of Smirnoff :eek:)
Guinness 2 x 12 cans for £18
3 x Kumala Shiraz Red wine for £10
3 X Le Piat Dor for £10
Also big bars of Aero for a £1


The off license today looked like the night before Good Friday x 100 - serious amount of drink made its way down South going by these eyes!

I am just back from Newry. I went to The Outlet in Banbridge this morning (got there for 11.30am). I wasnt too impressed with the place to be honest. Got some nice shirts in a shop that was doing pound for euro but didnt buy half as much as I thought I would.

Headed to Newry then. Went to Jack and Jones first and bought some shoes, t shirts and jeans. They hadnt a great selection but I still bought a fair bit of stuff. One thing I noticed on the price tags was that there was a price sticker put over the usual Jack and Jones price tag (the one that shows the prices in all currencies). Probably me just been a sceptic but maybe those prices are not the usual sterling prices.

Also went to Zavvi and HMV where I got some great deals. Got the complete Peep Show for £20, A huge Alfred Hitchcock box set for £20. Series One of The Inbetweeners for £8. They were also selling the complete Friends collection for £50.

Finished up in Sainsburys and it was mental in there. I wasnt getting that much as I am going up to Enniskillen on Sunday but the 1lt Smirnoff deal was great for £11. They were selling 1 litres of Barcardi for £11 also. There was 2 girls in front of me at the checkout and they both had trollies full of tins of Quality Street. Id say they had about 50 tins each. Mental

muffler

Superquinn strikes back

felinefeelins

muffler wrote: »

Superquinn strikes back

Yip. thought i was hearing things this morning on the radio, they are really pushing out the boat here, hope a few more follow their lead :cool:

Ronan Raver77

gazzer wrote: »

I am just back from Newry. I went to The Outlet in Banbridge this morning (got there for 11.30am). I wasnt too impressed with the place to be honest. Got some nice shirts in a shop that was doing pound for euro but didnt buy half as much as I thought I would.

For anybody else heading to The Outlet register on the website
http://www.the-outlet.co.uk/
Current discounts when u sign up
extra 15% off all stock in Savoy Taylors Guild! 31st December 2008
Extra 10% off at Royal Doulton
extra 10% off at new cosmetics store All Wellan Good.
Also other offers in the nike outlet store.

tabatha

muffler wrote: »

Superquinn strikes back

i went down today....what a load of ****e. they had nothing really. still going to go north at the weekend.

etcetc

muffler wrote: »

Is this like a points type card? If so I would doubt it.

Boots for example dont work that way. You cant add on points to your Boots card for items bought in the North unless of course you have a seperate card with a NI address. I recently I wanted to return something to Asda that I bought here but it was handier for me to return it to one of their stores in N.I. but they said no.

its a credit card in disguise with a hefty interest rate too 23% or something

steer clear it will also attract the govt tax

danois

I was planing on heading up north next Thursday is it as busy on a Thurs as it would be during the weekend?

If i buy something in Argos up their and there is a problem with it can I bring it back to an Argos down here??

Am I better off changing my money or paying in euros?

Last question when it comes to parking is it a pay and display or do you pay as you leave?? the reason i ask is will i have to have some sterling to put into a parking meter???


thanks a mill

Danois

thepoolgirl

I'm going to enniskillen next thurs with my dad.getting £ out the ATM cos no carges cos he has UK CC.

andyeire

Childrens allowance on Tuesday and double bubble on the social next week.

I reckon it is going to be mad busy from Tuesday on.

ASTRACLUB

Sat Nav value??
Looking to buy a Garmin Nuvi with European mapping.
Anyone pick up any deals in the North lately?

Sat nav Lidl
Targa Satellite Navigation System PNA-E3530
Euro 68.50*
Fast SiRFatlasIII™ 372 MHz processor with 64MB RAM
Large 2GB internal memory
3.5” LCD touch screen with 65,536 colours
Slots for mini USB & SD cards
Lane assist
Borderless navigation all over Europe – fully pre-installed Tele Atlas® map material
Targa Traveller navigation software (powered by Sygic®)
Ultra light and compact design – 1.8cm flat and 150g
Accessories include: holder with suction pad, car charger, stylus, manual DVD-ROM (incl. map material)
3 year warranty
Price per item

devil-80

68.5 yes but not euro;-)
http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home_ni.nsf/pages/c.o.20081127.p.TargaSatelliteNavigationSystemPNAE3530

Skyuser

I doubt you can return an item from Argos NI to Argos IRL because they'd be giving you the euro rate in IRL which may be an extra €50.

muffler

danois wrote: »

is it as busy on a Thurs as it would be during the weekend?

Probably not mad completely but it will still be busy. Apart from the usual pre Xmas rush just bear in mind that Thursday is a day that many of the locals will be doing their shopping.

danois wrote: »

If i buy something in Argos up their and there is a problem with it can I bring it back to an Argos down here??

As stated by someone else I wouldnt think so. Here's a number for their Newry store 048 30252908. Give them a ring just to be sure.

danois wrote: »

Am I better off changing my money or paying in euros?

Difficult to say. Depends where you are going and what rate the different stores are allowing but generally speaking you would be better off changing your money first. For example I was in Asda in Strabane tonight and they had an exchange rate of £1 = €0.83 which was good. I doubt if you would get that rate in the bank but then again a couple of weeks ago their rate wasn't too hot.

danois wrote: »

Last question when it comes to parking is it a pay and display or do you pay as you leave?? the reason i ask is will i have to have some sterling to put into a parking meter???

Most of the big centres and stores will have free parking. Its when you park in the multi storey car parks or the public car parks that you have to pay. A few pound will be more than enough in any event. No matter what way you are shopping you will be getting sterling coins back in your change.

AnotherHelenD

Skyuser wrote: »

I doubt you can return an item from Argos NI to Argos IRL because they'd be giving you the euro rate in IRL which may be an extra €50.

Argos will exchange goods, a friend bought a faulty item in Newry and it was exchanged in Dublin no problem. She didn't want a refund but I doubt if it's an option.

Our man in Havana

I was up in Enniskillen today. It was total mayhem in Asda. Bought a few items and went to Tesco. They had 2x12 packs of Guinness for £12. There was none left. The off licence was being systematically looted by the southerners. I see Tesco have imposed a limit of 4 of each item and have large signs saying "No bulk buying!".

I then hit the road and headed to Armagh when I found Sainsburys to myself and I loaded up. Got 2x12 Guinness for £18 which is very good. I loaded up the car.

I then headed home via Newry and saw all the shoppers queuing to get back onto the A1/N1. I had a good day and shall be heading up again before xmas.

A note on exchange rates some shops are only offering 70p to the euro. Beware and use sterling where possible.

muffler

Asda tonight had 1 litre bottles of Smirnoff (yeah baby), Gordons Gin, Bacardi and Baileys going for £13.

On the beers front they had Tennants, Coors Light, Carlsberg & Strongbow - 15 x 440ml cans - £7 each.

Exchange rate: £1 = €0.83

DonJose

Bond-007 wrote: »

I was up in Enniskillen today. It was total mayhem in Asda. Bought a few items and went to Tesco. They had 2x12 packs of Guinness for £12. There was none left. The off licence was being systematically looted by the southerners. I see Tesco have imposed a limit of 4 of each item and have large signs saying "No bulk buying!".

I then hit the road and headed to Armagh when I found Sainsburys to myself and I loaded up. Got 2x12 Guinness for £18 which is very good. I loaded up the car.

I then headed home via Newry and saw all the shoppers queuing to get back onto the A1/N1. I had a good day and shall be heading up again before xmas.

A note on exchange rates some shops are only offering 70p to the euro. Beware and use sterling where possible.

What time did you arrive to Asda Enniskillen at, I was there at 10am on Wednesday and it wasn't too bad, however on my second trolley at 11am+ it started to get hectic. I didn't bother going to Tesco, last time I went 2 weeks ago there were NO Irish reg cars and I didn't see many bargains. By the sounds of it you did a serious trip of the north, kudos to you.

ronbyrne2005

Get sterling from the ATMs or use a credit card. Ignore the rate offered by retailers, look for the cheapest sterling price for the goods you want and pay with the cash from ATM or with a credit card and what rate the store is offering is irrelevant.

smashey

Just a couple of things. I've heard that ASDA in Strabane was closed by health and safety for an hour one day last week due to overcrowding. :eek:

Peter Robinson said yesterday it was good that all those new roads were built to get us to the North quicker.

aquascrotum

Bond-007 wrote: »

I then hit the road and headed to Armagh when I found Sainsburys to myself and I loaded up. Got 2x12 Guinness for £18 which is very good. I loaded up the car

At last, someone sees the light!!

ASTRACLUB

Originally Posted by Bond-007
I then hit the road and headed to Armagh when I found Sainsburys to myself and I loaded up. Got 2x12 Guinness for £18 which is very good. I loaded up the car

I loaded up the car..I loaded up the car...I loaded up the car...

:D:D Where do you live?:D:D:D

crazy_spider

muffler wrote: »

Probably not mad completely but it will still be busy. Apart from the usual pre Xmas rush just bear in mind that Thursday is a day that many of the locals will be doing their shopping.

Im guessing that this would be the same on a monday???

muffler

Shouldnt be as busy on a Monday but at this time of year there will be substantial crowds every day.

muckety

Question re Enniskillen for anyone who knows it, thinking of heading up next week (Mon/Tues or Weds)If I get there very early to beat traffic (8am opening Mon, 24 hours weekdays otherwise) will I be able to buy alcohol or is it like here (10.30am)? Does it have a decent range of clothes etc (have been checking out stuff on the website)

Is the M&S close to ASDA?

What are the toyshops, and do they have a website so that I can identify if the prices are any better before I travel? Any other shops that are recommended?

All advice appreciated!

Basq

Think ASDA are having a VAT Free Weekend til Monday.

17.5% Off
TVS, DVD PLAYERS & SET TOP BOXES

Offer applies from 9am Friday 28th November until stores close Sunday 30th November.
All savings will be applied at the till. Subject to availability. Some products only available in selected stores.

DonJose

muckety wrote: »

Is the M&S close to ASDA?

There is a new shopping centre down the road from Asda called Erneside Shopping Centre, its on the left as you leave Asda, they have a M&S, River Island, Monsoon, Argos and a good few more shops.

zing

basquille wrote: »

Think ASDA are having a VAT Free Weekend til Monday.

That's maybe a bit misleading or just not clear enough. VAT Free weekend only applies to TVs & DVD players (and maybe stbs like you mentioned) - it's not off everything.

http://www.asda-press.co.uk/pressrelease/272

Still - if you're on the lookout for a new tv ...

Basq

zing wrote: »

That's maybe a bit misleading or just not clear enough. VAT Free weekend only applies to TVs & DVD players (and maybe stbs like you mentioned) - it's not off everything.

I did state under it "17.5% Off TVS, DVD PLAYERS & SET TOP BOXES"..

Lplated

Hey,
Please take a minute to vote on the poll on the 'patriotism' aspect of shopping in the North - in 'rip off ireland' - here - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055429244

Milly82

Was in Newry yesterday got a few bargains, was worth the trip up. A few shops were doing pound for euro like Jack and Jones. The people are so nice up there and very helpful.

Fee R

Does anyone know what exchange rate debenhams in newry are giving?