Shopping in Northern Ireland

RiverWilde

Rumour has it that ASDA are building a new shop in Antrim. If that's the case it'll take some of the heat away from Newry.

Although, I don't have to worry about that as I do my shopping in Enniskillen.

Riv

Climate Expert

hammer1 wrote: »

I’ve used recessionbustours.ie on friday to go to Newry and it’s brilliant i’ve saved a fortune. It was so handy getting all da shopping delivered. Makes me realise how much we’re getting ripped off down here you know? I bought 10 bottles of wine and saved €10 on each. I bought a bottle of bombay saphire and saved €15 staight away.

try recessionbustours.ie they deliver from ASDA for 20 quid

He's a shill alright. That is his 6th or 7th plug but its always as a customer.

robo

Bond-007 wrote: »

RTÉ did a report on Sundays news about shopping in Newry.

I had a look over Sundays RTE news programmes (6pm & 9pm) news and they don't have it online, can you remember which one?

whatsupdoc?

With the Bank Holiday, probably not up there yet?

Our man in Havana

robo wrote: »

I had a look over Sundays RTE news programmes (6pm & 9pm) news and they don't have it online, can you remember which one?

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0412/6news.html

Busy weekend for North retailers

Eimear Lowe reports that it was another busy weekend for retailers in the North as shoppers crossed the border in their hundreds

anotherlostie

Drove from Cavan to Enniskillen in less than an hour today, taking the Lisnaskea road so you come into the town on the ASDA side. No delays getting parked. Was picking up something in Argos and Erneside was quiet. Bought a couple of things in ASDA and while it was busy, it wasn't heaving like it would be on a normal Saturday.

whatsupdoc?

What a rubbish report.
What they didn't show was all the cars waiting for a space, the lines of people trying to pay for their groceries, the lines of traffic trying to get in and out of Newry sitting in traffic for 45 minutes etc.
The bloke from Dundalk Chamber of Commerce was a laugh trying to say that we could something about the value of the Euro or of Sterling.

Speaking of which, I'm going up tomorrow to Belfast to buy a DS, groceries and Booze.
Have Game & Sainsburys located but would like to go to an Asda (near to Sprucefield if possible) as well.
Where's my best bet?

Amigaman

I dont normally shill for others but good service at a great price deserves a mention on this of all threads. http://www.recessionbustours.ie/ is a great service , did my shopping online on ASDA and had it delievered today the cost 20 euro more then out weighed the hassle of driving to newry and having to deal with the traffic on a bank holiday monday. just over £200 of groceries ,great savings and the goods delievered straight to my door by a smiling Niall. Give them a call check them out I certainly will be using them again on a regular basis as I am sick of being ripped offjust one seasonal example pack of 6 decent hot cross buns in ASDA £.28 in Superquinn 6 hot cross buns €2.95 .Have a look at the attached doc to see my grocery list.
regards
Amigaman

TarfHead

Amigaman wrote: »

.. just one seasonal example pack of 6 decent hot cross buns in ASDA £.28 in Superquinn 6 hot cross buns €2.95.

Do ASDA stock any other Superquinn products :rolleyes: ?

28p for 6 buns - not exactly comparing like with like, are you ? Also a quick glance at your shopping list shows ASDA branded products. Not valid to compare with products retailing in Ireland.

jister

TarfHead wrote: »

Do ASDA stock any other Superquinn products :rolleyes: ?

28p for 6 buns - not exactly comparing like with like, are you ? Also a quick glance at your shopping list shows ASDA branded products. Not valid to compare with products retailing in Ireland.

I stocked up on a mixture of branded and non branded products over the weekend and the branded items are in the region of 50% cheaper in ASDA.

I understand your point about own brand products but in my experience so far ASDA's own brand stuff that I have tried has been a success and when compared to Tesco's own brand is always a lot cheaper too.

For the first time I bought ASDA mustard 100g for 48p (V €1.06 in Tesco for Colemans)

If there is a major problem with taste I will report back, otherwise its ASDA brand for me:D

EasyBoy1974

Amigaman wrote: »

I dont normally shill for others but good service at a great price deserves a mention on this of all threads. http://www.recessionbustours.ie/

Used this crowd at the weekend and it's a big Thumbs Up from me too! It works out even better value when you start factoring in booze ... got a very, very decent Cotes Du Rhone for £5.50 and a drinkable bottle for £3.50 ... i'd say half the price of their counterparts in the Republic .. and a litre of Gin for £10 ... 3l of generic (but lovely) Pinot Grigio for £14.27 (£3.50 a bottle equiv.) ... great stuff!

fullirish

Does anybody know if Asda take an Irish laser card ?

cheers

jister

According to recessionbustours.ie you can shop online at Tesco and Sainsburys and they will deliver from them as well now, another welcome addition.

I just hope the revenue don't try and clamp down on this and find some way to make it illegal.

masterK

jister wrote: »

According to recessionbustours.ie you can shop online at Tesco and Sainsburys and they will deliver from them as well now, another welcome addition.

I just hope the revenue don't try and clamp down on this and find some way to make it illegal.

I think it's only a matter of time before Revenue become alerted to these guys, especially on the alcohol front.

Our man in Havana

fullirish wrote: »

Does anybody know if Asda take an Irish laser card ?

cheers

That depends on a whole load of things.

1. Is it just a laser card? Does it have a maestro symbol on it?
2. Which bank is it?
3. When was it issued?

Our man in Havana

masterK wrote: »

I think it's only a matter of time before Revenue become alerted to these guys, especially on the alcohol front.

It wouldn't take much for a mobile patrol to seize one of their trucks as it crosses the border. Or for an enforcement squad to raid their registered office in Blackrock.

Stark

jister wrote: »

I just hope the revenue don't try and clamp down on this and find some way to make it illegal.

Already is as far as I know. If you're delivering goods to the Republic, then you have to pay Irish VAT. Hence why items on Amazon and the like are that bit more expensive when you say you want them delivered to Ireland.

Our man in Havana

Revenue will turn a blind eye to those like the vast majority of us who are importing for personal use.
They will take a very different line with a commercial enterprise importing stuff in bulk for gain, esp the alcohol.

Richard

Bond-007 wrote: »

Revenue will turn a blind eye to those like the vast majority of us who are importing for personal use.
They will take a very different line with a commercial enterprise importing stuff in bulk for gain, esp the alcohol.

It's the same as bringing back booze from France, you have a huge allowance, but only if it's for personal use.

andyeire

Richard wrote: »

It's the same as bringing back booze from France, you have a huge allowance, but only if it's for personal use.

I think what the bus tours crowd are doing is illegal in regards to drink and cigs.I used to use a crowd who did mail order cigs from spain and they were closed down by revenue here.ie the enforcement crowd in an post confiscated all the packages.

I do shop in the north and i have no problem with bustours but i think revenue will shut down the del service soon.

parsi

whatsupdoc? wrote: »

Speaking of which, I'm going up tomorrow to Belfast to buy a DS, groceries and Booze.

Is there much of a difference for the DS ? The DSi seems to be much the same.

robo

parsi wrote: »

Is there much of a difference for the DS ? The DSi seems to be much the same.

There is a discussion here on the DSi

charlie22

big b wrote: »

Going to travel on a weekday from Galway, Enniskillen looks nearest/easiest. AA routeplanner says just over 3 hours, although I'm sure 4 is more realistic.

Anyway, having gone that far, would I be better travelling a bit further, or will the prices & choice in Enniskillen be as good as anywhere else?

Probably looking at buying a big screen LCD & Mrs Big B will want to go nuts buying presents & clothes.

Probably fill any remaining space in the van with food shopping.

Thanks in advance...

There is a bus company- Borderbus.net that myself and my wife took from Athenry last week to Enniskillen for €25 return-worked out really well. I am not sure if this travels weekly, but there was plenty boot space for shopping!

DonJose

If you would like to see a dedicated Northern Ireland Bargains Alert forum then please click on the link below and show your support, this thread is nearing replies 3,000 and really needs its own forum.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055429431

Our man in Havana

Indeed, but the powers that be do not want to grant your request.

gurramok

Can you/mod update the first post?

Enniskillen is not even featured yet it has a big Asda, Tesco and Dunnes! As well as that, it must be No.2 after Newry on the target list for shoppers from ROI.

charlie22

My wife and I travelled with Borderbus.net from Athenry to Enniskillen -it was a 3 hour trip each way but the savings there was well worth the €25 fare.

Has anybody been to Currys in Enniskillen? Does the warranty still exist if brought back to a Currys in the south? We bought a DVD player and asked a staff member who assured us that the sounther Curry's would accept warranty for any problems...fingers crossed they are correct!! I am now looking athe the same trip for a laptop- any suggestions? Currys?

Our man in Havana

Has anybody been to Currys in Enniskillen?

Yes.

Does the warranty still exist if brought back to a Currys in the south?

Nope.

We bought a DVD player and asked a staff member who assured us that the sounther Curry's would accept warranty for any problems...fingers crossed they are correct!!

Nope. Many people have had problems.

Red Sleeping Beauty

charlie22 wrote: »

My wife and I travelled with Borderbus.net from Athenry to Enniskillen -it was a 3 hour trip each way but the savings there was well worth the €25 fare.

Has anybody been to Currys in Enniskillen? Does the warranty still exist if brought back to a Currys in the south? We bought a DVD player and asked a staff member who assured us that the sounther Curry's would accept warranty for any problems...fingers crossed they are correct!! I am now looking athe the same trip for a laptop- any suggestions? Currys?

South ? What south ? Southern Ireland? That country that doesn't exist ?
No btw, Northern Ireland consumer rights/law would fall under the UK ( I would assume) and I highly doubt that RoI consumer law covers NI.

Red Sleeping Beauty

Bond-007 wrote: »

Indeed, but the powers that be do not want to grant your request.

They probably don't wanna be accused of being un-patriotic by advocating RoI people shopping in the UK to save money :pac:

Richard

gurramok wrote: »

Can you/mod update the first post?

Enniskillen is not even featured yet it has a big Asda, Tesco and Dunnes! As well as that, it must be No.2 after Newry on the target list for shoppers from ROI.

The easiest thing to do is go to yell.com and type in "supermarket", "grocers", "department stores" or whatever and "Enniskillen".

Here are a few that I turned up:

ASDA Stores Ltd Supermarkets
Tel: 028 6634 4900| Derrychara Rd, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh BT74 6JF

Iceland Foods Ltd Supermarkets
Tel: 028 6632 2034| Unit 1, Wellington Rd, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh BT74 7BD

Dunnes Stores Ltd Grocers & Convenience Stores
Tel: 028 6632 5132| Forthill St, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh BT74 6AJ

Next Retail Ltd Department Stores
Tel: 0844 8445746| Unit B, Erneside Shopping Centre, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh BT74 6JQ

Heatons Department Stores
Tel: 028 6634 2801| 21, Townhall St, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh BT74 7BD

Marks & Spencer plc Department Stores
Tel: 028 6632 4649| Erneside Shopping Centre, The Point, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh BT74 6JQ

Some of these were on my original posting. Not sure why the rest didn't turn up in my searches

whatsupdoc?

Went to Belfast yesterday and couldn't believe that there was NO traffic whatsoever.
I left Stillorgan at 9.45pm and was parking in Asda in Belfast Kennedy Way at 11.45am!
Sailed past Newry with no traffic, thought something had happened.
Very few ROI reg cars there, guess people don't travel that far anymore.
Coming back same thing around 7.30pm no traffic, got from Newry to Dublin in 50 minutes.
Couple of pointers.
Went into Sainsburys in Newry, not as bad as I was led to believe it was going to be. Got a parking space at 6.30pm easy enough, Shop was busy but not uncomfortable, stock were good, took 5 mins to get through till and out again.
Exchange rate yesterday was .8585 :mad: never checked and just paid with Euro.
Anybody looking for a PS3, check HMV, much better offers then Game, Argos & Currys.
Anybody know what Smyths in Newry is like, passed by it on the way up and forgot to have a look in on the way back.

bcirl03

Was up in Sainsbury's Newry the other day and while the savings where amazing (as usual) I felt the Sainsbury's in Lisburn stocked a lot more, better variety, more bargains.....

Is it just me?

Our man in Havana

Nope. Lisburn is always better stocked and less crowded.

paulusdu

Yes, Lisburn is a better all round Sainsburys. Bigger and probably more variety. Well worth the extra few minutes in the car.
There is never a big rush for parking either, and you have the other big stores right beside it (Currys, Argos, M&S, JJB, Boots, etc)

DublinWriter

bcirl03 wrote: »

Was up in Sainsbury's Newry the other day and while the savings where amazing (as usual) I felt the Sainsbury's in Lisburn stocked a lot more, better variety, more bargains.....

Is it just me?

Nope...Sainsburys Newry knows that we're all a bunch of rubes coming over the boarder.

mrgaa1

It is well known that Sainsburys and some other retailers in Newry have upped their prices knowing that people are coming. Head to Armagh (Sainsburys, Emersons, LIDL, etc...), Lisburn for better parking, easy access. People in the north can see the price changes themselves and are moving away from Newry. BTW there are many small towns all along the border that have supermarkets, electric goods etc.. and I bet they are willing to listen and barter especially electrical goods.

bcirl03

Anyone have any personal experiences with Sainsburys in Armagh they'd like to share? Is it as big as Newry?

Dangerous road to go down if Newry decide to have their own little 'mini rip off'.

anotherlostie

I find it very hard to believe that Sainsbury's or any other large retailer would offer different pricing in different stores given the complexity of their inventory management systems. Do you have any proof of this? It would cost more to adjust the pricing in one store than an extra 5p on a can of beans would recoup.

parsi

anotherlostie wrote: »

I find it very hard to believe that Sainsbury's or any other large retailer would offer different pricing in different stores given the complexity of their inventory management systems. Do you have any proof of this? It would cost more to adjust the pricing in one store than an extra 5p on a can of beans would recoup.

Prepare to believe - http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/2007/fulltext/534ah.pdf

amacachi

Heard Newry was a disaster area today. Luckily my dad knows his way around and saved time getting there. Tip for anyone going to Newry, check a map online before you go. Even if heading to Sprucefield etc. it would probably be better to go via Forkhill, if traffic is light it'll cost you 10 minutes or so, if traffic is heavy you could save up to an hour.

Cicero

DonJose wrote: »

If you would like to see a dedicated Northern Ireland Bargains Alert forum then please click on the link below and show your support, this thread is nearing replies 3,000 and really needs its own forum.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055429431

I can see why you might want one, & sounds like a good idea, but can't see how the thread you are proposing differs from this one..would it not end up pretty similar to this one? ...if it's purpose was better defined, it might get the go-ahead, or is it that simple

Our man in Havana

parsi wrote: »

Prepare to believe - http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/2007/fulltext/534ah.pdf

Asda, M&S, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose generally set their prices on a national basis. However, Sainsbury’sand Tesco do set different prices for their smaller stores. Further, we understand that for a number of these grocery retailers, uniform national pricing for their stores larger than 1,400 sq metres has only been introduced since 2000, and that prior to this, a number of these retailers engaged in a greater degree of localized price setting (or flexing). A degree of localized pricing continues to be practised by CGL and Somerfield, which predominantly operate mid-range stores.

Quoted for truth.

anotherlostie

So nowhere in the document to suggest that there would be different pricing in Newry, Sprucefield and the more Northern Sainsbury stores? I don't think there are any of the mini Sainsbury's in NI.

Headshot

can anyone recommend some electronic shops in belfast please

bobcar61

Heard there was a 4 mile tailback into Enniskillen yesterday from the Sligo side. Luckily from going up so often I have come across a few handy short cuts and end up arriving around the back of the Asda shop:)

dlambirl

Headshot wrote: »

can anyone recommend some electronic shops in belfast please

For??

Do you want applicances? Cookers, Fridges, Washing Machines???

Or TV/Blu Ray/ DVD Player??

angela59

Hi all,

Is sprucefield lisburn not as busy as newry at weekends? Am going to Newgrange this saturday with kids and was thinking of nipping over the border to stock up on household items but with two kids in tow and what I've read about Newry - think I'll avoid Newry - wondering would lisburn be worth a try and would anyone have any idea how far driving time Lisburn is from Navan?

Many thanks

Angela59

Headshot

dlambirl wrote: »

For??

Do you want applicances? Cookers, Fridges, Washing Machines???

Or TV/Blu Ray/ DVD Player??

for TV/sound systems

envelope

Hi
I went to Lisburn from Navan last saturday and it took me 1 hr to newry. I left at 9.15 and there was no traffic. I kept driving past newry and stopped in Banbridge Outlets which was 10 mins further. After i finished there i went on to Lisburn which was about 15 mins further. So to go straight to lisburn it would be about 1.5hr thats what it took me to get home. Thats provided there is no traffic backups. I sailed through there was no traffic just a bit of roadworks around Newry so you have to drive slower.
Let us know how you get on.
I was astounded by the difference in prices. Good value on alcohol, groceries and stuff in Argos. I needed a good few things in Argos and it cost me €490 but if i bought the same goods down here in argos it would have been €815
one example De Longhi microwave is €149.99 down here and £43.99 delighted with the bargain.