Boots 3 for 2 christmas promotion

channelsurfer

while shopping in boots in mullingar today i noticed that they had some of the sterling stickers on their 3 for 2 christmas merchandise and no irish prices except on the shelf stickers...... one example is something that was £5.99 priced at €10.95!!!! another was one for 12.50 priced at 20euro!!! the nearest i could see to anywhere reasonable conversion was one sole item that was priced 10pounds being charged at 13euro.... are boots ireland for real or what??????

richiepoorman

This is a prime example of how we are being treated by retailers down here - the very fact that they placed these items on the shelf with the sterling price on full display just goes to show how the don't give a toss that you are paying through the nose for this stuff - just as long as you buy it. Boots in Mulingar is crap anyway - very limited choice in a shop the size of a cupboard.

At least Marks and Spencer's Euro price stickers are barstards to remove - but you know that the sterling price is going to be v. low compared to the euro one, anyway. Maybe Boots should look into what glue they are using

The only way around this is to go North. (I know I will be!)

*waits now for someone to point out exchange rate, VAT rates, blah etc*:rolleyes:

Pacing Mule

richiepoorman wrote: »

*waits now for someone to point out exchange rate, VAT rates, blah etc*:rolleyes:

• VAT rates are different. In some cases like magazines which regularly come up here there is VAT levied here in Ireland while there is none at all on the UK sterling cover price.
• Converting a sterling price using a site like XE.com is not accurate. This is the base conversion rate and not the rate generally charged by banks.
• The cost of actually trading in Ireland is a lot higher than the UK. There are a lot of factored here but to name a few ...
• Wage rates in Ireland are a lot higher than the UK.
• Property prices here although they have come down recently are enormous versus the UK. Bear in mind that the majority of retailers here are locked into leases / mortgages at the much higher rates.
• Rent and wages are the biggest expenses any business occurs so not only does the retailer here operate with these higher costs every service provided by other local businesses and suppliers is also effected by the same. This means that most other expenses incurred are also significantly higher.

All these factors make the cost of doing business here in Ireland higher than our immediate neighbours. The fact is that the wages and property prices which went up and up and up each year during the boom was adding to the base cost of doing business here which has to be reflected in the sale price of the goods and services.

Tails142

I would never trust a special offer from boots ever again - every year they have '2 for 1' offers on Garnier Suncare products during the summer, so you get the cheapest free. Typically costing about €20 for a sun cream. €10 for after sun.

But they're selling the same sun cream for €10 in Tesco so really boots arent giving you a deal at all, and ripping you off totally if you but a sun cream and get the after sun free.

lindtee

Go north!!

Would people stop saying this all the time. Going North is not an option for some of us, as the cost of petrol and time would totally wipe out any savings...and bargains can be found down here anyway (except the things that people post on "rip off Ireland") Plus as we all obviously have internet access, internet shopping is at our fingertips...so please not let "Go North" be the solution to every topic posted here. Its like someone who posts about Abra or Eddie Rockets being a rip off, and someone cites prices for fast food in Belfast or Azerbaijan being cheaper......:rolleyes::rolleyes:

mcaul

Old example

when I had a store in liffey valley i sold Monopoly @ €19.99

Boots had it on a 3 for 2 offer at €29.99

Yet there were still people trying to ask me to match the 3 for 2 offers in boots! - No amount of explaining about being 33% cheaper would work on some!

3 for 2 is rarely the value it states. the products are either bought specially for the promotion or are marked up.

channelsurfer

got a reply from boots uk customer service department! thanking me for my email noting my concern and sorry to hear about it... stating their offers always ensure they are the most competitive in the country they operate and what good work they do by keeping jobs here...
translation..... we set the price at what we think we can get away with in ireland......

bcirl03

lindtee wrote: »

Would people stop saying this all the time. Going North is not an option for some of us, as the cost of petrol and time would totally wipe out any savings...and bargains can be found down here anyway (except the things that people post on "rip off Ireland") Plus as we all obviously have internet access, internet shopping is at our fingertips...so please not let "Go North" be the solution to every topic posted here. Its like someone who posts about Abra or Eddie Rockets being a rip off, and someone cites prices for fast food in Belfast or Azerbaijan being cheaper......:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Ah but going North is the solution for a lot of us - this message needs to be driven home to all regardless of VAT rates etc. In my opinion rates \ costs etc are just smoke screens, all one has to do is look at the big ticket items and the difference there.

gerrycollins

lindtee wrote: »

Would people stop saying this all the time. Going North is not an option for some of us, as the cost of petrol and time would totally wipe out any savings...and bargains can be found down here anyway (except the things that people post on "rip off Ireland") Plus as we all obviously have internet access, internet shopping is at our fingertips...so please not let "Go North" be the solution to every topic posted here. Its like someone who posts about Abra or Eddie Rockets being a rip off, and someone cites prices for fast food in Belfast or Azerbaijan being cheaper......:rolleyes::rolleyes:

also the go north option mught not be as fruitful soon. The UK government last year reduced their VAT from 17% to 15% for one year only. Granted they yet to have their budget(its before our so v interesting) many UK suppliers I deal with have already began sorting them selves out for the increase.

gerrycollins

channelsurfer wrote: »

we set the price at what we think we can get away with in ireland......

but thats how the world works, its the same elsewhere they set a price at what they think an item will sell for.

gerrycollins

bcirl03 wrote: »

Ah but going North is the solution for a lot of us - this message needs to be driven home to all regardless of VAT rates etc. In my opinion rates \ costs etc are just smoke screens, all one has to do is look at the big ticket items and the difference there.

personally speaking and Ive offered on boards before for some one to view my books and show you the reaility.im in retail BTW

dh0661

gerrycollins wrote: »

Ive offered on boards before for some one to view my books and show you the reaility.

I saw your offer and I am surprised that no one took you up on it.
I work part time (sales & marketing) for a small independent retail group and know exactly what you are talking about.

mcaul

gerrycollins wrote: »

personally speaking and Ive offered on boards before for some one to view my books and show you the reaility.im in retail BTW

All someone needs is the copmany name and they can download any accounts of any ltd. company on the cro website.

rubadub

channelsurfer wrote: »

we set the price at what we think we can get away with in ireland......

Did you think this is in anyway strange? they would be utter idiots not to be competetive with local markets. This is basic economics, a 6 year old girl with a "shop" in her front garden could have taught you that lesson in economics. I am baffled how people cannot seem to grasp this concept, and have to actually write to companies to have it explained to them

These endless brit bashing posts are quite annoying. Even the dunnes slogan "the difference is we're Irish" shows they are all the same, they don't even claim to be cheaper than the rest. But dunnes also DO have sterling tags so people bitch about them, but not as much as the others.

GerardKeating

mcaul wrote: »

All someone needs is the copmany name and they can download any accounts of any ltd. company on the cro website.

Yea, but they charge you for this....

gerrycollins

mcaul wrote: »

All someone needs is the copmany name and they can download any accounts of any ltd. company on the cro website.

they have to pay for them im offering it free plus they can sometimes be 2 years behind

douglashyde

channelsurfer wrote: »

got a reply from boots uk customer service department! thanking me for my email noting my concern and sorry to hear about it... stating their offers always ensure they are the most competitive in the country they operate and what good work they do by keeping jobs here...
translation..... we set the price at what we think we can get away with in ireland......

That's how businesses work, if boots are making a profit within the law then it has every right to do so, its a private company after all.

rubadub

gerrycollins wrote: »

personally speaking and Ive offered on boards before for some one to view my books and show you the reaility.im in retail BTW

dh0661 wrote: »

I saw your offer and I am surprised that no one took you up on it.

I am not surprised in the slightest, the whingers cannot even grasp the concept of how items are priced in different countries/regions. So they may as well be looking at Chinese writing if looking at accounts.

The people who would understand the books would presumably have an understanding of basic economic concepts so not be bothered looking.