FHM magazine in Ireland

Ghandee

Something that really has been buging me lately....

I have bought FHM for nearly 11 years now. I am originally from the 6 counties but have been living in Kildare/Dublin for the last 5 years.

What I would really like to know is how on earth some of the Irish shops can justify how some of the Irish shops can justify charging us almost €6 for a magazine that hasa price tag of £3.50 PRINTED on the front of the magazine itself!

Brief example. Eurospar in Kill, county Kildare €5.71
Salmons Centra Monread road Naas about a mile away) ¦€3.91

I for one will never buy it in R.J Behans again!!!!!!

And dont get me started on their beer prices!!!!!!

10000maniacs

Actually the November issue is priced on the cover as £2.50. It is priced in my local Eurospar (Barrow Street D4) at €5.75.
In Easons O'Connell Street, it is more reasonably priced at €3.11. Still a hefty mark up.
Moral of the story. Buy in Newry, if this is not possible, buy in Easons.

jahalpin

10000maniacs wrote: »

Actually the November issue is priced on the cover as £2.50. It is priced in my local Eurospar (Barrow Street D4) at €5.75.
In Easons O'Connell Street, it is more reasonably priced at €3.11. Still a hefty mark up.
Moral of the story. Buy in Newry, if this is not possible, buy in Easons.

It's not actually a "mark-up".

The current "real-world" sterling rate is approx 0.895 which equates to about 2.79. The Revenue Commissoners also add 13.5% VAT to the selling price (magazines in the UK are not subject to VAT) so this makes up the difference in price in Easons.

The reason that the Spar is more expensive is that the £2.50 is a special price and they may be using an out-of-date price file for pricing etc.

mcaul

Here's how mgazines are priced (It comes up so many times!!0

Currency is bought forward for 6 months by easons / newspread.

Let say rate is 1.15 (today's bank rate is €1.132 / £1.00)
There are additional distribution costs to get to the newsagents all over Ireland, this is set at 10%.
There is VAT on magazines in Ireland @ 13.5% where there is 0% in the UK.

So magazine costing £3.50 stg is priced here as follows

3.50 x 1.15 exchange rate = €4.02
10% distribution charge = €4.42
VAT @ 13.5% = €5.02

Cadiz

jahalpin wrote: »

The reason that the Spar is more expensive is that the £2.50 is a special price and they may be using an out-of-date price file for pricing etc.

If it was a price hike I daresay they'd make sure their price file wasn't out of date!:rolleyes:

mcaul

I checked with Easons about their exchange rate. It is currently set at 1.18 which was the "bought forward" prevailing rate on July 1st. This rate applies until January when a new prevailing rate will be set based on the rate available from the bank at that time.

If the rate changes to 1.25 next month, the 1.18 rate will still apply. likewise if the rate in January is 1.13 and then it goes to 1.3 next May, the 1.13 rate will still apply.

So December issue of FHM

Cover price £3.90
Exchange rate €4.60
Distribution cost 10% = €5.06
VAT @ 13.5% = €5.75

10000maniacs

mcaul wrote: »

I checked with Easons about their exchange rate. It is currently set at 1.18 which was the "bought forward" prevailing rate on July 1st. This rate applies until January when a new prevailing rate will be set based on the rate available from the bank at that time.

If the rate changes to 1.25 next month, the 1.18 rate will still apply. likewise if the rate in January is 1.13 and then it goes to 1.3 next May, the 1.13 rate will still apply.

So December issue of FHM

Cover price £3.90
Exchange rate €4.60
Distribution cost 10% = €5.06
VAT @ 13.5% = €5.75

How come the shops in Britain and Northern Ireland don't apply a distribution cost?

ScouseMouse

10000maniacs wrote: »

How come the shops in Britain and Northern Ireland don't apply a distribution cost?

Who knows?

But my shop is forced to pay 48 euro a week to one wholesaler (Newspread) and 40 something to another one (Easons) and, get this, €2.50 per week to the Irish Times !

Who do you think ultimately pays these charges?

The consumer of course !

Cover prices are a recommended retail price and have no legal standing whatsoever.

ScouseMouse

Cadiz wrote: »

If it was a price hike I daresay they'd make sure their price file wasn't out of date!:rolleyes:

Not at all. If they are still using an old price file, then they would be oblivious to price decreases as well as increases.

But then, believe whatever makes you happy.

Cadiz

superscouse wrote: »

Not at all. If they are still using an old price file, then they would be oblivious to price decreases as well as increases.

But then, believe whatever makes you happy.

I believe what I see in my local Spar! (price cuts not passed on)

jahalpin

10000maniacs wrote: »

How come the shops in Britain and Northern Ireland don't apply a distribution cost?

One of the main reasons for the extra distribution charge for because of the exceptionally low population density in this country.

Ghandee

Lads dont get me wrong, I am proud as punch to be Irish, and I love this country with all my heart.
However, how come this country taxes us on every feckin thing they can, dentists, doctors all more expensive here than they are in the north (infact I dont pay a penny to see the doctor when I go up home)!
VRT on cars is through the roof, we pay on average NINE times more tax on alcohol in Europe,hell we even have to pay tax on a feckin MAGAZINE!!!!!

Can someone tell me, what with us lads nearly having to pay tax on passing wind, is this country almost on its knees?????

Ghandee

Oh BTW.

Was in Tesco's in New Ross today, FHM costs 5.71 euro in there also!
But checked it out in TWO seperate Centras today, bith priced at 3.91 euro!!!

In fact when you convert the euro to sterling, were actually paying less in Ireland than the folk in the north do!!!!!

However, question is, how does Centra manage to be able to sell it cheaper than the rest?

Pacing Mule

Because their pricing is based on the special £2.50 edition and Tescos label is for the regular edition.

rubadub

Gucky wrote: »

I have bought FHM for nearly 11 years now.

I expect a subscription would be far cheaper?

Jip

rubadub wrote: »

I expect a subscription would be far cheaper?

I would have expected he grow out of it.

admiralofthefleet

i havent bought it since they ran an intreview with their ex publisher. in the interview he said they used to send all the wrongly printed copies to ireland but had to stop when someone complained about racism

Ghandee

rubadub wrote: »

I expect a subscription would be far cheaper?

They dont/wont deliver to Ireland.

Hookey

Gucky wrote: »

They dont/wont deliver to Ireland.

Yes they will, greatmagazines.co.uk. £60.

Rockshamrover

superscouse wrote: »

Who knows?

But my shop is forced to pay 48 euro a week to one wholesaler (Newspread) and 40 something to another one (Easons) and, get this, €2.50 per week to the Irish Times !

Who do you think ultimately pays these charges?

The consumer of course !

Cover prices are a recommended retail price and have no legal standing whatsoever.

The shops pay for the distribution of newspapers and magazines? That sounds odd.

Also, I would have thought the cost of distribution is borne by the publisher and is built in to the original price of the magazine.

If the magazine is not on the shelf it wont get sold.

ScouseMouse

Rockshamrover wrote: »

The shops pay for the distribution of newspapers and magazines? That sounds odd.

Also, I would have thought the cost of distribution is borne by the publisher and is built in to the original price of the magazine.

If the magazine is not on the shelf it wont get sold.

Services charges ! I pay around a hundred quid a week just for papers and magazines. This is typical of what all shops have to pay.

The common thought of rip off ireland is only half of it. The shops themselves are getting raped by the suppliers, the fixed costs are not coming down.

I have just got in my xmas roses tins and they cost me 6.29. The big multiples were knocking them out cheaper than that. The first person to say to me "you are a rip off, they are cheaper in this store or that store" will politely be told to get stuffed

Rockshamrover

superscouse wrote: »

Services charges ! I pay around a hundred quid a week just for papers and magazines. This is typical of what all shops have to pay.

The common thought of rip off ireland is only half of it. The shops themselves are getting raped by the suppliers, the fixed costs are not coming down.

I have just got in my xmas roses tins and they cost me 6.29. The big multiples were knocking them out cheaper than that. The first person to say to me "you are a rip off, they are cheaper in this store or that store" will politely be told to get stuffed

I do feel for the small guys trying to run a small shop and trying to compete with our own big guys and the over the border shops.

Are you guys allowed to source your goods from over the border or is that illegal?

ScouseMouse

Some of my stock is from the north. But its still economys of scale. If your sales go down 30% (like has typically happened to everyone) but your cost remain static, you need to make X% more on what you do sell to still pay your bills.

Its a vicious circle.

Until people realise you cannot compare a small local store to a Tesco or Dunnes, nothing will change. If the small shops disappear, you may not notice until you need something at seven in the morning/christmas day/ten at night.

Davidth88

I am a little surprised the shops here have to pay for delivery/ service

Superscouse I feel for you and other small shops.

The trouble is the general public feel the big multiples ( Tesco/Dunnes in particular ) are totally and utterly ripping them off. Comparing prices with the UK/The North will happen and cannot be fully explained by tax differences/differences in trading conditions.

If anyone could explain to me why the same chain can charge xxx for a product and xxx * 2 for the same product 30 miles away ( in a different country ) even if this product is 0 % VAT rated I would love to hear a rational reason.

Is part of the problem here the ' all powerful ' Musgraves basically holding a stranglehold on the wholesale side of things , or in the magazine front Easons ?

The example of this magazine is an interesting one , I for one was shocked to hear there was a 10% premium for ' distribution ' here .

Archeron

10000maniacs wrote: »

Actually the November issue is priced on the cover as £2.50. It is priced in my local Eurospar (Barrow Street D4) at €5.75.
In Easons O'Connell Street, it is more reasonably priced at €3.11. Still a hefty mark up.
Moral of the story. Buy in Newry, if this is not possible, buy in Easons.

I picked up that very issue in the little shop in Connolly Hospital in Blanch, the £2.50 having caught my eye. When I got the till, I was told it was €8.70. Couldnt fupping believe it. Needless to say it went back on the rack. Dont know if yer man was taking the proverbial and hoping to rip me off, but thats just ridiculous.

I've generally stopped buying magazines entirely now, they are massively overpriced. For the amount of ads in most of them,, they should almost be free.

Boom_Bap

i was passing through Schipol airport the other day and it was over €13. :eek:

b4nd1t

Gucky wrote: »

Lads dont get me wrong, I am proud as punch to be Irish, and I love this country with all my heart.
However, how come this country taxes us on every feckin thing they can, dentists, doctors all more expensive here than they are in the north (infact I dont pay a penny to see the doctor when I go up home)!
VRT on cars is through the roof, we pay on average NINE times more tax on alcohol in Europe,hell we even have to pay tax on a feckin MAGAZINE!!!!!

Can someone tell me, what with us lads nearly having to pay tax on passing wind, is this country almost on its knees?????

the reason is that there is less direct taxation so that people who want or use certain services only pay for it, instead of the whole population subsidising goods and services which they may not use.

GiftGrub100

The cover price relates to the UK and not Ireland, the fact that we can get these magazines in Ireland obviously incurs a cost not factored into the UK cover price, the extra distribution charge is actually quite reasonable if you think about it for any magazine.

It's not ripping off anyone, if you do wish to buy it for the cover price in the country where it is printed and sold then you have to be in that country.

I don't work in this industry but I would be surprised if all magazines that are imported are actually sold, the rate of returns must be high and the distribution has to cost money.

I buy several UK printed magazines on a regular basis and I am glad I can buy them in my local newsagents.

eth0_

Gucky wrote: »

I have bought FHM for nearly 11 years now.

:eek: :eek: :eek: :rolleyes:

oneweb

Boom_Bap wrote: »

i was passing through Schipol airport the other day and it was over €13. :eek:

Similarly last weekend, BBC Focus magazine is RRP £3.60 on the cover, €5.16 in Easons and a staggering €10.99 (eleven euro) in Amsterdam! I guess anyone who wants it badly enough will pay for it, but then again that's exactly why prices end up so high!

simonshortt

oneweb wrote: »

Similarly last weekend, BBC Focus magazine is RRP £3.60 on the cover, €5.16 in Easons and a staggering €10.99 (eleven euro) in Amsterdam! I guess anyone who wants it badly enough will pay for it, but then again that's exactly why prices end up so high!

Don't forget that BTW (VAT) is added to the price here. That and the fact that it is in English and at an Airport. Evey book or magazine in English over here is similarly highly priced. Thankfully the bookdepository still deliver here :-)