We are 29% dearer than the EU Average

goat2

K-9 wrote: »

The same brand?

does not matter what brand
they both taste the same
both strawberries

rubadub

Morgans wrote: »

You seem to have a problem accepting that there is a northern irish version of Rubadub, with the exact same shopping habits as you

I have no problem accepting that. You obviously did not understand my post if you think that. At least one other poster knew exactly what I was on about, I thought it was pretty clear.

goat2 wrote: »

does not matter what brand
they both taste the same
both strawberries

So I take it that the answer is NO...
If supervalu paid 1.40 for their can from their supplier and charge 1.45 and if aldi paid 20c and charge 45c then are supervalu still ripping you off? Shop for the best value by all means but presuming they all pay the same wholesale price and blaming the last man in the chain is madness. Just like those nut job sensationalist journalists that ignored wholesale prices and tried to twist that other study to say food at the till should cost 5-6% more down here compared to the north. That study said no such thing. Just like this study does not mean we PAY 29% more, we could pay far more for all I know, but do not twist what it really is saying.

Pacing Mule

goat2 wrote: »

does not matter what brand
they both taste the same
both strawberries

Class I, Class II or Extra Class can make a big difference in prices even if to your taste they taste the same.

K-9

goat2 wrote: »

does not matter what brand
they both taste the same
both strawberries

Well if you view things that simplistically, yes.

goat2

K-9 wrote: »

Well if you view things that simplistically, yes.

they were beautiful to eat, found no difference between the two in taste
i bought up a good few when i got them for the lesser price, as i saw it i got 3 for the price of one,

K-9

goat2 wrote: »

they were beautiful to eat, found no difference between the two in taste
i bought up a good few when i got them for the lesser price, as i saw it i got 3 for the price of one,

Each to their own I suppose.

I saw tea bags for €3.49 in Super Value. I seen the exact same packet for €1.49 in Aldi. Your take on that seems different to mine.

goat2

i intend doing a price comparison on each shop in the town nearest to me, it will be supervalu, spar, tesco, aldi, lidl, and any other in this town,
also see what eddie hobbs will make of it, as i will be sending my findings to him, as i do already know that there are huge differences, but this time iwill be taking note in all shops on everyday items

K-9

goat2 wrote: »

i intend doing a price comparison on each shop in the town nearest to me, it will be supervalu, spar, tesco, aldi, lidl, and any other in this town,
also see what eddie hobbs will make of it, as i will be sending my findings to him, as i do already know that there are huge differences, but this time iwill be taking note in all shops on everyday items

Your newsletter intrigues me.

I like Barrys teas.

borderlinemeath

goat2 wrote: »

i intend doing a price comparison on each shop in the town nearest to me, it will be supervalu, spar, tesco, aldi, lidl, and any other in this town,
also see what eddie hobbs will make of it, as i will be sending my findings to him, as i do already know that there are huge differences, but this time iwill be taking note in all shops on everyday items

Will your price comparison be like for like? ie brand for brand, weight for weight, organic for organic etc?

That is the only way your survey findings can be significant.
There are so many options in food these days that the only way to compare is like for like.
Are you going to go into Tesco and compare a mature block of branded cheese with a value pack in Aldi?
Or a value yogurt in a multipack and compare it to a single tub of "muller" yogurt?
Or Barrys tea bags with the Lidl brand "McKinley" (I only know this because Lidl is the closest supermarket to work and this is what is purchased for the canteen and it is a far inferior tea imo)

So by all means do a comparison and even with variety in brands ie
Barrys/Lyons or Yoplait/Muller etc but comparing quality and quantity.

Maybe you can't tell the difference between tinned strawberries but please tell me you would know the difference between a nice mature cheddar and a rubbery tasteless value pack?

borderlinemeath

K-9 wrote: »

Your newsletter intrigues me.

I like Barrys teas.

You can't beat a nice cup of Barrys tea. I don't mind paying a few extra cents for it.
I grew up in a house where we only ever made real leaf tea and it tastes divine - but the hassle and the mess means I reach for tea bags more often than not.

goat2

borderlinemeath wrote: »

You can't beat a nice cup of Barrys tea. I don't mind paying a few extra cents for it.
I grew up in a house where we only ever made real leaf tea and it tastes divine - but the hassle and the mess means I reach for tea bags more often than not.

i also like barrys tea
just yesterday in supervalu i bought 160 box for 6.20 in supervalu, yes i do like my tea and coffee to be a certain brand as these are mixed differently, also my bread
but strawberries are strawberries, and there is no mix in that
also veg is veg, fruit is fruit, but when it come to tea and coffee, this can be a mixture of different brought together to bring out the perfect blend

borderlinemeath

goat2 wrote: »

i also like barrys tea
just yesterday in supervalu i bought 160 box for 6.20 in supervalu, yes i do like my tea and coffee to be a certain brand as these are mixed differently, also my bread
but strawberries are strawberries, and there is no mix in that
also veg is veg, fruit is fruit, but when it come to tea and coffee, this can be a mixture of different brought together to bring out the perfect blend

Actually there are 3 types of strawberries.

And you can't say that every apple is the same, every potato is the same, there are thousands of varieties and each one will demand it's own price due to popularity, speed of growth, importing etc.

Using that argument will only flaw your findings.
Your taste buds may not be able to distinguish between a strawberry from a tin but surely you can taste the difference between a granny smith and a golden delicious apple? Or a rooster and a new potato?

rubadub

goat2 wrote: »

also veg is veg, fruit is fruit, but when it come to tea and coffee

Well I am sure you could understand people saying the opposite, e.g. somebody might say tea is tea but they find lidl's fresh fruit to be tastier.

My motto is if I can taste the difference and think the difference in price is worthy then I will pay it.

Tesco have both value & regular brand white sugar, I expect they are the exact same thing and doubt anybody could taste the difference. I have got cheap oranges in tesco and they had almost no taste, it was like eating flavourless jelly or something. I prefer the apples in lidl, big and tasty. If I am using eggs in a pancake or cake mixture I will use cheap ones, if I want a fried egg on its own I will use free range ones.

I do like coke zero and buy it when its on offer, however tesco have a sunsip brand of diet cola which does me fine, I do prefer coke zero but I cannot justify the price difference of something like 45cent vs €2, tescos normal own brand cost more than their "discrete" sunsip brand but tastes worse to me. Same with beers, I get €1 cans in the offie, while I would prefer erdinger at €2.60 per bottle -conversely in pubs I do drink erdinger as it is only about 10-50cent more and think the extra money is worth it.

I expect the milk being compared in this EU survey was mainly cheap UHT muck.

goat2

rubadub wrote: »

Well I am sure you could understand people saying the opposite, e.g. somebody might say tea is tea but they find lidl's fresh fruit to be tastier.

My motto is if I can taste the difference and think the difference in price is worthy then I will pay it.

Tesco have both value & regular brand white sugar, I expect they are the exact same thing and doubt anybody could taste the difference. I have got cheap oranges in tesco and they had almost no taste, it was like eating flavourless jelly or something. I prefer the apples in lidl, big and tasty. If I am using eggs in a pancake or cake mixture I will use cheap ones, if I want a fried egg on its own I will use free range ones.

I do like coke zero and buy it when its on offer, however tesco have a sunsip brand of diet cola which does me fine, I do prefer coke zero but I cannot justify the price difference of something like 45cent vs €2, tescos normal own brand cost more than their "discrete" sunsip brand but tastes worse to me. Same with beers, I get €1 cans in the offie, while I would prefer erdinger at €2.60 per bottle -conversely in pubs I do drink erdinger as it is only about 10-50cent more and think the extra money is worth it.

I expect the milk being compared in this EU survey was mainly cheap UHT muck.

i also grow my own strawberries, and aldis taste is closest to these and i will not be worrying so much about the price of veg, as i started out this year growing my own in the flower bed, so instead flowers this year i bought veg and it is doing nice, had my first dinner made of home grown organic cabbage and new potatoes this week,

g32

davo10 wrote: »

g32, though this is a discussion forum and everyone is of course entitled to thier opinion be it right or wrong, it is important that you have some understanding of the topics you have a strong opinion about, it does not help you nor the discussion if you post blatently incorrect information like VAT/VRT/Duty rates/info and use them to support your argument. This information is readily availiable on the internet so check before you post, it will save a lot of reading time and needless corrective posts.

There is nothing inaccurate about the fact its 30% more expensive on groceries in the Republic. I have also proven its up to 50% more expensive in other cases.

dazza_480

only Denmark is dearer than us in Europe

g32

davo10 wrote: »

g32's defence is based on innacurate data about VAT/Duties/Rates/Costs etc, so lets all agree that there is a difference in the prices on this particular reciept, be they big or small and discuss if this report has merit, if the price diferential has altered, and weather it is fair to say that because items cost more here, the vendor is ripping off the consumer by making higher profits.

You cherry pick which facts qualify and which don't.

Pacing Mule

g32 wrote: »

You cherry pick which facts qualify and which don't.

Either a "fact" is a fact or its not. It's not cherry picking to point out to you those statements you claim to be facts which are inaccurate / misleading.

Pacing Mule

g32 wrote: »

There is nothing inaccurate about the fact its 30% more expensive on groceries in the Republic. I have also proven its up to 50% more expensive in other cases.

Well I can't resist pointing out that the survey was 29% so a 30% "fact" is inaccurate.

And considering it has been explained countless times in this thread that the basis of the conclusion is not sound at all you can't say there is nothing inaccurate about the fact anyway.

borderlinemeath

g32 wrote: »

You cherry pick which facts qualify and which don't.

No that's your specialty.
Oh and innaccuracies and untruths.

g32

Pageant Messiah wrote: »

Well I can't resist pointing out that the survey was 29% so a 30% "fact" is inaccurate.

And considering it has been explained countless times in this thread that the basis of the conclusion is not sound at all you can't say there is nothing inaccurate about the fact anyway.

Glad to see you are perfect. If only the retailers could be the same on prices. Then again, I could also point out your spelling errors previous and make an issue of them unnecessarily.

I did prove (beyond any doubt) that its cheaper to buy groceries up north by posting my receipt as proof and borderlinemeath-davo-91011 choose to continually deny that. It suits him because he works in retail and does not like people shopping where it is cheaper. This survey also reinforces the fact that Irish consumers are Ripped-Off.

You have seen my receipt also so the same cannot be denied. People can shop wherever it is cheaper and you would be foolish to 'shop local' on the basis of a false economy. The only person that suffers is the end consumer that pays more.

borderlinemeath

g32 wrote: »

Glad to see you are perfect. If only the retailers could be the same on prices. Then again, I could also point out your spelling errors previous and make an issue of them unnecessarily.

I did prove (beyond any doubt) that its cheaper to buy groceries up north by posting my receipt as proof and borderlinemeath-davo-91011 choose to continually deny that. It suits him because he works in retail and does not like people shopping where it is cheaper. This survey also reinforces the fact that Irish consumers are Ripped-Off.

You have seen my receipt also so the same cannot be denied. People can shop wherever it is cheaper and you would be foolish to 'shop local' on the basis of a false economy. The only person that suffers is the end consumer that pays more.

All you proved is that you have a very bad diet :Dand only buy things on offer. Yes they may be cheaper but there are alternates and different offers down here time and time again. Which was proven to you by Rubadub.
And once again - I am not multiple posters - believe it or not more than one person disagrees with you.

How many times do you have to be told that the survey is over a year out of date?

And it's laughable that you would resort to pointing out spelling errors when every post you write contains inaccuracies and irrelevant capital letters.

rubadub

Another study I came across

Mercer Worldwide Cost of Living survey 2010 - City rankings

http://www.citymayors.com/features/cost_survey.html

Mercer's 2010 Cost of Living Survey
The survey covers 214 cities across five continents and measures the comparative cost of over 200 items in each location, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment. It is the world’s most comprehensive cost of living survey and is used to help multinational companies and governments determine compensation allowance for their expatriate employees. New York is used as the base city for the index and all cities are compared against New York. Currency movements are measured against the US dollar. The cost of housing – often the biggest expense for expats - plays an important part in determining where cities are ranked.

Europe
After Moscow, Geneva, Zurich and Copenhagen, the most expensive cities in Europe are Oslo (11) in Norway, Milan (15) in Italy, London and Paris (both 17) and Bern (22) in Switzerland. Other expensive European cities include Rome (26), Vienna (28), St Petersburg (30) Amsterdam (35), Baku (36) Dublin (42), Istanbul (44), Barcelona (49), Frankfurt (50), Madrid (52) and Lisbon (72). Riga ranks 81 followed by Budapest (94), Warsaw (96) and Tallinn (115). The least expensive city in Europe is Tirana (200) in Albania, followed by Macedonia’s Skopje (197), Sarajevo (196) in Bosnia Herzegovina, Minsk (192) in Belarus and Belfast (182) in the UK.

That is 42nd in the world.

goat2

today i bought in my local,
lee strand milk one lt 1.24
tin of peas 97
sugar 109
kerrygold butter 2.38
denny rashers, about 10 rashers in pack 4.98
rhubarb tart 4.99
sausages 3.54
2 chicken fillets 3.58
i have receipts to prove
anyone on here tell me
am i being screwed

rubadub

goat2 wrote: »

i have receipts to prove
anyone on here tell me
am i being screwed

Yes, not raped though, consensually being screwed, I think you are crazy to pay some of those prices -your choice though. If you are willing to pay that much then I might have been right when I said it could go either way, i.e. the average price being actually paid here could be far more than 29% (the average ASKING price).

I dunno why you say "receipts to prove it" -sounds like you know fine well you are paying over the odds and perhaps are biting off your nose to spite your face. You need this forum http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=346

goat2

rubadub wrote: »

Yes, not raped though, consensually being screwed, I think you are crazy to pay those prices -your choice though. If you are willing to pay that much then I might have been right when I said it could go either way, i.e. the average price being actually paid here could be far more than 29% (the average ASKING price).

I dunno why you say "receipts to prove it" -sounds like you know fine well you are paying over the odds and perhaps are biting off your nose to spite your face. You need this forum http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=346

i was not being smart
but i could not upload my receipt
i will try another time
i will go in another shop next time in my area, and do something the same shop and fill you in with the details

Pacing Mule

g32 wrote: »

Glad to see you are perfect. If only the retailers could be the same on prices. Then again, I could also point out your spelling errors previous and make an issue of them unnecessarily.

I did prove (beyond any doubt) that its cheaper to buy groceries up north by posting my receipt as proof and borderlinemeath-davo-91011 choose to continually deny that. It suits him because he works in retail and does not like people shopping where it is cheaper. This survey also reinforces the fact that Irish consumers are Ripped-Off.

You have seen my receipt also so the same cannot be denied. People can shop wherever it is cheaper and you would be foolish to 'shop local' on the basis of a false economy. The only person that suffers is the end consumer that pays more.

Thanks for the "perfect" compliment but I don't recall ever portraying myself as such. You posted a receipt proving that it is cheaper to buy a handful of items that were on special offer in Asda. What it comes down to though is your interpretation of your receipt and the survey referred to in the OP. Are ASDA ripping people off who want to buy one single 2Ltr of coke ? I could apply selective analysis to your receipt and come out with the conclusion they are.

The survey is out of date and based on flawed methodology to come up with the 29% difference. The real difference is a fraction of this and is explained by higher vat rates and the taxation system in general here. Note I am agreeing that prices are cheaper up north as to be fair the rest of the guys trying in vain to get you to comprehend their points are but they are nowhere near as cheaper as this survey claims / you believe. The rip off perception you have is that retailers across the board have added an extra margin onto their goods here and are paying the same cost price / incurring the same running costs as elsewhere when they simply aren't. It suits your agenda to ignore all this.

If your retort to my correcting your inaccurate VAT rates is to criticise a spelling / typo mistake(s) in my posts then the phrase clutching at straws springs to mind.

rubadub

goat2 wrote: »

i was not being smart
but i could not upload my receipt

I fully believe you, no need to post it up -is this a small convenience shop?

I paid 75cent for 1L of own brand milk in dunnes and it is the same in tesco, not sure how big that butter was, 1lg/454g kerrygold is 2.38 in tesco, tesco standard own brand is 1.79, I buy this as I could not tell the difference, same with the milk.

I get 10 chicken fillets for €10 in the local butchers, average 140g each which is medium sized.

Tesco value granulated sugar is 89c so yours is not too bad. Peas etc would depend on brands. Last time I got a rhubarb tart it was €1.50 on offer in tesco, as I said I am not picky so if I wanted cakes I just go up and see whats on offer, something always is.

g32

Pageant Messiah wrote: »

Thanks for the "perfect" compliment but I don't recall ever portraying myself as such. You posted a receipt proving that it is cheaper to buy a handful of items that were on special offer in Asda.

My receipt compares both Normal prices as separate and Offers as separate (Like for Like comparisons).


Asda Enniskillen: Firelighters 48 pack (My Receipt): GBP 1.27 (EUR 1.53).

Tesco Ireland: Firelighters 48 pack: EUR 2.89

= 47% more down here.

Normal prices in both cases (not on offer).



Separately, Comparing offer to offer:

Dunnes Stores had an ‘offer’ of EUR 2.00 on a Good Fellas Pizza. Asda Enniskillen also had an offer of 1 GBP (EUR 1.23) for the same product:

Asda: EUR 1.23

Dunnes Stores: EUR 2.00

= 38.5% more down here.


ALL items on the receipt were cheaper to buy in Asda than locally.

Pageant Messiah wrote: »

What it comes down to though is your interpretation of your receipt and the survey referred to in the OP.

Anyone who looks at this receipt would see it clearly shows the savings made in Asda versus Tesco Ireland or Dunnes Stores. What do you interpret differently?

Pageant Messiah wrote: »

Are ASDA ripping people off who want to buy one single 2Ltr of coke ? I could apply selective analysis to your receipt and come out with the conclusion they are.

My answer: No.


GBP1.66 (EUR 1.87) in Asda for one single 2L bottle of Coke:

http://groceries.asda.com/asda-estore/catalog/sectionpagecontainer.jsp?departmentid=1214921923747



EUR 1.99 in Tesco for one single 2L bottle of Coke:

http://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=254857167


Conclusion: Asda are cheaper.

Pageant Messiah wrote: »

The survey is out of date and based on flawed methodology to come up with the 29% difference.

You may want to comment why its flawed rather than because you say so.

Pageant Messiah wrote: »

The real difference is a fraction of this

That's your opinion. But can you prove that?

Pageant Messiah wrote: »

and is explained by higher vat rates and the taxation system in general here. Note I am agreeing that prices are cheaper up north as to be fair the rest of the guys trying in vain to get you to comprehend their points are but they are nowhere near as cheaper as this survey claims / you believe.

I think most people would find this survey to be on the right track. I'm finding it 38.5% - 47% more expensive down here (as verified above) and the survey is finding it about 29%. Its certainly in the correct range. The only people who seem to disagree are those with corporate interests such as retailers because it exposes the truth in prices.

Pageant Messiah wrote: »

The rip off perception you have is that retailers across the board have added an extra margin onto their goods here and are paying the same cost price / incurring the same running costs as elsewhere when they simply aren't. It suits your agenda to ignore all this.

This survey compares the price of groceries between countries - it doesn't compare the operating costs because that is a separate issue.

Ireland came out among the highest in terms of grocery prices.

91011

g32 wrote: »

GBP1.66 (EUR 1.87) in Asda for one single 2L bottle of Coke:

can you PLEASE tell me where I can get £1.66 for €1.87 as I would love to exchange €5million euro at that rate thus giving me an immediate exchange profit of €300,000.

At todays bank rate excluding commission of 81p / €1, £1.66 will cost you €2.05. (offer in tesco = 2 for €2.50, so even the offer in Tesco is better than Asda)

Using your totally flawed methodology, I can show where my local village Gala store is 26% cheaper than Asda. (buying 3 x special offer priced goods & comparing it with Asda standard prices)


99.999% of the population have a a normal diet that consists of more goods than a mass produced special offer pizza & coca cola. Show me a receipt with a NORMAL regular shop with approx 50 varied items including some offers but also including minerals, cereals, bread, fresh veg, fruit, canded products, dairy product, toiletries, meat, alcohol & treats. And if you can show me a 30% average difference I'll bow to you. - even if you could show a 10 - 15% difference I'd bow to you.

As I said, I go through the north very frequently, (family in Ballycastle, client in Donegal) & I see absolutely no incentive to stop & shop as prices on average simply are not more than a few cent different.