"Best" Example of Celtic Tiger Mindless Excess

dewsbury

This may well have been done before - but here goes.

Remember the Celtic Tiger ?

Two favourite examples of mindless excess.

1. One bottle of mineral water in Superquinn (and elsewhere) €45!!. "Bling" was the brand and I would guess that Superquinn would be embarrassed that they actually sold it.

2. Artic Spa's. Remember that ad. on TV where you house was simply incomplete unless your had a hot spa in the garden.

....Any other mindless examples out there??

Mena

What's wrong with having a spa?

Gillo

dewsbury wrote: »

1. One bottle of mineral water in Superquinn (and elsewhere) €45!!. "Bling" was the brand and I would guess that Superquinn would be embarrassed that they actually sold it.

Why should they be embarrassed about selling it? It's the people who bought it who should be embarrassed.

dudara

Not really a Consumer Issue - let's try Rip Off Ireland

dudara

RoboRat

What's wrong with having a spa?

When I build my house I'm putting a hot tub in. Absolutely love them!

(especially when they turn out to be a time machine)

ejmaztec

RoboRat wrote: »

When I build my house I'm putting a hot tub in. Absolutely love them!

(especially when they turn out to be a time machine)

We already got back to the 80s without needing one of them to take us there.:(

Galia

People doing a full shopping at superquinns .

newmug

The "M3".
The SSIA scheme. If THAT wasn't a clue something was going badly wrong, I just give up.
Planning permission granted en-masse, without actually doing any PLAN-ning.
All the car scrappage schemes.
Liffey Valley.
"Wine bars" that didnt sell wine opening up everywhere. What the hell is wrong with calling it a coffee shop?
De-regulating taxi's.
The new "ryndabite" accent.
Granting citizenship to anyone who claimed to be related to a lepreachaun, or who put their name down to attend Irish dancing classes.


Take your pick.

the groutch

mothers with 7 seater jeeps to collect 1 kid from school

snubbleste

the groutch wrote: »

mothers with 7 seater jeeps to collect 1 kid from school

They are still around..

mikemac1

Weekend shopping trips to New York

Stories everywhere about labels and suitcases and customs and VAT

Yet ye proudly declared you were so cute and clever at cheating customs coming back. Not realy, customs just didn't care.

Customs could have nailed ye all, they just have more important things to worry about, like smuggling and criminal gangs

I heard there was some American brand that was not on sale here and of course, rare brands can become must haves. Abercromie


And finally, Brown Thomas selling a bag with a label "it's not a bag"
People queued up to buy these. Adverts.ie became ebay with profiteering and people trying to sell them and mods getting angry

mathepac

snubbleste wrote: »

They are still around..

Except now the young fellah drives the SUV with a sound-system in place of 5 passengers and Mammy drives an eco-friendly quad-fuel low-impact Toyota Your Arse that move 2 people at 3 mph..

the groutch

mathepac wrote: »

Toyota Your Arse

classic, right up there with Nissan's Cash Cow & Toe-rag

mysteries1984

mikemac1 wrote: »

And finally, Brown Thomas selling a bag with a label "it's not a bag"
People queued up to buy these. Adverts.ie became ebay with profiteering and people trying to sell them and mods getting angry

It was 'I'm not a plastic bag', by designer Anya Hindmarch, hence its appeal. It wasn't a Celtic Tiger issue though, they were selling everywhere for ridiculous sums of money.

_AVALANCHE_

"OMG!!! OMG!!!!! Keira and Lily have one! I gotta get me one..."



Gob****es^^^. How much were these things?




Flying lessons was another one, everyone was a pilot a few years back.

mysteries1984

_AVALANCHE_ wrote: »

Here's a current auction on eBay: http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Anya-Hindmarch-am-not-Im-Not-Plastic-Bag-Authentic-Blue-Canvas-US-Version-/250989138210?pt=US_CSA_WH_Handbags&hash=item3a701e5122#ht_1996wt_1185

That'll give you an idea, and the auction's not over yet.

Apparently they were selling for about £200 stg at the time of their release though.

newmug

Jeeps became 4x4's. That was bad enough, but then 4x4's became SUV's!
Rugby and cricket replaced GAA.
TV3.

neckedit

The F**king Spire!!

ejmaztec

Luxurious hotels built in the back of beyond that are now distressed properties looking for a buyer, and without much chance of ever getting one.

http://www.insolvencyjournal.ie/distressed/Watermarque_Hotel_and_Apartment_Complex.aspx

New 56 Bed Boutique Hotel & 24 Holiday Apartments located in a place of incredible natural beauty.

The Watermarque Hotel is a newly developed boutique hotel and spa which is luxuriously appointed and tastefully furnished to a four star standard.

The hotel and adjoining apartment complex includes:
56 superbly appointed guest bedrooms
The Ivy Bar
The Watermarque Restaurant
The Banqueting Hall with capacity for up to 200 patrons.
The leisure and spa facilities at the hotel include
16m swimming pool,
Jacuzzi, sauna
Cardio gymnasium
The Quays Health & Wellness Centre

StereoLove

Remember when you couldn't get a plumber out to your house for love nor money during the Celtic Tiger? Yeah, I'm glad that's changed.

1966

snubbleste wrote: »

They are still around..

Only cause they can't sell them........

funnights74

the groutch wrote: »

mothers with 7 seater jeeps to collect 1 kid from school

Ha ha yeah, and American fridges that couldn't hold everything on display in a local tesco's. :eek:

ejmaztec

An auctioneer once telling me that he wouldn't get out of bed for less than €10K. I haven't set eyes on him since 2007.

Nanazolie

the groutch wrote: »

mothers with 7 seater jeeps to collect 1 kid from school

hey, who tells you that she is not collecting one child from one school because the other ones finish later? Or that they are old enough to walk home with their friends? The fact that there is only one child in the car doesn't mean that she only has the one

People in SUVs driving around Dublin, or worse, shopping in town.

People buying loo rolls in posh shops like Donnybrook Fair or Fallon & Byrne.

Rochester

Proposing on the top of the Empire State Building in New York with a ring from Tiffany's!!!!!:rolleyes:

Run_to_da_hills

snubbleste wrote: »

They are still around..

The majority of them are pre 06 registration.

funnights74 wrote: »

Ha ha yeah, and American fridges that couldn't hold everything on display in a local tesco's. :eek:

I have seen one of these in a council house in East Wall, it took up half the kitchen, the living room was pretty much the same with a 42" Plasma TV.

run_Forrest_run

the multiple honeymoons, the couple get married and declare, "we're only going to Europe for 2 weeks now but we'll go on our proper honeymoon to [other side of world] for 4 weeks during the Christmas holidays (which could be 6 months away)".

And for each time there must be a gathering of friends to 'catch-up' with once they get back and brag about their trip.

run_Forrest_run

while I'm on the wedding theme, who remembers the brass neck attitude of the 'Wedding List", usually from BT. I've seen a few, highlights include a vegetable dish for €250 or a Gaggia Espresso machine for €350...classy!

Cavehill Red

The gilt-edged example of Celtic Tiger excess was surely people buying 'an investment property' off-plan somewhere like Bulgaria from a storefront estate agent in rural Ireland and then bragging about the (notional) value of their 'portfolio'.

LittleBook

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

the multiple honeymoons, the couple get married and declare, "we're only going to Europe for 2 weeks now but we'll go on our proper honeymoon to [other side of world] for 4 weeks during the Christmas holidays (which could be 6 months away)"

That and people who (for no discernible reason) decide to get married in a foreign country so everyone had to pay for a present, an outfit, flights, accommodation, etc.

And foreign stags/hens ... what was wrong with a dinner/party in your own town?!

R P McMurphy

_AVALANCHE_ wrote: »

Flying lessons was another one, everyone was a pilot a few years back.

I bought €500 worth of lessons but never got off the ground

Duck Soup

All the personal healing and mystical bollix with no proven results - reiki, feng shui, cupping, colonic irrigation, rolfing and homeopathy.

oisindoyle

Duck Soup wrote: »

All the personal healing and mystical bollix with no proven results - reiki, feng shui, cupping, colonic irrigation, rolfing and homeopathy.

Good for you!!!!!

_AVALANCHE_

oisindoyle wrote: »

Good for you!!!!!

Oh really!!!!!

Duck Soup

I'd respectfully suggest that when people are paying €100 an hour to have someone re-arrange the furniture, put a hosepipe up their gary or buy water with a memory, that is the very definition of more money than they know what to do with.

keithclancy

LittleBook wrote: »

And foreign stags/hens ... what was wrong with a dinner/party in your own town?!

They know you in your own town

keithclancy

Duck Soup wrote: »

All the personal healing and mystical bollix with no proven results - reiki, feng shui, cupping, colonic irrigation, rolfing and homeopathy.

Whatever works for someone is good in my view, whether its a placebo effect or not.

If your dying anyway who gives a sh*t.