THE rip-off Republic is still, unfortunately, alive and well…and living in Donegal.
In a week when official statistics show that prices here are 18% higher than the European average, it’s clear that as consumers we are still being over-charged for many ordinary every day items.
There is little doubt that many many businesses have slashed their prices in order to keep custom.
But every now and then we all come across some cute dodgy deal…hidden behind a sticker.
The latest example is a simple chocolate bar bought in a Donegal shop yesterday.
The giant bar of Aero looked like a bargain…especially when the sticker on it read ‘Only €1.50’.
But when the sticker was peeled back it showed a sterling price underneath…at just £1.
That makes the bar 35 cents more expensive that the North….and 35 cents more clear profit for the retailer selling it.
A donegaldaily.com reader who bought the chocolate locally told us: “I know this sounds like a stupid thing to complain about but when I discovered the sterling price underneath I just felt cheated.
“They are obviously going North to buy their supplies and expect us not to; to shop locally and keep jobs locally.
“And then there is the mark-up, the extra we are forced to pay. On the exchange rate it should have been €1.15c. It’s just a blatant rip-off.”
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