Exchange rate con insults shoppers

SHOPPING. It was once such a simple and pleasant pastime — peruse, choose, pay.

But now, thanks to the phenomenon of “dual-pricing”, it has become an exercise in mathematics, complicated currency conversions and utter frustration — for some of us at least.

Although evidence of shoppers crossing the border — or taking a cheap flight to Britain — is growing, the vast majority of us, it seems, are happy to continue paying over the odds.

So desensitised to being ripped-off, we don’t even question the blatant price discrepancies anymore even though the evidence, is quite literally in front of our eyes — on a large black and white label.

Questions need to be asked, however, because at a time when the euro is peaking against sterling, in the blinking of a credit card approval, thousands of us are being fleeced on a daily basis by retailers taking advantage of our apathy, be it perceived or real.

According to the Consumers Association of Ireland — who, alongside Dublin’s Q102 radio station have launched a fresh campaign to encourage shoppers to “ignore the store” — we are “selling ourselves cheap”.

Indeed, analysis by the Irish Examiner has revealed price variances in Irish stores of more than 40% between the sterling and euro prices shown on the same label.

Further examination of exchange rates being offered in some stores has also shown that different rates are often used within the same outlet.

In our very own Dunnes Stores, a dual-priced household item was marked £12 for British shoppers and €20 for Irish shoppers. With today’s exchange rate, the price in Ireland should be €14.11.

While the level of the rip-off might be increasing, the act itself is no revelation.

Highlighted with much consternation and rattle-shaking, the euro/sterling price disparity and its evils hit the headlines earlier this year.

There were Dáil debates. The National Consumer Agency was called in.

The Taoiseach wanted to know what those “f**kers” were doing about it.

A media frenzy with campaigns of “outing” the culprits ensued.

Outrage reigned for days, possibly even weeks.

And then, in no uncertain terms we were told the Government, or the NCA, could do nothing about it.

Simply, there was and is no obligation on retailers to price goods in different markets uniformly.

It was up to us to boycott the profiteering rip-off merchants, gleefully counting up their Gaelic loot.

Then, in true Irish style, we did nothing, and simply forgot about it.

Now though, with Christmas looming and purse strings tight, public anger against the offenders is growing once again.

But can the retailers really be blamed?

At the end of the day, they are profit-making businesses, not public service agents of goodwill.

And as there is nothing — no regulator, no government plan, no divine intervention — to stop them, they are hardly likely to volunteer a price drop.

Venita Quick, co-presenter and producer of Q102’s On the QT, says her show is inundated with texts, emails and letters from consumers, all lamenting their plight. “It is an issue that’s not going away. People are contacting us about it all the time, and we are campaigning for people to shop with their feet,” she says.

Easier said than done.

Anecdotal evidence from talking to shoppers leaving an offending department store told the same old sorry tale. We all know it’s going on, but we continue to pay, in every sense of the word.

CAI chief executive Dermott Jewell is adamant about the solution — take your business elsewhere.

“The actions and attitude adopted by many retailers in adding exorbitant, unrealistic and undeserved profit margins to Irish consumers needs to be highlighted,” he said.

“But — more importantly — consumers must acknowledge that this is unacceptable, and that they are being fleeced.

“They do have the power to do something about it, and must do something about it.”

Mr Jewell said every consumer who sees anything with more than 10% added to the euro exchange value of a sterling price should leave the goods there.

“This is the one simple way we, as consumers, can send the message that until we see fair pricing we will not spend and we will leave products on the racks and shelves of the profiteers,” he said.

In another cunning ploy to dupe us, some retailers have taken to covering up the sterling price.

This, according to Mr Jewell, is the ultimate insult.

“Obliterating prices shows that retailers have no interest in bringing the price down,” he said.

“It’s another lesson to consumer that the shops know they will continue to buy.

“We really are selling ourselves cheap.”

So, let the action start today.

In the words of our great Finance Minister, let’s do our “patriotic duty”.

Because it seems the only way left to motivate the masses might be to whip up a bit of nationalistic sentiment.

Let’s invoke that age-old anti-British rhetoric, and finally get some use out of it.

Ignore the store, shop with your feet and boycott all those continuing to make a mug of the Irish consumer.