Marks & Sparkle

[Blaze]

Looking at BCS prices they are frightening. A lot of the products are available in French supermarkets at much lower prices. Not for me!

France couldn't supply what I wanted. We don't go to the UK any more nor is there any chance of anyone coming to visit so I was prepared to pay to get what I wanted There isn't always an acceptable/suitable substitute here

[exile]

Looking at BCS prices they are frightening. A lot of the products are available in French supermarkets at much lower prices. Not for me!

I agree but in our case it is some of the products. We are not blessed with metres of UK/USA product shelves in our supermarkets and I have a 90km round trip to find even one store.

Many products I would never countenance buying anyway but each to their own and after that there are a few products that we feel we want, if not need, that are worth the extra cost.

Alternatives, such as visitors bring them with them, have slipped away for a couple of years, buy from the UK and leave yourself open to the possibility of a fixed price handling charge from the delivery company who will want to extract the VAT as well.

Sometimes the financial pain is worth the comfort.

[Wilbro]

[mention]exile[/mention]
Yes I appreciate that exile and the odd item I can understand but obviously people must buy the other grossly expensive products from them to hold them in stock. I looked at a few items, cereals and confectionary, and the prices are ridiculous. Maltesers, readily available here, must be getting on for twice the French price.

Also for the site to claim no customs charges or ATV is a bit disingenuous as they pay for that on import and it's built into the price.

[Blaze]

[mention]Wilbro[/mention]
Like Exile, there are very few UK items in the supermarkets here and what there is, I wouldn't buy anyway. Cheesecake mix, Roses Lime Marmalade, biscuits, HP sauce ... no thanks !

[Wilbro]

[mention]Blaze[/mention]
As I've said if one desperately needs something then ok but not to use the site for general shopping .
We can get a lot of things here even without going to the hypermarkets and what we can't? Well we'll live, there's always a substitute.

[Blaze]

[mention]Wilbro[/mention] Agreed !! There are no substitutes for Bovril I'd be surprised if people use such a site for general shopping because of the cost but it's nice to treat yourself occasionally

[Doug]

As I have posted before, only two things which we regulary brought back from uk was large mansize tissues and marmite.
Can get marmite here at a cost but never seen the extra large tissues.

[Wilbro]

[mention]Doug[/mention]
Agree about mansize tissues, I use kitchen towel if a good blast is required
Don't know how De Gaulle managed

[Oldblueraincoat]

The UK sections in our local Leclerc, SuperU and Intermarche are getting smaller and smaller. Madame OBR, who is French, has a craving for Heinz Tomato soup, Mint and Tartare sauces so we have sourced () them at Leclerc in Pineulh and the Carrefour Market in Eymet which both, unsurprisingly, have a well stocked UK section.

[exile]

@exile
Yes I appreciate that exile and the odd item I can understand but obviously people must buy the other grossly expensive products from them to hold them in stock. I looked at a few items, cereals and confectionary, and the prices are ridiculous. Maltesers, readily available here, must be getting on for twice the French price.

Also for the site to claim no customs charges or ATV is a bit disingenuous as they pay for that on import and it's built into the price.

It is worth remembering that the company serves the whole of Europe from this site and not just France. So while Maltesers may seem expensive, perhaps they are cheap or even unavailable to someone in say Greece.

Personally there are not a lot of things I would buy but there are some and funnily enough the OH talked yesterday about making a Christmas cake for the first time in quite a few years. Raisins - check. Sultanas - check. Currants - bu@@er.
Nothing in the local supermarket.
Amazon - 2 x 125g = €21.
BCS - 500g €4,60.

So it does cut two ways.