CLOTHESLINE:It's not surprising that people get angry about euro/sterling price differences when they are so widely off the current exchange rate. The other day I found a T-shirt in H&M in Dublin with a £7.99 sterling price tag corresponding to €12.90, almost double the price. No wonder people go North when there are such shocking disparities.
According to a spokeswoman for HM in the UK, “there will always be times when the prices across different markets could differ somewhat as exchange rates vary. H&M are approximately the same in all markets . . . there can be some small price differences between specific markets due to different taxes and transport costs”. Now really, H&M, who considers £7.99 translating to €12.90 as a “small difference” or “approximately the same”? With the new Matthew Williamson line debuting in April, customers can decide whether they want to pay substantially more in Dublin than in Belfast. Or whether they want to buy at all.