Prices across Europe

[NormanH]

An interesting document...

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Comparative_price_levels_of_consumer_goods_and_services

 

[idun]

I have looked at these figures and wondered where exactly they were done.

I am, and always have been a canny shopper, and I know that we live cheaper in England, well the NE of England than we did in France. My son's french girl friend also thinks that things here are really great value here and returns home valises full.

I suppose that comparing Paris to London could well be a different kettle of fish.

[lindal1000]

I used to think some things were a lot cheaper in Uk, but now with the pound to the euro at 1.41 things seem much cheaper here. Just bought our weekly groceries: 53 euros, which now is about £37.00

[vette]

You should have done your shopping today, it's now 1.43.

It's certainly better than when it went down to 1.02 a few years back.

[Judith]

I find I spend more on food here than in the UK, but then its several years ago, and I've stopped worrying about price, and I buy what I like.  Still buy the old t-bags though and such like in the UK, and it's not just cost, just cannot get the same stuff ... eg herbal teas, cook in sauces, some pharmaceuticals ....and Boots online don't always supply the same products to Europe.

But for the UK I find clothes better, better fit, better colour, better styles, and better quality.  Won't mention service in shops, we all know which is best!

[mint]

[quote user="Judith"]Won't mention service in shops, we all know which is best!

[/quote]

Up to a month or so ago, I would have completely agree, Judith.

So, what's changed my mind?

Well, I have come across an absolutely wonderful kitchen shop near us and the service and after sales contact cannot be bettered anywhere in my opinion.

Salesman was wonderful and interpreted my wishes better than I could myself.  I changed a few little things like height of the splashback, the addition of a towel rail and so on.  All done with rapidity and at NO EXTRA cost.

Man came out to our house to check the measurements we'd given them and answered many questions.  Then the owner rang, just to make sure we were happy with our order, rang again with about a fortnight's notice of delivery.

Was able to deliver when we wanted and NOT at the shop's sole convenience.  Couple of minor things not exactly as ordered or slightly damaged.  They sent a man with replacements at a day of our naming.

Their man came out and put right several things that weren't correctly done by our installer.

Then, I rang to ask about the price of a drawer insert that is très classe and very expensive and the owner, without hesitation offered me it as un cadeau[:D]

 

[lindal1000]

I do sometimes think, when you talk about service in shops in UK, you all must have lived in nicer places than me! TK Max in Croydon and anything in Wood Green Shopping City (AKA Beirut) spring to mind as amongst the worst shopping experiences ever!

[mint]

Lindal, you are so right, good and bad both sides of the channel.

[Gardengirl]

I can't think of examples of poor service where we are in England or anywhere we go to in other places in the country. I'm glad I don't live near the places Linda mentions.

Particular good examples near us are the kitchen planner and fitters who have been in my mind since Mint talked about her new kitchen, all staff at our GP practice, Lakeland (surely staff are made to good measure at every branch!) and our local pharmacy, dental practice and chiropodist. Interesting that most are to do with health of various types - must be my age! Then there are the staff in our local M&S, who are so thoughtful and helpful.

Then when I think of good service in France, many examples pop into my head; the doctor who wouldn't go to his lunch break until he'd managed to get the various tests and scans fitted in before my husband went into hospital, and complained about 'the French' who close at lunchtimes (he's French too!). Then staff at various cafés, restaurants, bakeries etc around our little town, smiling service almost guaranteed, even staff in the post office and M. Bricolage smile and are helpful.

The only stand-out example of awful service I can think of was at the hospital my husband was sent to by that lovely doctor above. The woman on the 'welcome' desk was unpleasant to say the least and the woman in accounts wouldn't accept his EHIC card even though it had been photocopied along with his passport, as it wasn't in French, and insisted that I paid a large sum of money before he was allowed to leave hospital a few days later.

Maybe we're just (mostly) very lucky.

[andyh4]

Which is all very interesting but the analysis was on prices of goods and services and not about the quality of goods and service.

Idun,

looking at the methodology for the study (there is a link there if you have the time and inclination to look) it does say that they try and get representative numbers across countries but that for some countries (not named) only the prices in the capitals are available. In this case they add a correction factor to the data - not specified what sort of correction or how it is applied.

Reading through the document, I get an impression (which may be wrong) that the indices measure not only the price but also include an element of the level of economic activity. If my impression is correct then the difference between the UK and France may reflect a higher level of consumerism in the UK compared to France, rather than higher prices per se. The accompanying documents are not sufficiently clear (for a numpty like me at least) to be able to see how far this may impact on the results.

[mint]

[quote user="andyh4"]Which is all very interesting but the analysis was on prices of goods and services and not about the quality of goods and service. [/quote]

That may be, andy, but some of us, unlike those complained of by Oscar Wilde, aren't the prople that "know the price of everything but the value of nothing"[:D]

Anyway, when I was doing some rough comparisons, I believe that for the kitchen I bought (and which came all the way from Germany) would have been many thousands of pounds more in the UK.

I can't really think of a reason why that might be unless it's because they can hike up the price where demand is high and just the word "designer" attached to any sort of goods immediately means you are paying over the odds.

It's never been easier for those of us with links to both countries to shop around for high value goods.  I wouldn't bother with foodstuffs and frozen goods or meat products as many do around where I live.  But, for things like cooker hoods, ovens, sinks, sanitary goods, etc, it's worth looking in both countries to buy things that are good on price AND value[:)]

[NormanH]

It's not surprising that posters here have looked at the UK/France comparison, but I was more interested in the prices between different Eurozone countries, where there seem to be large variations

[andyh4]

I think Norman that that is because we are all being misled by the study.

I have now gone back 4 times to look again at the information (how nerdy is that?) and despite the title being " Comparative price levels of consumer goods and services", the main measure they provide - and the one I think we have mostly homed in on is HFCE - household final consumption expenditure. So the main measure is not price but consumption.

If you go into their methodology:

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3859598/5923225/KS-RA-12-023-EN.PDF/e2755b1b-68a5-4dad-86f5-6327c76da14d?version=1.0

(and I don't pretend to understand more than the half of it), you will find:

28. Consistency is essential because the basis of a comparison is the identity: expenditure = price x volume. Volumes are obtained by dividing expenditures by prices. To estimate the volumes correctly, the prices collected should be consistent with those used to derive the expenditures..................

So price is important, but so is how much is purchased (volume).

To my probably simplistic mind this means the study is closer to measuring the use of available income rather than prices alone. Nevertheless prices will be important in determining how much can be purchased against a fixed available budget.

Taking this into account I think I can rationalise a lot of the placings in the table -

Switzerland top of the pile (I might have alternatively guessed at a Scandinavian country):

UK high up because of the high level of consumerism:

France and Germany lower but still above average - they purchase less and less often, but maybe pay more:

Balkan states and Turkey towards the bottom.

As the study warns, government taxation can also influence the results.

[idun]

 andy, I did give the report another quick browse and decided that I currently haven't the time, or energy to really look into it, so you are braver than me.

I don't know how one works this out really.

I don't and won't spend my life converting exchange rates all the time. I know how much things cost in the UK and I stick by me finding that we really do spend less here than we did in France.

[NormanH]

Makes sense andy...