Ad for Newry Quays Shopping Centre. Shortly after this photo was taken, they were both punched in the face by someone from Meath.
The Southerners-to-Newry shopping exodus made the New York Times today. The New York Times! Clearly the absence of Irish shoppers filling their wheelie suitcases with Abercrombie hoodies has sent shockwaves through the New York economy.
Have you been to Newry to participate in the excitement? And by excitement, I obviously mean getting into a knock-down fight over a trolley with one of your fellow countrymen in a shopping centre carpark.
The excitement has its painful side for the locals as well, as Belfast food blogger Food Drink Ireland described recently. The poor man just wanted to get his Sunday dinner!
When I got [to Sainsburys] I was bemused to find I struggled to find a parking space in amongst all the southern reg cars. I was even more bemused to see when I got in that there were couples everywhere with two trolleys. One filled with booze (on some occasions piled up nearly to my eye level, and I’m a tiny 6’2″. Others had trolleys filled with tubs of Celebrations. It was fecking crazy.
Over six feet of booze! A trolley full of chocolates! I wish I was going to Christmas dinner in that house.
Any stories from the Newry Christmas shopping experience? Any exceptional bargains or outstanding punch-ups that you want to share with us?
Sunday 15 November, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Im a local and im sick of the southerners. I hate the sight of them. I found myself spending my own money in belfast/craigavon and portadown. Shopping there was amazing and there wasnt a rude boozy southerner insight. I dont think they realise by taking their custom elsewhere they are making their own economy worse. So i think i speak for all of the locals when i say, atleast give us one day a week were we can shop in our own town without getting ran over by the southern state. Im disgusted to call myself irish- i read recently that the irish state now consider northern ireland part of ireland 68% more than they did three years ago. Thank you for paying her majestys taxs!