Pricewatch
Your consumer queries answered. Have you a problem, a gripe or a tip-off? Contact us on 01-6758000 or mail pricewatch@irishtimes.com or via twitter @conor_pope
The worst phrases of the pandemic: From ‘meaningful’ to ‘maskne’
Remember the world before ‘non-essential retail’ and ‘pivot’ came into everyday usage?
2020 was the year we all went wild in our gardens
Pricewatch: Since Covid hit, we have splashed out more on our gardens than ever before
Pandemic savings: How some people have saved thousands by working from home
Pricewatch: Many saving on commuting, food and coffee costs, but utilities are up
Irish people buying more immunity boosting foods than ever before
Pricewatch: Report finds people care more about where food comes from and how it gets to their table
Revolut user in a spin after being asked if he was related to Eamon Ryan
Pricewatch: Reader told his account would be restricted if he did not answer question
The Irish-focused platforms offering an alternative to Amazon
Pricewatch: Indigenous online sites aim to help Irish consumers to shop local
The ethical shopper: Buy local, read labels, think before you shop
From clothes to food, taking the time to inform yourself can make a difference
Missing white-knuckle stress? Try the postal service
Pricewatch: Getting a letter from England to Ireland can take a stressfully long time
Cyber Monday: Beware of bogus deals and preying scammers
Pricewatch: Consumers need their wits about them amid relentless coverage of ‘bargains’
Twenty-two ways supermarkets trick you into spending more money
Supermarkets bombard customers with all manner of psychological devices and tricks
Pricewatch: Readers’ queries answered
Currys’ response to a fridge-freezer problem has provided cold comfort to this elderly couple
Covid-19: Why Ireland is seeing the rise and rise of the cautious consumer
Pricewatch: Three reports into sentiment and spending track a gloomy outlook
Consumers pay high price for not pulling the plug on energy suppliers
Pricewatch: People who change energy providers can make annual savings of €400
How to be a better consumer: 20 commandments
Keep your wits about you as a shopper – that way you get the best value
Twenty ways Covid-19 has changed our daily lives
Pricewatch: Will consumers return to normal or will some new habits endure?
Shopping locally: what difference does it make?
The lockdown has encouraged Irish consumers to buy locally-sourced goods
Holidays at home: Embrace our weather, eat chipper chips and buy wetsuits
If you haven’t had a holiday at home in decades, here’s how to get the most out of it
Travel refunds up in the air as readers run out of patience
Pricewatch: Deluge of complaints about travel companies as Covid-19 disrupts plans
How lockdown has helped us to save money - and find new ways to spend it
Pricewatch: Meal kits and takeaway pints have become the new camping holiday
Pricewatch: Left on the shelf - what we are no longer buying
Bread and male grooming products among things consumers decided they can do without
The changing face of retail during and after Covid-19
What can we expect? Limits on time spent in shops, staggered queues and plexiglass at tills
Avoca: it’s all about the food now
The multimillion euro retail chain has had to reinvent itself since the Covid-19 lockdown
How coronavirus is changing our relationship with food and cooking
Pricewatch: ‘Shielding’, ‘stocking-in’ and ‘comfort cooking’ are among the new trends
Delivering the goods: Irish retailers that will come to you
We asked readers for small companies that now do home delivery. Here’s a selection
Why is there an Easter bunny and not an Easter chicken?
Pricewatch: We answer the pressing questions you always wanted to ask
How Covid-19 has changed the face of Irish shopping
Pricewatch: Retail has undergone a swift and bleak transformation under crisis guidelines
Are the travel industry and airlines playing fair in coronavirus crisis?
Pricewatch: Hundreds of people could lose thousands of euro as their travel plans lie in tatters
Coronavirus confinement: Thirteen tips to make self-isolating easier
Pricewatch: Help cope with confinement by adding to your interests and activities
Libraries: Remarkable places we should cherish
Less than 20% of Irish people describe themselves as regular users
What you need to know about pensions
Almost half of Ireland’s workers have no private pension, according to a recent study
How to do Valentine’s Day on the cheap and sustainably
Pricewatch: Is Valentine’s Day a con job? Romance can come with a hefty price tag
Cover or no cover: ‘I know mistakes happen . . . but it really is a mess’
Pricewatch: Reader shares her experience of conflicting phone calls with Laya Healthcare
Things we take for granted that hardly existed in 2010
Selfies, contactless payments, storm names and Netflix - what have the 2010s given us?
Pricewatch: 2019 was eventful for hard-pressed consumers
Food scares, Brexit fears, rising costs, and how to cut a pineapple
Conor Pope's ultimate guide to the Christmas sales - tips, deals and your rights
Many shops have lost the ability to retail, and have replaced it with deep discounting
From Advent to zeds: Your ultimate A-Z guide to Christmas
Is it Kris Kindle or Kris Kringle? And what exactly is egg nog?
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