Rip-off Britain
The expression 'rip-off Britain' was first created in the late 1990s but the concept is still relevant today as we Brits continue to pay over the odds for all sorts of products such as clothes, fuel, food, electronics, medicine and more.
Top Rip-off Britain searches:
In America they get the same products as us, the same labels, which are often manufactured in the same places, for considerably less than we pay. Here are 5 such products you can get cheaper in the States:
The Apple Macbook - American citizens can purchase a brand new Apple Macbook (13" screen, 2GB RAM, 160GB hard drive) for $999 which is currently about £630. Whereas us poor mugs in Blighty have to fork out £749 for the exact same machine. At least the delivery is free.
Petrol - In some States in America you can buy a gallon of petrol (or gas as they call it) for around $2.57 which is about £1.60. Currently the average price of a litre (yes, that's about a third of the amount) of petrol in the UK is £1.05.
Cars - Want to buy a gas guzzler to fill up with all that expensive petrol? Maybe a cute little Toyota Yaris. It's a Japanese car, but in the States it'll set you back around $11,185, which is about £7,800. The same car in the UK can cost between £9,905 and £14,935. Of course, you can take advantage of the scrappage scheme to save £2,000 but you need an old banger you've had for 10 years for the deal.
Levi's jeans - A pair of men's 501 Original Levi's jeans cost around $59.50 in America which is roughly £37 and for a similar pair from the UK website the cheapest option is £59.95. If you're a fan of Levi's it might work out cheaper to go on a shopping holiday to the USA and bring back some pairs for your friends and family.
Pizza - If you're in America (specifically New York for this experiment) and you're hungry you can order a large thin crust pepperoni pizza to collect from good old Pizza Hut for $16.99, which is about £10.70. The same pizza from a UK Pizza Hut costs £12.99. Maybe you should go to McDonald's instead where an American Big Mac costs $3.57 (£2.25) and a UK one is just £2.29 and be thankful you don't live in Norway where a humble Big Mac costs a whopping 40 Kroner - £4.48.
Are you tired of paying rip-off Britain prices or do you think it's a fair deal for our generally higher wages? Do you have shopping holidays to take advantage of cheaper goods abroad? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
