Centurion

I went down to the local Woolworths in Birkdale, sunny Bayside Brisbane and it seems that a British shop is opening there no doubt to stock all those things which people miss from *cough* "home".

I was chatting with the wife and I wondered if this was actually a viable business. Not that I would ever think about running one, simply that I was chatting to Mrs C and between us we could not think of one single thing that I would possibly want to buy in such a shop.

I guess initially most people take time to discover new brands which are unfamilar to them or have rose tinted memories of what things tasted like, but that wore off for us in our first year I think.

So, I'm interested as to what people would actually make a trip to such a shop for and pay in inflated imported price. Off the top of my head I can think of nothing which maybe is the reason that these places dont seem to last very long. Of course, I wish the business owners the very best but I dont see the long term market in it myself and was curious as to others thoughts.

DunRoaminTheUK

Well.....

Mally Lass

We used to have a British neighbour in Perth who travelled 30 miles to a shop for her monthly quota of ....After Eights I would have joined her, but a standard box was nearly $10

The one thing I did miss was a couple of Magazines at a normal price. They were around $8.00 EACH and usually a month or 2 late

Nothing else really bothered me

Wendy

No way would I spend inflated prices on something just because it was 'British'

Vim Fuego

I have been known to pay a premium for the occasional pack of twiglets ... but I think the existence of Cherry Ripe negates any issues I have with 'lost' foodstuffs.

Pollyana

Cirsps, Weetabix, PG Tips, Mint Sauce, Homepride.........shall I go on!!!

I think the reason a lot of these places don't survive could be that the shoppers are spread across the country, not polarised into one place. For instance we have a couplr of two small places near us, but neither do mail order or internet purchase, so I tend to get most of my stuff by mail from Sydney/Melbourne . Offering the option rather than just being a walk-in shop would help survival I reckon

Mally Lass

Oh Yeah, Mint sauce ....NOT JELLY ....YUUUK

Wendy

Twiglets...YUK!

There isn't anything I can think of that I haven't been able to buy here, including mint sauce

Vim Fuego

They are great with beer but I can understand it's a love/hate thing ... good for your waistline too ... relatively ... I've also been given the occasional Yorkie Bar as performance-related-pay at work ... which is nice.

yanH

Jelly sweets, such as midget gems, sports mixture. Chocolate, crisps, irn bru. I have considered things like Hellmans mayonaisse, bisto etc, but have just found alternatives rather than pay the inflated prices (although it has to be said the alternatives don't taste as good). When we first arrived oiur youngest would only eat British Weetabix but our local shop got them in for us so we didn't have to travel. We have since weaned him on to Weetbix.
I don't think there's anything I would actually be prepared to travel miles to get, but we always stop in at the British lolly shop in Darling Harbour if we are down that way and we do enjoy our "fix" of nicer sweets. I know everyone's tastes are different but me and 4 kids rarely eat Australian sweets, but prefer to wait for our treats. That's obviously a positive, what with dental care being so expensive!

Ransi

I've been twice, both times I got beef bisto and yellow lenor.

Bermuda Girl

Irn Bru (which you can actually get in Woolworths at Bondi Junction anyway), Root Beer (not british, but British Lolly Shop sells it - I developed a taste for it years ago working in McDonalds as a teenager), Frazzles, Quavers, Monster Munch, Walkers smokey bacon crisps, Terrys Chocolate Orange, cola cubes.

I walk past the British Lolly Shop in Kings Cross nearly every day and can usually resist. I usually stock up on Irn Bru and crisps if I think there is a chance I'll be hungover at some point during the weekend.

NickyC

There's been a 'British/Irish' shop right in the centre of Bondi Junction for the last couple of years.

I've been in there three times to have a look at what they've got, however I've never bought a single thing and always walked out empty-handed. Whilst I'd be happy to buy the odd Yorkie Bar or British Cadburys bar (for old-times-sake and to see if I could detect a difference in taste) - there's NO WAY I'd pay the prices they charge. I think they wanted 10 dollars for an average bar of Cadburys. I could get four giant bars of local Cadbury's for that price.

The miserable person who works in there is enough to put me off anyway - without their extortionate prices.

Anastasia Beaverhausen

I asked the guy in there if he had any Marmite in the stock room as there was none on the shelf and got a sarcastic response "No we have run out of Marmite, get used to Vegemite" I dumped the rest of my intended purchase on the counter and walked out.

Why open a british/irish shop then get arsey because someone asks for something british/irish. Miserable git. I live 15 minutes from Miranda, so I will use Sugar FX for my occasional jar of marmite, jaffa cakes or PG Tips.

leigh&ivan

Bisto - can't beat it.
I've wasted more money trying the alternatives that have ended up in the bin!

Leigh