"because YOU are willing to pay it!"

Karlin Lillington hits the nail on the head with a rant about how Irish people in Ireland are happy (proud?) to buy overly-expensive goods, while ignoring the opportunity to buy cheaper goods from shops such as Lidl or Aldi.

This is something I've felt for a long time, but never seen it articulated in print or online. When I lived in Ireland, and when I've visited frequently, I've noticed that people will boast about paying over-the-odds for purchases. The corollary is that when I would mention that, for example, I got my fridge at a discount from (the excellent) New England Appliance because it had a hidden dent on the side, I could almost hear the "tut tut"s. In Boston, people will happily say that the designer jeans they are wearing came from Marshalls (pronounced "Maah-shalls", a discount store). In Dublin, I cannot imagine anyone saying that their pair of designer jeans was bought cheaply at TK Maxx (as TJ Maxx is called in Dublin).

Another interesting fact is that, like Karlin mentions in the post, I've found that Irish people in Ireland will complain about substandard service or goods, but do nothing about it. If someone does complain, they then look like a "whinger". This means that standards aren't likely to improve.