Czechs buy cheaper abroad

The Czechs often pay more at home than in Western Europe for comparable goods and services, although they earn considerably less than their Western neighbours. This has led a growing number of Czechs to do their shopping abroad. The liberal daily Mladá fronta Dnes writes that Czech retailers are short-sighted: "They justify their high prices on the grounds that the Czech market is small while rents, energy and marketing costs are high. But perhaps things are far simpler: they ask the prices that consumers are willing to pay. They trust that people won't travel abroad to do their shopping and will be afraid to buy their goods on foreign-based websites. ... The growing disaffection on the part of buyers is not good news, either for retailers or for the state. ... And it will continue until the dealers have to decide between raising their prices or lowering them and selling at prices that are normal abroad."

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