Boots sale starts online 23/12/2010

Jennifer_Jane

Doc_N wrote: »

Shame about Boots tax avoidance activities - reducing their UK corporation tax bill by 90% by basing themselves in Switzerland. Spending cuts - blame companies like Boots.

Tesco is the same, I understand (offshore headquarters, unsure where though). Appalling.

Doc_N

Jennifer_Jane wrote: »

Tesco is the same, I understand (offshore headquarters, unsure where though). Appalling.

Don't know about Tesco, but the Boots situation is like this:


In June 2008, after more than a century and a half in the UK, Boots moved out of the country to Switzerland. The British household name had been acquired, along with its parent company, Alliance Boots, in Europe's largest private equity deal in 2007, thanks to £9.3bn of borrowing from banks and other investors. Private equity's gain turned out to be the UK revenue's loss.

Ten years ago the Boots group generally paid about one-third of its profits in UK tax. The Revenue could expect to see a tax charge around the £120-£150m mark each year, with over £100m of that coming from Boots the Chemist.

Then came the move to the low-tax Swiss canton of Zug. Alliance Boots GmbH is now registered at Zug's 94 Baarerstrasse, an address that is home to a post office. After huge interest payments, its worldwide profits last year were £475m. It is hard to see which parts of the company are now making what, but the cashflow statement for the year to March 2010 shows that just £14m was recorded as the tax charge on those profits – that is, just 3% of profits. John Ralfe, the former head of corporate finance at Boots, told us he calculated that, "the UK has lost about £100m a year in tax as a result".

I particularly like this from the Boots website:

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is at the very heart of our business and always has been.

What a laugh they must be having at our expense!

cheer1eader

Sam-mumof4 wrote: »

I love the sale, my little boys birthday is new years day and we always get his stuff for his birthday in the sale so he always gets more than what he would if stuff was full price

my hubby's birthday is the 28th dec so we always go shopping for his presents in the sales too :T

keith99_2

In the grand scheme of things, i fail to see why everyone finds Boots sale so amazing. My take on it is this. At the moment you buy say 3 x£10 items on 342 for £20. In the sale the 342 ends so 3 half price items is actually £15, is that such a big deal? Ok its a saving but nothing amazing. Ok, the higher the price the more you save but still not amazing savings. Even on things not on 342 now are generally pretty much half price now, like many electricals and fragrance sets.
Are people really going into this sale so blinkered?
Maybe as i am a man i am missing something. Dare i say, i am waiting for your replies?:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

lisawood78

I always shop online in the 75% off, you do the math on that one :-)

Meadows

keith99 wrote: »

In the grand scheme of things, i fail to see why everyone finds Boots sale so amazing. My take on it is this. At the moment you buy say 3 x£10 items on 342 for £20. In the sale the 342 ends so 3 half price items is actually £15, is that such a big deal? Ok its a saving but nothing amazing. Ok, the higher the price the more you save but still not amazing savings. Even on things not on 342 now are generally pretty much half price now, like many electricals and fragrance sets.
Are people really going into this sale so blinkered?
Maybe as i am a man i am missing something. Dare i say, i am waiting for your replies

Yes you do have to calculate the best prices no matter where you shop and not tempted to buy this offer or that pack as it is bigger so therefore must be a better price. This is why we all spend so much time hunting and calculating and looking for codes and free delivery before buying to see if it really is a good offer.

mulled_wine

keith99 wrote: »

In the grand scheme of things, i fail to see why everyone finds Boots sale so amazing. My take on it is this. At the moment you buy say 3 x£10 items on 342 for £20. In the sale the 342 ends so 3 half price items is actually £15, is that such a big deal? Ok its a saving but nothing amazing. Ok, the higher the price the more you save but still not amazing savings. Even on things not on 342 now are generally pretty much half price now, like many electricals and fragrance sets.
Are people really going into this sale so blinkered?
Maybe as i am a man i am missing something. Dare i say, i am waiting for your replies?:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

worth it when it goes to 75% off
and like everything, always check your prices and if it really is a bargain (do you need it??) or are you being swayed by the "Sale" fever?

keith99_2

lisawood78 wrote: »

I always shop online in the 75% off, you do the math on that one :-)

Obviously that goes without saying but i mean the sale starting xmas eve and so many people going on and the site crashing. Its that one i find baffling.
My OH works for Boots and she doesnt even bother with the half price sale.

LindaSm

cheer1eader wrote: »

my hubby's birthday is the 28th dec so we always go shopping for his presents in the sales too :T

That's my birthday too. It's also my niece's and my brother-in-law's. :T

skibster

keith99 wrote: »

In the grand scheme of things, i fail to see why everyone finds Boots sale so amazing. My take on it is this. At the moment you buy say 3 x£10 items on 342 for £20. In the sale the 342 ends so 3 half price items is actually £15, is that such a big deal? Ok its a saving but nothing amazing. Ok, the higher the price the more you save but still not amazing savings. Even on things not on 342 now are generally pretty much half price now, like many electricals and fragrance sets.
Are people really going into this sale so blinkered?
Maybe as i am a man i am missing something. Dare i say, i am waiting for your replies?:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

If you want 3 items all the same price then yes, it's not a big difference compared to the 50% off sale. If you want less than 3 items or ones that are varying prices, though, it really does make a difference to go for the 50% off sale.