Surprising: Increasing number of Hungarian customers shop abroad, but which country is the destination?

It is not a new sensation for Hungarians who live close to the border to do their shopping in a neighbouring country. However, the number of people to do so in the last couple of months has increased, and Slovakia is becoming a popular destination.

Hungarian customers go abroad to shop

According to telex.hu, Hungarian customers have been willing to travel more to shop in a neighbouring country recently. Based on a report by G7, Komarno is becoming a favourite destination among customers even for those who live more than a hundred kilometres away from the Slovakian border.

Based on a Facebook group, created by István Honyavecz to help others who also like shopping abroad, more and more people are becoming interested in the activity. He told G7 that he was genuinely surprised by the amount of Hungarian customers who joined his group. The group has people from cities such as Dunaújváros or Székesfehérvár too, even though they live much further, towards the middle of Transdanubia.

This means that these shops might take the revenue of the ones located in Hungary. Kaufland might be the biggest winner of these purchases, as it is one of the most popular ones, with the fact that the chain doesn’t operate a store in Hungary. Stores like Lidl and Tesco are also popular, even though their products are available in Hungary.

Is travelling for a product worth it?

Shashank Verma/ Unsplash

The reason behind the phenomenon might be the prices, as the sales in Slovakia are greater. For example, a pack of cigarettes costs HUF 500-600 (EUR 1,3-1,55) less than it does in Hungary. This means that the cost of travelling 200 kilometres for a product pays off by purchasing approximately 12-15 packs of them. There are Hungarian customers who use public transport, as the country pass makes travelling much cheaper.

Along with the more friendly prices and the more accessible coupons, the friendliness of the shop assistants is also a key factor. In many cases, to access sales, the customer needs to be a citizen of the given country, but that doesn’t seem to be an issue.

Most Hungarian customers are convinced that the products of the Slovakian stores have better quality, therefore they are willing to pay more.

Kaufland is one of the most popular destinations

Illustration: Unsplash / Markus Spiske

Kaufland being the most popular is just partly due to its friendly prices, as the act of going abroad, often accompanied by a family, is a great experience in itself. In many cases, Hungarian customers also look for products that taste different to the ones they can purchase in Hungary, together with the different atmosphere of the store, which is also inviting.

Even though the number of the Facebook group has increased, it is nearly impossible to compare the Hungarian and the Slovakian sales, as they are changing weekly or more often. The on-sale products are also different, for instance, we cannot compare two different types of fruit when it comes to their price. The exchange rate is also a defining factor, as people usually don’t calculate their expenses beforehand, especially when they pay by card.

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