Subscribe to our social channels to get the latest news about Hungary!
Surprising: Increasing number of Hungarian customers shop abroad, but which country is the destination?
Change language:
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?
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.
@DNH, Can you please elaborate the meaning of this sentence “In many cases, to access sales, the customer needs to be a citizen of the given country,”? Thank you.
Dear FV, in some cases, to be able to register for the various store apps and access coupons, you must have a valid address in the country. I hope you find this answer satisfactory. Thank you for reading us!