Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

Beware NUR Butik in Kyrenia!

They have clothes on their racks, side by side, some of which are priced in Turkish Lira and some in Euros, and given how small and feint the price labels are, it is very easy to get confused!

My wife bought two small tops in there, thinking they were a reasonable 39 T/L each, paid by credit card and didn't realise until later that she had been charged 39 EUROS each!!

On returning to the shop the next day the manageress simply didn't want to know!

Seems like its starting to happen all over the place now, both in shops and cafes where tourists from the other side tend to congregate. Happened to me in a shall shop last year in the old town in Lefkosa, I just caught it in time but they are obviously out to catch people walking across with Euros in theit wallets. Leaves a nasty taste doesn't it?

Burhans prices are also all in Euros

Burhans prices are also all in Euros

Which establishment are you referring to?

I think its Burhans Golden Beach bungalows up the Karpaz. And yes I can confirm prices are in euros, clearly displayed. Possibly because they do tend to have "international" visitors and the euro is possibly easier for them.

We have stayed and paid by card with no problems.

I have to say Burhan isn't dishonest, if you ask to pay in TL, there is never a problem. A nicer man you could not meet,

Burhan is the furniture and fabric shop that is now close the the Bellapais traffic lights. Yes, they have some things priced in euros but they convert to tl, no problem....lovely shop, and lovely people, Cenk and Dilek. You are right flowerfairy, they are not dishonest at all.

Seems like we are possibly discussing two Burhans....both getting good feedback.

I've used both Burhans, and have good experiences with both of them,

This subject, in one form or another, has been aired many times.

I notice it most in 'Yapı' markets, where you can find items on the shelves marked up variously in TL, Euro, US Dollar, and I agree that it can catch you out if you are not aware of it.

I asked my local Yapı market owner why he did this, and the explanation is quite sensible and straightforward.

The goods that he buys in from Turkey, or that are locally produced are always priced in TL, because that's what he pays for them, he adds his profit margin and sells them in TL - he knows how much he's making.

When he buys 'Foreign produced' items, the price that he pays is often based on the price in their Country of Origin, or in a Global Currency, such as US Dollars or Euros. If he priced up those things in TL, he would have to reprice them almost every day to keep his margin consistent, due to the ever changing exchange rates. If he priced them in TL, and didn't constantly adjust the prices, then in the worst case, he could end up selling items for less than he had paid for them. He could also have identical items on his shelves priced at differing amounts of TL, depending what the exchange rate was when he bought them! - You can just imagine customers rooting through the stock, looking for the cheapest item

Also, if there is a sudden, large swing in exchange rates, then the next lot that he bought could cost twice as much (in TL) and people would be accusing him of profiteering, saying 'they can't have gone up by that much, in such a short time!'.

I should imagine that the same problem occurs with clothing and other fashion items, it must be a nightmare for shop owners!

So don't get paranoid - perhaps they are trying to 'rob you' but probably not by this means

You will often find that accessories for the computer ( cables, plugs etc.) will be priced in dollars. Just ask for a conversion.

You are missing the point, what Woodrow and I were referring to are establishments that let you believe that the Euro sign is the "new" tl "sign, which at first glance are very, very similar. You think you are buying something in TL but get to the counter and find it is the Euro sign. I congratulate those establishments that use GBP, TL and Euro signs that are Clearly marked. I emphasise the word Clearly!!

Hi Sophie,
I think that the new TL symbol is poorly designed, and that the designers did not pay sufficient attention to its appearance, or consider people's ability to diferentiate it from the Euro symbol, particularly when hand written...

I can appreciate the difficulty experienced, particularly by those who have vision probems.

This is not really the responsibility of shopkeepers who use the well established Euro symbol, but if you suspect that they are deliberately making the Euro symbol look like the TL symbol, perhaps a word with them, indicating your displeasure and 'reluctance to return' might have some effect!

At the end of the day, this is just another problem attributable due to the isolation and embargoes to which our little Country is subject. I can't see a solution being found any time soon, unless the'Cyprus problem' is resolved, and we have free trade, and one currency across the island.

Oh look!

There they go!

... the flying pigs!

EASY SOLUTION.

Why not just ask the establishment the price in TURKISH before you purchase the item if you are unsure.
Its not difficult and it will save alot of moaning and long winded explanations LOL.

But if they asked for the price in TL they would have nothing to moan about