No Jubilee decorations in Northern Ireland

[Futball13]

Preparing for a party this weekend and thought I would double up as a Jubilee party...but to my surprise when I went to three shops,-Asda, B and M bargains and Home Bargains there wasn't a single paper cup, plate or decoration for the Jubilee. I was expecting large displays when I walked in. AIBU to expect to have the choice to buy decorations in local shops like in the rest of Britain? Obviously (like in the rest of Britain) some people do not support the royal family and will choose not to celebrate. I was just a bit shocked shops were missing out on the profit from sales.

I think you might have missed out on them. I went to 5 different m and s trying to get another jubilee mug and the shelves are empty of most of the merchandise. I saw loads in various shops over the last few weeks but I’m sure Asda appreciate your “concern” over missed profits

I have no interest in buying such tat. I'm not a royalist. They must have thought there would be little demand for it in your area. . I haven't seen any for sale but I've not been looking. Its probably more a London and South of Englsnd thing.

I live in England and I’ve not seen any jubilee decorations in any shops. Well, for sale anyway, everywhere is covered in bunting.

It's hard to say. I think a lot of shops are stocking fewer seasonal items than they use to - I noticed at Easter that there were few leftover eggs and many shops sold out at n the Saturday before. Otoh, Yanbu to want to buy them prior to the event or to think that shops ought to stock them.

That's interesting, yes seems to be plenty of parties here too, just thought I'd be bombarded with decorations in shops.

I imagine big displays of Union Jack bunting might be a little controversial?

That depends on where in NI you are!!

True

Not seen anything in the shops here in England either.

Funny, marks and Spencer have some in, but it's all sold out in the Tesco and sainsburys close to us (holywood area)

BUT lots and lots of flags and bunting up everywhere, all over the church and the streets around us and we were up on the ards peninsula yesterday and again lots of flags up on the lampposts

I'm Scottish, but travel to London a lot for work.

Where I live (suburb of Glasgow, statistically very pro-Indy in the polls) = pretty much nada. Some hoardings on the floor of the Tesco Metro near my house, but that's it.

Where I work (in central London) = flags everywhere.

Guess it depends on where you are and what the business analysts have allocated to your local stores, based on buying patterns and socio-political / economic insights.

(Given that you live in NI, though, I'd have thought you'd be more aware of the sensitivities of this sort of stuff. The Good Friday Agreement was signed within my lifetime and there is some thought that it's on shaky ground just now - I wouldn't think stirring things up on either side would be considered a good move.)

I'm in Scotland and haven't seen any decorations or aware of any parties happening so I think it does depend on your area if they think there will be demand for it. I think here its seem as a more English thing.

You ever been to NI? 😂 I live here and let me tell you there's never any caution to sensitivities when it comes to flags, bunting, parades! We have Union Jack flags up all year round (not me personally I mean NI in general) just how it is here

Case in point, have just driven through a village that is pretty much 50/50 demographics wise and these are up everywhere (hope the pic works)

I thik it reflects the continued lack of interest in Royals/ UK and the Queen in General. Politically unionism is on the death spiral really so this is probably also a reflrection of that. Anyone I know who lives in N. Ireland just wants less rubbish politics and peace and stability so the Jubilee is not really on their mind.

Got mine from Amazon weeks ago.

Nothing here and we live in a royal county.
Had to get my tat on Groupon

There has been some plain colourful bunting in shops, but I've not seen shops selling jubilee specific items, even with a couple businesses and houses utterly covered in union jacks and the purple jubilee signs.

We've joked one of our neighbours bought all of it before anyone else saw them in our area, whole house and fences are covered in union jack bunting, but I agree that there seems to be less occasion stuff in general around me - easter was a lot smaller than usual - pretty much no cheap chocolate eggs day afterwards in most shops (only got a couple from the coop) - and upcoming father's day has very little compared to previous years.

Also, one of the funeral homes is covered has several union jacks plus portraits of the Queen which feels a little weird to me in the circumstance, especially with the big sign about being 'in service to Her Majesty'. Like, I know what they mean, but has led to a few tongue-in-cheek remarks about if they know something the rest of us don't...

Reckon you've maybe just left it too late tbh, given the jubilee starts tomorrow.

A few M&S shops have had decorations available to buy, but from the looks of it, not many were purchasing as the displays didn't look touched. Seen some decorations in Poundland, and Tesco a few weeks ago.

I don't think it would be quite the money maker for the shops as you imagine it to be. Most families I've spoken to have been outraged at the money going into the jubilee, when we're all sitting at home trying to figure out how to pay our electricity bills. I don't know many people who would fancy forking out for decorations just for this, sure the flags that are up all year round would do the trick I'm sure.

Given that you live in NI, though, I'd have thought you'd be more aware of the sensitivities of this sort of stuff. The Good Friday Agreement was signed within my lifetime and there is some thought that it's on shaky ground just now - I wouldn't think stirring things up on either side would be considered a good move.

NI doesn’t seem to have received your memo.

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/the-queens-platinum-jubilee-whats-on-in-belfast-and-across-northern-ireland-41708057.html

Could you not just go to Hobbycraft or somewhere similar and buy things to make the bunting etc?
I've been buying these for my house and I've seen cups, glasses, plates etc with designs on them in lots of places.

The side of Belfast that my DS lives in seem to have all year round access to Union Jack bunting!! It's everywhere all the time!

The supermarket I work in here (NI) was instructed that none of their stores at all here would be issued with any advertising for it. We also haven’t been sent any of the jubilee food lines that the mainland stores have been selling but don’t know if that’s a sensitivity issue or brexit as we also don’t have a lot of the regular lines.

No allowances made for store managers to make their own decisions, just a blanket ban decision made by people who have no idea of which areas would be ok with it and have probably never even visited NI. It has pissed a lot of people off tbh.

The GFA certainly does not prohibit displays of the Union Jack or Irish Tricolour. So, there's no reason anyone in Northern Ireland cannot buy Union Jack items for this weekend or any other time.

These items will tend to be sold where there's majority demand, i.e., a shop on the Falls Road isn't very likely to sell Union Jack items, but one on the Shankill Road is highly likely to.

OP, Tesco sell Jubilee decorations in some of their Northern Ireland stores, but not in others. Antrim and Down is likely to be the best places for these.

It's cos you live in Ireland.. no celebrating the Queen here thanks! Only joking I'm actually a Catholic and would have no problem at all with any shops stocking Jubilee decorations. Haven't seen many either though..