PriceWatch: The higher cost of clothes in chain stores in Ireland when compared with identical items in the stores across Europe has attracted the attention of a number of readers.

First up is Anne Crawford who was in France at the end of September where she bought a black cardigan in a Mexx outlet. It set her back €55, a price she describes as "fair enough". However the label on the garment, which carried retail prices for across the EU, had the price for the Republic of Ireland at €121.20. While the price varied across the EU, all countries except Ireland were within €10 of the French price of €55.

We contacted Mexx in London who were anxious to put our reader's mind at rest about the enormous price difference.

"It's simply a mistake on the label, a misprint," a spokesman said. "There is no way we would charge that price in Ireland," he added. He said that such mistakes happened from time to time and retailers in the affected country were asked to cover up the erroneous price on all the tags. As our reader bought the garment in a country unaffected by this particular misprint, it was let stand, the spokesman said.

Another reader has been in touch about the disparity in the price of suits in Ireland and Spain. Our reader bought a two-piece lady's suit in Massimo Dutti on the main shopping street in Barcelona recently for a total of €184. The jacket was €120 and the trousers €64. "I saw the same suit in Massimo Dutti in Dublin this weekend - the jacket was €165 and I was advised the trousers were either €85 or €80. At the least, the suit cost €245 - 33 per cent more than the price in Barcelona," she says.

WHAT'S MORE...CUTTING PRICES ACROSS THE BORDER

You don't have to travel as far afield as Barcelona to find substantial price differences.

Cronan Scanlon has been in touch to say that he found a four-pack of Gillette Mach3 razors priced at €4.99 in Costcutters in Strabane, Co Tyrone. "Across the Border in Donegal the same packet is selling at €9.99," he said.