I used to get annoyed about this too, but you have to ask yourself how much does your friend in Frankfurt pay in taxes. You will probably find that the childcare there is subsidised but she's paying for it via her taxes instead.

Also, in Switzerland, if you are on a low wage you can find much more reasonably priced childcare - you (like us) just happen to be sending your child to the top-end priced place.

My work colleague sends his kids to a place that charges less than half than the places you and I send our kids.

One of my students told me last night that a day's parking at Place Pury (in Neuch) is 22CHF!!!

To be fair, those of you moaning about parking costs here have obviously never tried it in London. (or other UK cities)
If you wanted to pop into central London in your car today for an hour visit, you'll be looking at a minimum of 20 francs. For one hour, with congestion charge & meter bay parking.
Those puppies, in W1 & WC2, famously make more than McDonald's staff do in the same areas per hour.

I think the dentists here need some serious competition. We need one of these guys here...of course a more suitable version of it

Amulances.

Unless I'm so bloody that a taxi refuses to take me, then please don't call one for me. I'll make my own way to hospital or die trying.

Indeed...I know (of) a guy in Zurich that gashed his head, blood was pouring, he fainted, he came to, first thing he gasped: "don't call an ambulance". If you've got a large excess and not a lot of money, that can break you.

NHS please.

Ironing Board- 100chf .

Considering framing it .....

Speaking of which - getting anything framed is an unbelievably expensive exercise and if you want non-reflective glass, you might as well go out and get a second mortgage.

*Didn't think the ironing board was particularly expensive - sounds on a par with the UK, unless you get one "off the back of a lorry" at a dodgy market near where my mum lives.

Look, I like to moan about Swiss prices as much as the next guy, but seriously -- how difficult is it to work around these?

There's very little that I can't buy on eBay, and it's often cheaper to import from abroad than to buy locally. I understand how the customs system works and I keep my orders below the dutiable threshold. If it's non-perishable, I ship it in.

I don't whinge about Swiss grocery prices. I choose not to pay them. I jump in my car and drive over the border, load up at French or German prices, and come home. Yes, this is tougher if you live in Zurich than in Basel, but not impossible.

Need a filling? Back into my car I go, where the French dentists will happily pop in a new one for EUR28.

Need my car serviced? Over the border to German I go, where they'll do top-notch work for half the Swiss price. Sure, it's a little inconvenient, but I don't mind going an hour out of my way to save CHF600-.

I'm paid well, my taxes are (relatively) low... overall, I'm better off here than I would be elsewhere. I've learned about where I'm likely to be 'Switzerlanded' and adjusted my lifestyle to try to minimize the number of times it happens.

Assuming we're not talking about something fancy, most shops in the UK sell a basic ironing board for under 15 quid. You might not get something that cheap at John Lewis, but head down to Argos and you'll pick one up for a tenner.

Ha!
Had the same thing a couple of years ago.
I had an argument with a tram track on my bike & the tram track won hands down, leaving me quite scuffed & with a nice gash in my chin, which looked much worse than it was, and rather dazed. A woman who came & hepled me, said 'hang on I'll call an ambulance' and I went 'Nooooooo! - I'm fine, thank you all the same'

Sorry, I missed this. He didn't charge me 70CHF for the appointment (in fact, the actual appointment was less than this - as I say, he's not an expensive doctor), but for a piece of foam that folds around my neck. My boyfriend came home last night and tried it on then started squealing about how comfy it is and that he would take it on every flight he goes on. According to him, it wasn't a waste of money. I still say 70CHF is too much for a piece of foam!

eBay's a good thing (in all fairness, I jsut can't be arsed to sign up).

However, it IS impossible without a car.

Also impossible without a car.

Not an issue without a car.

Lucky you!

I totally agree. I think you learn where you're likely to be ripped off and can normally adjust accordingly. In my the case of my OP, I just wasn't expecting to pay that much for something so simple!

Didn't realise it was quite that dear but it is the most expensive in town. I don't go there any more as it's nearly always full anyway. Can't think why at those prices.

Thanks VI, yes a standard ironing board, much like the one you have shown above is 100chf, living here you start to accept things are exspensive, but when you look in detail you begin to realise certain people ( ironing board sellers ) could be making astronomical amounts considering the mark-up they are putting on each item, I also just bought a satellite dish holder (from a well known elecronic goods distributor in Zurich ), this is 5 bits of metal, which i had to bolt together myself, it cost me 145chf..

Practical example: wanted to frame a drawing for a friend. Went to a shop, asked for price for an A3 frame with normal glass, wooden 3.5 cm frame painted black. 250 CHF. I gasped: 250 CHF?

I went to IKEA and bought the same thing for 23.90 CHF.

That's why when my dear fancy, stiff upper-lip colleagues complain about IKEA, I smash chairs on their heads.

You can get a basic ironing board for 30 CHF. Not a great bargain, but not 100 CHF.

That's not expensive.

In Cambridge, U.K. 6 hours parking is 22GBP (32CHF).

I guess it is a competition thing, I was at a well known electronic goods distributor (dont get me wrong i have a cash) , but they were selling them for 100chf take it or leave it , If i would have known about fust it would have been worthwhile going to fust, but my alternative at that point was not to buy and search around on a saturday, actually i should have used the internet, silly me, the point is people in Switzerland have the disposable income, so companies will "try it on" with astronomical mark-ups , in the UK people would walk away as competitors are cheaper , here there is not that much competition.

I paid 50 bucks to have the leaf engraved ( nine words) that Lou took to Scotland - mind you, it was only the engraving, not the product!

Usually I don't about complain about prices but that was clearly a rip-off.