Reality bites at this year's Ideal Homes show, says Edel Morgan
THE RECESSION didn't stop people turning up at the Top Ideal Home Show in the RDS in their droves but it was clear that priorities have changed.
Despite the crowds, when I got there on Sunday afternoon, some stands were so conspicuously quiet that the salespeople had given up all pretence and were openly sitting back reading newspapers and books. Other stands were so busy you had to queue to make an enquiry.
Many of the high-end luxury products weren't pulling the crowds but not all the salespeople were accepting defeat. One approached us and asked if we owned a hot tub? "No," we answered. "Do you know anyone that has one?" he enquired. After racking our brains we realised we don't know a single person with a hot tub. "Well, we can't help each other then," he said enigmatically before backing away. While he didn't explain why he wanted to know, we can only guess he was trying to flog some hot tub-related accessory but was being thwarted by the likes of us for whom a hot tub comes way down the list of priorities - along with the Bentley and the holiday home in the Hamptons.
We salivated over the wooden thatched-roofed garden dining huts but, I suspect, like many others, kept our distance from the salesman in case he thought we were a genuine prospect. The only contact I saw being made was when my son - a Three Little Pigs enthusiast - went up to him and announced: "I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down."
The property stands seemed deserted and I didn't see many interior designers being besieged with enquiries. Interestingly, all the health stands were a hit and the chiropractor and arthritis areas were thronged with people having their joints examined and their backs massaged. Cheap jewellery, make up, and inexpensive items like magic knives, salad peelers and the "Miracle Shammy" were also drawing the crowds.
I'm guessing that a lot of people go to the show intending to buy themselves a small treat or two but what they go home with can depend on the persuasiveness of the salespeople they encounter. Had a little more pressure been applied I probably would have bought a €50 leather bag but in the end it was the lady who accosted me in the aisle and slapped bronzer all over my face who got the sale. While I thought I looked tanned and healthy under the RDS lights, when I emerged into the natural light I looked like someone had pushed my face into a vat of red powder.
Another woman treating tired parents to impromptu head and back massages with a pronged wooden implement had the sure-fire sales technique of handing one to each of our kids who thought they were toy octopuses and refused to part with them.
While the eco-showhouse was packed with curious people, some of the eco-stands for solar panels, heating systems and lighting appeared less than busy. While logically many of us know that investing to make our homes energy efficient will save us money in the long term, the current straitened and uncertain times have many of us rooted in the short term. More instant and tangible home improvements, however, were popular with all of the kitchen specialists I passed busy, and there was a good attendance at the DIY seminar.
The travel stands were quiet, and I saw very few looking at the snooker tables or pool tables although my husband let out a defeated whimper as we walked by.
The spendthrift tone of the day was nicely rounded off when I found myself demanding a recount in the coffee shop after being overcharged to the tune of almost €3. And my husband put the parking ticket away in the hope of it being accepted for future tax deductions. It turns out that the Ideal Homes show is just that, an ideal and for many of us, couldn't be further from the reality.
