Attractive prices of fuel and foodstuffs attract residents of Czech towns and cities near the border with Poland. For them, one fill-up of their car saves between 40 and 80 PLN, depending on the volume of the tank.

In Istebna in the Silesian Beskid just across the border from Poland, cars from the Czech Republic are parked in a car park at one of the chain shops. The drivers have come from Mosty near Jablunkov located about 17 km. In their baskets, they have mainly dairy products, meat and sausages and fizzy drinks.

Special groups can be found on the Czech Internet to help answer questions such as where to buy building materials, a suit, windows, a gravestone or pet food.

Polish Cieszyn is a natural shopping destination for the inhabitants of Český Těšín, located on the other side of the border. Here, Czechs even come across the border river Olša to do their daily shopping. A member of the Polish minority living in Český Těšín said that she has been shopping in Poland regularly for years.

“It is much cheaper now, but we used to go to the other side without considering the prices. It simply tasted better to us”, she said.

Czechs are also keen to visit Polish petrol stations. On the internet, they can find precise maps with fuel prices and instructions on how to get loyalty cards for stations that offer additional discounts. In the border town of Bogumin north of Ostrava, Polish petrol station owners have introduced the possibility of paying for refuelling in Czech koruna.

It is not only Czech consumers who are converting prices. Lukas Kovanda, a well-known economist in Prague, has calculated that the extension of the VAT reduction in Poland means that Czechs will save around PLN 150 per trip. For many of them, the time spent getting there and doing their shopping is only 20 minutes. It will remain like this until the end of the year”, emphasised the Czech media economist.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński