Beer & pizza – what Centra thought the Children’s Allowance should go on

The regular pamphlet from your local convenience store normally goes by unnoticed, but not so this one from Centra which has caused a bit of an uproar.

Their idea of running deals to coincide with Children's Allowance day isn't exactly a bad one on face value, but you'd have to be fierce careful with the items you include.

That's where Centra's pitfall came. The boys in four stores in Cabra, Fairview, Wicklow and Offaly thought it'd be a smasher of an idea if they made slabs of beer part of the offer.

Unfortunately for the four shops, a TD with a bit of sense and a hunger for good press stuck a pic of the offending flyer on Twitter quicker than you could say 'drunken parents'.

The Offending boozy flyer

The rising Fianna Fáil star, Averil Power, was predictably, but justifiably, 'shocked and outraged'.

"Retailers have a duty to ensure alcohol is marketed in a responsible fashion. Chidren’s allowance is specifically provided to parents to help feed and clothe their kids," she said.

Anyone who was thinking of splashing their kids cash on booze would've been pretty giddy at the deals though. Two cases of beer for €25, sure isn't that worth your child going without for? The stores didn't seem to give it much thought.

The company that owns the Centra franchise has told the stores to remove it immediately. The Musgrave Group said: "Centra fully understands that the abuse of alcohol is a serious issue in Irish society and apologises for the promotion, which although isolated to four stores, is contrary to Centra’s belief that retailers have a critical role to play in ensuring that alcohol is promoted and sold responsibly."

So wrists have been slapped and beer has been bought, but whether lessons have been learned is another question.