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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66785823
"This flexibility may mean that on occasions pricing may marginally increase in selective pubs and bars due to the increased cost demands on the business with additional staffing or licensing requirements such as additional door team members."
Sorry - but what twaddle! Busy periods = more people = more sales = more money to pay the staff required to fuel those sales!
Work the ruddy price out and just keep it the same. They'll know from data what averages they need to take over the year. This is just rinsing people who go out at times when normal people go out.
And Tom Kerridge chips into that article his recent series annoyed me* - he seemed to spend most of his time interviewing people chucking £££££££s into hospitality ventures who then moaned about how hard it was to make enough money to keep afloat.
His first series pre Covid 'Saving Britain's Pubs' looked at the sort of pubs we all use - not those chasing Michelin Stars and high end clientele.
(*All this should probably be in that other thread about "Stuff that makes you disproportionately cross"! 🙂 )
I understand margins are tight, especially in the post covid hospitality sector, but this just stinks of BS.
What they really mean is we'll charge you more when we think we can get away with it.
I bet the shop floor staff don't get any extra over standard overtime... It'll go straight into the back pocket of the business owner, and by business owner I mean probably some investment company, not a family run owner/operated pub.
I guess price sensitive drinkers have other pubs to go to / other times to drink...
No one complains about happy hour...
They invented Unhappy Hour.
Edit: That there Tom Kerredge person in the article suggested:
The proposal is not to increase prices at busy times.
The proposal is a discount at quiet times.
Really couldn't give a shit - the people who choose to drink there (or any chain pub) rather than support an independent deserve everything they get 😂
This is the sort of "innovation" some people get up to in business.
It's bollocks.
'Pricing may increase marginally in selective pubs and bars' translates as...we will increase prices whenever and wherever we think we can get away with it.
Their current staffing and security requirements are already factored into the pricing model.
Will it apply on busy Friday and Saturday evenings only?
What about busy lunchtimes or sunny bank holidays?
Profiteering - or to use the buzzword du jour, it's greedflation.
Profiteering – or to use the buzzword du jour, it’s greedflation.
That's how capitalism works - you charge as much for your product as you think customers will pay. If customers think the price is too high, they can go to another pub and drink there. As mentioned above, Happy Hour is just a form of dynamic pricing used to get people in the door. This is intended to discourage people at peak times.
‘Pricing may increase marginally in selective pubs and bars’ translates as…we will increase prices whenever and wherever we think we can get away with it.
No. It translates to we’re in the news now and no publicity is bad publicity (no pun intended).
No. It translates to we’re in the news now and no publicity is bad publicity
*Gerald Ratner raises an eyebrow
That’s how capitalism works
Yep, also see rail fare prices at different times and flight prices at different times
Yes if anything prices should go down at busy times, onky direct costs go up not the overheads. Purely because they can. Drinking out is now ridiculously expensive, they've priced themselves out of the market.
I think it is fine
I struggle to get annoyed by this and see why it's made the news, must be a slow news week!
For me it is the same as any other product or service, if it goes up beyond what I can afford or am willing to pay then I wont use it. If lots of people think the same then the pub will have to stop doing it or go out of business.
Apparently the chain concerned had already temporarily bumped up prices during some recent football tournament (forget which) so they’re already well versed with rinsing people when they can get away with it.
Gerald Ratner raises an eyebrow
Heard him do an after dinner speech not that long ago, he spent the entire time ripping the piss out of himself.
You need a "drinks exchange" in bars. Could get dangerous though.
"From the customer’s point of view, as they enter a bar they will see a selection of drinks prices on the screens (the trading graphics can be customised to suit specific branding). These prices change every few minutes based upon what they buy! So for example, if Heineken sells, then the price rises. If no one is buying Bacardi, then the price will begin to drop."
The bar on Bournemouth seafront that was charging £6 for a 330ml can of Brewdog Neck Oil to Take Away seemed pretty dynamic to me ! But the woman I saw carrying 4 plastic cups of Old Mout Berry flavoured cider ( wtf is all that about ????) on to the beach seemed happy to have been relieved of £25 plus though 🙄
I can get a pint of nice proper draught Cider made with apples of all things and sit in a nice country beer garden near home for £3.76 , so each to their own I guess.
It’s be going on for years, see Centerparcs. When we originally started going it was £850 vs £350 during school hols, our next April holiday would be £1350 vs £475 the week after.
We won’t be going.
Eventually people get to more than they can stomach and go somewhere else. Netflix and a couple of beers is about 95% cheaper than going to a pub with mates these days, and they ask why Brewery’s are closing pubs, queue suprise.
Their mistake is to tell us about it. With the British practice of buying rounds would anyone notice if prices changed over the course of an evening?
CentreParcs is 'easy' though - if you live in Scotland as the holidays start a couple of weeks before the English ones - so book Sherwood or further south and get the benefit of the cheaper prices. It costs me an extra £50 on fuel to go to Sherwood rather than Whinfell, but I save about £350 on the accommodation so don't see it as an issue. The rest of the family sleep in the car so I'm fine with a 5 hour drive on my own as I'm not getting pestered by anyone.
However, doesn't really help if you live in England and have kids as you are generally tied to the school holidays so you will get no savings...
However, doesn’t really help if you live in England and have kids as you are generally tied to the school holidays so you will get no savings
French have different holiday dates so if you're in the south east it's easy enough to pop over there. The morning bakery is excellent too
You need a “drinks exchange” in bars. Could get dangerous though.
They did that at uni from time to time. Im sure there mustve been some dynamic software sold with the till system or something. They did occasionally then have "crashes" where the price plummeted, but the bar can only handle so many customers in the time period, which led to people loitering in the way of the bar to be ready for the crash,so you couldnt get a drink at any time.
a fun idea, but always busy so not my kind of drinking.
What they really mean is we’ll charge you more when we think we can get away with it.
Isn't that how all businesses work?
I've got some bad news about supermarkets, by the way.
You need a “drinks exchange” in bars. Could get dangerous though.
We used to have a night that did this at my university uni, called Bar FTSE. Prices went up and down depending on what was being bought, there was also a crash or 2 built in to get people to the bar. That's how you end up with a bar full of students drinking Newcastle Brown and Tia Maria.
To the article, it's not really a news story is it? It fairly common practise in restaurants albeit with food rather than drink, dinner is often more expensive than lunch. I'm surprised more bars don't do it already.
blackhat
Free Member
Their mistake is to tell us about it. With the British practice of buying rounds would anyone notice if prices changed over the course of an evening?
This. Raise prices by 20p all round and it'd fall under "cost of living" and "ow much for a pint?!". Tell us they're raising prices at peak hours and it seems vindictive - it's not like I can shift my after-work beers to a Tuesday at 11am, so they're picking on me personally. And equally it's not like there's huge potential traffic just waiting to be lured in on Thursday mornings now that drinks are 20p cheaper.
We had that at uni too. Must have been a company touring all the universities
would anyone notice if prices changed over the course of an evening?
Well, yes. How many people hand over money without knowing how much they're handing over? They use to teach us in school about knowing how much you pay and get in change.
Aren't pubs entitled to charge whatever they want? It's not an essential item like food or fuel. If its too expensive, dont go to the pub. Or just have 1 instead of 3.
They use to teach us in school about knowing how much you pay and get in change
change? Who’s paying cash in a pub these days? The amount comes up on screen, and you hold your phone against it. You know exactly how much you are paying. And you can check the following morning too.
the point is, Alex goes to the bar at 7pm, buys 4 pints. Bob goes up at 7.45 and buys 4 pints. Chris goes at 8.15 in peak time and gets charged an extra 80p, but does he actually realise he paid more than his friends? Do people discuss the exact price of their round with the group?
change? Who’s paying cash in a pub these days?
I did this afternoon
Retailers - including hospitality - are required, by law, to show their prices.
That being the case, how will this 'dynamic pricing' bollocks work? An ever changing chalkboard showing the current price or somme sort of digital display?
My earlier view - profiteering/greedflation hasn't changed; yes, I've read the various responses but...they're drivel.
It's an opportunistic attempt to screw even more out of mug punters; who, FFS, would so little taste as to drink be ripped off in a slug'n'lettuce establishment?
the point is, Alex goes to the bar at 7pm, buys 4 pints. Bob goes up at 7.45 and buys 4 pints. Chris goes at 8.15 in peak time and gets charged an extra 80p, but does he actually realise he paid more than his friends? Do people discuss the exact price of their round with the group?
Hmmm...... I had a Uni mate that was notorious, would get to the college bar after dinner and get a round in, and then later on in the nightclub..."Didn't i get you a pint earlier?" "Yeh but...." "Pint's a pint"
How many people hand over money without knowing how much they’re handing over? They use to teach us in school about knowing how much you pay and get in change.
Did they also teach you about how that ability may go somewhat downhill after you are three sheets to the wind
I don't really see a problem with it as long as it's transparent, if it's done like the insidious addition of service charges and gratuity etc. on bills in restaurants without telling people in advance then I hope they go bankrupt.
The greatest surprise about this story is that Yates’s Wine Bars are still a thing.
Indeed. Who knew?
I wonder if their drinks are retro? Can I have two pints of Castlemain 4X, a bottle of K and a Malibu and pineapple please?
Retailers – including hospitality – are required, by law, to show their prices.
That being the case, how will this ‘dynamic pricing’ bollocks work? An ever changing chalkboard showing the current price or somme sort of digital display?
It's not 'dynamic pricing', that is changing prices on the fly according to demand. It's 'between these hours the prices are x, between these other hours the prices are y'. And I'll imagine they'll show them on the tatty A4 price list that most bars and pubs have on the wall at one end of the bar, that no-one reads.
Pfft. Sheffield Hallam Union was doing this back in about 2006 - I can't remember what they called it but something along the lines of the 'Stock exchange' night.
As in, Bar staff go 'ooh look we have a random bottle of disgusting looking pink spirits, lower the price to the point where everyone buys it and it sells out, then put the price up'. It was quite good fun!
none of that sounds remotely legal. I'm wondering how many of these uni bar stories [I]actually[/I] happened & how many are just people thinking they remember them happening 😂Bar staff go ‘ooh look we have a random bottle of disgusting looking pink spirits, lower the price to the point where everyone buys it and it sells out, then put the price up’
Plenty of businesses charge more during peak times (transport / holidays) helps keep business viable during leaner hours.
I’m wondering how many of these uni bar stories actually happened & how many are just people thinking they remember them happening
I'm wondering how many people have been in a pub in the last 20 years. Chalkboards? Money? How many pints do you get to the goat these days?
I’m wondering how many of these uni bar stories actually happened & how many are just people thinking they remember them happening
I remember the weekly ‘Tequila Tuesdays’ promotion in the student union bar meaning Wednesdays were always a write off 😃
I’m wondering how many people have been in a pub in the last 20 years. Chalkboards? Money? How many pints do you get to the goat these days?
Every ride ends at the pub. Thems the rules!
I’m wondering how many people have been in a pub in the last 20 years. Chalkboards? Money? How many pints do you get to the goat these days?
I payed for a pint with cash yesterday. Oh, there was a chalkboard too.
How quaint. Did you put 10p in the Wurlitzer?
Decent pubs will have a high turnover of new beers so a chalkboard is pretty much essential (unless they’ve invested in a fancy digital system but there’s only one locally like that!) Shite pubs will have no such requirement, of course. My local still takes cash but there’s a fair few that don’t anymore, can’t say I blame them as contactless is just less faff all round.
unless they’ve invested in a fancy digital system but there’s only one locally like that!
My local (which is a bloody brilliant boozer!) has a digital board listing the extensive, constantly changing beers and is card only. They colour code them for strength. That’s hardly the cutting edge of technology, is it? With it being 2023 and all that
Careful, people might start to think you’re a hipster craft beer ****er if you admit to frequenting a place like that 😂
none of that sounds remotely legal. I’m wondering how many of these uni bar stories actually happened & how many are just people thinking they remember them happening 😂
https://ilovemanchester.com/stock-market-new-manchester-club-night
It certainly seems to be a thing. And I'm sure that's not the first place of its kind in the city - I went to a pub / bar doing a similar thing with prices fluctuating by what was being bought going up in price and what wasn't selling falling in price. I did see a guy buy a round of Guinness and the price on the screen doubled. Tib Street / Oldham Road area I'd say back around the turn of the millennium.
Bar FTSE was a thing at Nottingham Trent in the early 00s. I was always very messy.
Personally have no issue with this and based on how busy my local is Friday -> Sunday nights, I would wager most people will barely notice.
I did see a guy buy a round of Guinness and the price on the screen doubled. Tib Street / Oldham Road area I’d say back around the turn of the millennium.
That'll have been the Millennium Bug! 🙂
Easy way around it, if the price goes up go to the nextdoor,chances are it'll be cheaper.
they already do location pricing why not dynamic..
my brother was walking through Ashton a few weeks back he sent a picture to whatsapp group. £2.40 all day everyday for carlsberg.
the replys mainly concerned how rough is that place..
That’s hardly the cutting edge of technology, is it?
Quite. It's literally a computer monitor, it's not difficult.
It's becoming pervasive and honestly, it's largely bloody irritating because it's invariably implemented really badly. I don't want an advert for your new McBacon McCluck with double gizzards, I want to know how much your fries are. Keep still.
Quite. It’s literally a computer monitor, it’s not difficult.
It’s becoming pervasive and honestly, it’s largely bloody irritating because it’s invariably implemented really badly. I don’t want an advert for your new McBacon McCluck with double gizzards, I want to know how much your fries are. Keep still.
I prefer my pubs not to have screens at all 🙂
Patrons should fight back with a lazy payment approach.
'Yea, i'll pay 1/2 today, then bring the rest next time...'