Pubs

Off topic but some young und at work were trying to drag me out for drinks at the weekend.

I said “maybe what time you going out”.

they said “11”.

I said “ will be in my cozy bed by then”.

I mean 11 ffs

 

Did they not mean in the morning, for an all day sesh!?

 

£4.50 for that muck? Really?

Sam smiths boozers were always the cheapest (with the worst pints imo) but I’ve not frequented boozers for several years I have to admit.

Just for a meal with the family these days.

 

Had two pints in the pub, £7.60. Had 4 500ml bottles of Riggwelter for £7 from the supermarket later on. The disparity in pricing is killing the pub industry.
If you dropped tax on the pub pint and boosted it on the supermarket pint so the cost was the average of both, pubs would be a lot more viable.

 

Supermarket booze might be taking pub trade but it’s due to circumstances and necessity rather than just price and choice.

You could get a huge choice of cheap booze from supermarkets over 30 years ago. Longer. In the 90’s and 00’s the pubs were doing just fine regardless.

Now, unless you are a town/city centre venue or are primarily a food venue it is likely to be a struggle to operate. Some will, but not many.

Because the world and his dog are skint.

Politics plays a huge part. Literally every level of society other than the top 10% are much worse off than they were 15 years ago. That was a choice; and one that doesn’t surprise anyone. Or shouldn’t.

There are individuals of course that are better off, who have got better jobs etc - but as a whole the working and middle classes have much less to spend. ‘Pub for a few’ several nights a week isn’t viable for many - and them that can afford it will have a lot of mates who can’t, so what’s the point? It’s also gone out of fashion as a pastime too. There’s still a market, some can survive, but many will close as there’s not the same demand. Kids don’t need the boozer to meet new people or catch up with mates; social media and dating sites have superseded all that. And they don’t need to drink as they’ve nothing else to do - we aren’t stuck with four channels on one single tv in the house with mam watching crossroads anymore. Boredom has a different meaning. Nobody ever has truly nothing to see, do, watch or listen to.

Some people benefitted from government policies over the last decade and a half. Aside from the likes of Farage pretending, there aren’t too many of the elite that like to pop down the dog and duck for half a mild and a pack of scratchings. So the money has been moved elsewhere; the opera and plush Knightsbridge cocktail bars aren’t struggling.

The price of pints is only partly relevant as well. Where they are cheap because they sell a shed load at low profit like in Wetherspoons, the places are always quite busy, yeah.

But £4, £5, even £7 or £8 a pint is only so unpalatable as the increase in wages and increase in expendable income hasn’t matched the increase in price of beer - or of anything else. I’m fortunate, I’ve got a decent job wage wise currently, not amazing but well above average for the area - my Mrs works full time too - and even so I couldn’t afford to be out drinking with the boys like I did in my late teens and twenties. Mortgage, kids to feed and clothe, all the bills - there isn’t a lot left at the end of the month. And I’d sooner treat the whole family to a pizza or a Chinese than go out for a few once a week or even on the lash properly even once a month.

Pubs will never die completely but there will be many fewer ‘locals’ - and it’s little different to there being fewer milkmen or no youth dances in the local community centre on a Friday night. Times change.

 

Much easier to read the BBS for that Mr Kaht

 

It's not been possible to do that until recently, it was against EU regulations ( not making any other point...just stating a fact)....all beer had to be taxed by its ABV ...Member States could decide their own duty rates, and could have a sliding scale of duty depending on the size of the brewery...Gordon Brown did that in 1998 which was a godsend to small brewers, but could not levy different rates on draught as opposed to bottled/canned. It is now possible, and in fact the Labour Govt in the recent budget reduced duty on draught beer by a small amount....but it is a start.

 

Yep, they did that, and at a stroke took away the ability of pubs to fill bottles to take away! Duty is paid by the brewers so kegs now have to be sold with the express condition that the beer in them can only be sold to drink in.

If ever there was an example of the government introducing a stupid policy without having any idea of what people on the ground think, that was it. It wasn't this administration though - I think it was a couple of budgets ago.

 

I'm not sure what happened with that tbh Sestren...I remember it being discussed but we filled bottles and jars up until 2019 when we packed up...if it was legislation at the time we just ignored it...**** em.
The changes in the late 80's early 90's to Licensing laws were quite disastrous as things turned out...we had a strict, but well sorted system that protected pubs, off licenses, jobs and to a lesser extent brewers, and they cocked it up...not out of malevolence but of incompetence.

 

Electric bill gas bill water rates insurance rates staff increased national insurance contributions the list gose on

 

Wetherspoons do, but you have to sell your soul too.

 

I see the Old No.:7 is shut again with a notice asking if anyone wants to run it.

 

Weatherspoons in Meadowhell is a right rip off compared with the prices in the Wombwell one.

 

I have to go to Holiday Inn Rotherham a lot due to work. £6.40 for a pint of Guinness and they don't even provide a branded glass!!

 

Think landlady did a runner with takings / staff wages other week

 

I don't know about this case...but sometimes tenants do leave with the takings, they basically hold them as ransom in order to ' encourage' the pub's owners to give them their bond money back...which some are notoriously slow to do.