One-year freeze on drink prices

amcalester

I have a question.

If you go back 25 years before everyone had huge mortgages, new(ish) cars, several trips abroad each year etc was the true price of a pint any dearer than it is now?

Or is it just that people want to drink as much in the pub as they did back then but after all these new bills are paid they just dont have as much money?

PS
To the people saying that the supermarkets are selling bottles of miller etc for €20 for a case of 24. That is cheaper than the vast majortity of pubs and off licenses can buy them for god only knows how the shops are doing it.

super_furry

It's all very well blaming below cost supermarket selling, but the fact is, I can go into my local off licene, which is part of a pub and buy eight bottles of Stella for €11.99. To buy one in the pub costs €5.10.

Tabnabs

Just to confirm, the price freeze is 100% voluntary, as confirmed by the guy from the LVA on the radio this evening. So keep an eye on your local to see if they abide or not...

(Allegedly a lot of pubs put up their price of drink recently as they got wind of this "promotion" on the way)

raindog.promo

amcalester wrote: »

If you go back 25 years before everyone had huge mortgages, new(ish) cars, several trips abroad each year etc was the true price of a pint any dearer than it is now?

Or is it just that people want to drink as much in the pub as they did back then but after all these new bills are paid they just dont have as much money?

Sorry, I just don't understand what you mean by that question.

Are you asking if back when people had no money, was a pint considered as outlandishly expensive as it is now by people today, by the people back then?

amcalester

raindog.promo wrote: »

Sorry, I just don't understand what you mean by that question.

Are you asking if back when people had no money, was a pint considered as outlandishly expensive as it is now by people today, by the people back then?

thats 1 aspect of it but also I was wondering if you compare the price of a pint with the average wage back then and do the same for today would you find that the pint costs more now than it did back then.

(Sorry if Im not explaining myself properly)

nobodythere

As someone who's family business is heavily tied to the drinks industry, I'm even going to say: Let the pubs die. It's about time Ireland moved on.

nobodythere

amcalester wrote: »

thats 1 aspect of it but also I was wondering if you compare the price of a pint with the average wage back then and do the same for today would you find that the pint costs more now than it did back then.

(Sorry if Im not explaining myself properly)

My mam said that when she used to go out in college they could only afford two or three pints (of harp no less!)

juuge

It's amazing how the publicans moan about the excise duty on a pint and how small their margin is - what about the extortion in charging 2.50 for a club orange that they buy for 55c? - shower of b**tards hope they all have a terrible christmas and new year. I'm off to Tesco where 24 cans of Guinness cost 25 euro, now yer talkin'..

super_furry

Exactly. They whinge and blame excise duty, brewery costs, vat and whatever else, but how does that excuse charging €3 for a tiny bottle of coke?

emerald-eagle

amcalester wrote: »

thats 1 aspect of it but also I was wondering if you compare the price of a pint with the average wage back then and do the same for today would you find that the pint costs more now than it did back then.

(Sorry if Im not explaining myself properly)

Just guessing here but relative to income back then, there probaly wasn't much in it. I think the key difference is that back then there wasn't a smoking ban. Sorry but for an estimated 30% of the population it's a serious issue. Who wants to stand outside in -4C every 10-20 minutes when you can buy drink from the off licence at half the price & have a few friends over to a nice warm house where you can smoke to your heart's content. Doesn't help either that what smoking areas exist have to be open thus costing publicans a small fortune in heating which is inevitably passed on to - you guessed it - the consumer. Charlie Chawke was right when he identified it as the beginning of the pub downturn on the news tonite. From a smoker's perspective, when we do go out, only pubs that have very sheltered very well heated smoking areas get our business. Realise this isn't the LVI's fault but it's definitely a factor.

themadchef

I just watched that interview now as well.

Had to laugh at the Vintners guy who said that by freezing the prices they were giving us value for money. Maybe, if they froze them for ten years it would evetually be reasoably priced.

NinjaTruncs

Just saw an interview with Charlie Chawke, he was blaming the Smoking ban and the crack down on drink driving where people can't drink and drive as much anymore (which he then said ws a good thing)

no mention on charging people the guts of 5euro for a pint or about 7.50 for a spirit & mixer

Phototoxin

Cheaper ways to socialise:

Dungeons and Dragons - the book and set dice cost about €35 and that's about 1/2 of a night on the p*ss. Infinte fun


Warhammer army costs about €200. A couple of nights on the p*ss but again re-useable you dont
p*iss it up against the wall at the end of the night

Draughts/Chess set - €15 the king of games

Capt'n Midnight

Does anyone have a break down of the cost of a pint ?
21.5% VAT / Excise / wholesale price / how much it costs to make / publicans margin
and how it has changed over the years.

IvySlayer

The economy breaks down and people are worried about the price of alcohol

But I understand your point. We have been ripped off for years, a can of coke in a pub is 3.50, what a bloody rip! Pints are too expensive. And spirits are worse. How much will they charge for water now? I'm gonna to laugh as I watch the pubs close down.

I went up the North, Sainsbury more specifically, and bought a case of Miller, Budweiser and Heineken, worked out pretty cheap.

xOxSinéadxOx

naggin in the handbag

Overheal

One-year freeze on drink prizes

jaysus lads is it really that cold up there?

witnessmenow

Darragh29 wrote: »

It's looking more like you can't afford not to drop prices...

meglome wrote: »

It's simple economics, if you charge a price for something that people won't pay then you won't stay in business. If you get smarter and more competitive then you have the best chance for doing good business.

It difficult to have any sympathy for publicans given some of the utter gouging that has gone on.

ShooterSF wrote: »

I think your forgetting to factor increase sales by reducing prices.
They way you're looking at it is : I sell a 1000 pints at €1 profit per pint and after expenses Im left with 100 quid. If I drop my prices I'll be out of business.

However if reducing your costs brings back punters like myself and the posters above me you could make more e.g I sell 2000 pints at 60 cent profit and after the same expenses Im left with 300 euro profit.

But publicans prefer the other method i.e with less punters coming in ill charge more to get back to the same profits I was making last year.

First of all, i am a college student, I'm not a publican. I do work in a pub however.
Its been a while since I studied Economics, but a pint is not your typical economic good, dropping the price does not instantly = more pints sold. On a night out you are more than likely going to spend X amount, regardless of how much drink that X amount buys you.

The pub i work in has the cheapest pint in Athlone (as far as i'm aware), Fosters @ €3. They also have pitchers of Bud, Heineken and Coors for €10, this was introduced a few weeks ago and its just not selling that well, proof that pints arent an elastic good. (is that right?!?) EDIT: BTW a regular pint is €4.20 just for comparison

The number of people in the pub i work in hasnt dropped drastically, the amount of money each person spends has, example:

Jeffery Small Widower wrote: »

Just get pished before ye go out? all the pub atmosphere, none of the wallet raping Conceal a naggin somewhere on your person too if you want.

Way prefer drinking at home, especially at the moment seeing as it's ridiculously bloody cold and I smoke a LOT when I'm drunk. The price is a big factor too

Everybody has less money to spend so they are drinking at home and coming into town later than before.


Seamus mentioned profit margins of ~50%, while that does seem high, its not unusual for any sort of a business to making ~35%. Most places dont have to hire bouncers, pay for Djs/bands, pay for late bar liscenses. I'd also imagine electricity bills would be quite high for a bar. You also have to remember the only time most bars are making money is the weekend, which is a fairly short window for business

gurramok wrote: »

Then kindly explain why a pint of beer costs €4 in one pub and the exact same brand of beer costs €4.60 across the road in leafy D4?

Both offer the same type of entertainment as well. The cheaper pub has survived for years and the other, well gouging is the word.

Am i representative of all bars now? I dont know, why dont you ask them. Or better yet why dont you ask the idiots that are going to the dearer place?

SAVE_ME.222

Phototoxin wrote: »

Cheaper ways to socialise:

Dungeons and Dragons - the book and set dice cost about €35 and that's about 1/2 of a night on the p*ss. Infinte fun


Warhammer army costs about €200. A couple of nights on the p*ss but again re-useable you dont
p*iss it up against the wall at the end of the night

Draughts/Chess set - €15 the king of games

I'd say you're fierce craic on a Saturday night !! :eek: :D

BraziliaNZ

Phototoxin wrote: »

Cheaper ways to socialise:

Dungeons and Dragons - the book and set dice cost about €35 and that's about 1/2 of a night on the p*ss. Infinte fun


Warhammer army costs about €200. A couple of nights on the p*ss but again re-useable you dont
p*iss it up against the wall at the end of the night

Draughts/Chess set - €15 the king of games

lol wtf someone call the nerd police!!

phantom_lord

Darragh29 wrote: »

My local off licence is selling bottles of Millar for 1.99 Euro. The local shop, a stones throw away, is selling the same bottles of Millar for 1 Euro. A 100% difference in price, and these guys wonder why they have no business!?!?! :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

fyp

.

Phototoxin wrote: »

Cheaper ways to socialise:

Dungeons and Dragons - the book and set dice cost about €35 and that's about 1/2 of a night on the p*ss. Infinte fun


Warhammer army costs about €200. A couple of nights on the p*ss but again re-useable you dont
p*iss it up against the wall at the end of the night

Draughts/Chess set - €15 the king of games

ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Overheal

Leave him alone I spent way more than that on warhammer. And I was a **** DM. a much better paladin though.

Mossy Monk

Price freeze. LOL. They are only fooling themselves.

DublinWriter

seamus wrote: »

It's worth noting the Thomas Read group, who own many of the wankery over-priced pubs in Dublin such as Ron Black's and the Bailey, are insolvent because they've been wringing their customers necks for too long.

It's also worth noting that the type of pubs owned by larger organisations are in the front-line. Most pubs are family-owned/run and have a little latitude when it comes to paying and employing staff who are usually family members. Pubs owned by large consortia don't have this flexibility.

Meanwhile back at the plot, pub sales had been in decline since the smoking ban anyway. The current economic climate has just acted as a catalyst.

Highsider

Price freeze :pac::pac::D:D:pac::pac:. Yeah that will bring the punters back. Do these guys think they are fooling anyone.

Terry

witnessmenow wrote: »

First of all, i am a college student,<snip>

Sorry.
Your opinion does not count.

Dave!

F*ck them. When the prices start coming down then I'll show some appreciation.

Red Alert

The smoking ban has made me go to pubs more, I don't think there's any point giving out about it.

Slow Motion

witnessmenow wrote: »

Seamus mentioned profit margins of ~50%, while that does seem high, its not unusual for any sort of a business to making ~35%. Most places dont have to hire bouncers, pay for Djs/bands, pay for late bar liscenses. I'd also imagine electricity bills would be quite high for a bar. You also have to remember the only time most bars are making money is the weekend, which is a fairly short window for business

A good pub doesn't need any of the above, all it needs are decent surroundings, friendly staff and reasonable prices!

super_furry

Still no-one able to explain why a tiny bottle of coke should cost €3.50.