The Pub trade is dying - Minimum price for Alcohol?

ardinn

Meteoric wrote: »

As to the bolded part, yes you have fewer subscribers than Birmingham but you need to take the trade union idea here, people do not pass pickets (by and large). It the VFI and the Dublin equivalent take the line they will not pay because Sky are being unreasonable and will not give the Birmingham rate and every pub does it pointing out in their Advertising (e.g. signs on the pub doors) that the cost of sky is adding to the cost of the pint so to give value they are striking then sky will either have to pull out of Irelands pub market or lower the cost.
Like strikers you have to take the risk that you do lose some business for a time.
Organise, make the public know why you are doing it and it is to their detriment to support the scabs, and you get what you want or a compromise.
Instead of the VFI looking for something that hurts people, have the VFI advertise that if. you support an organisation that rips off the Irish And so pubs that are there to provide value are the ones who are doing the boycott should have more effect on Sky. After all they would not have the rights if they did not make them money.

There are too many members who would not support a ban on sky - those whos pubs are very profitable generally and those who's main or a large portion of their custom comes from viewing sky shows. Believe me its been discussed.

ronwan

Why not go the whole hog and put the prices of food in the supermarkets up to keep the extortionate restaurants from going under? Good luck VFI, thieves for years.

brian ireland

In 2008 and 9 some Pubs where starting to struggle. I am told by a friend of a friend who owns (owned) a pub.

"We saw the writing on the wall. People could buy cans a lot cheeper in the supermarket or the offey. We tried to sell our drink at 2 euro a pint from Sunday to Thursday. we could make margin on this! The brewery threatened to stop supplying us. The bars near by protested to the suppliers.
We tried to buy european beer and cut out the Irish Mafia but the customers wanted the old reliables.
After being forced to rip our customers off, they stopped coming and we closed."


My friend is unemployed now and can't claim the dole.

Ironic don't you think?

HellFireClub

brian ireland wrote: »

In 2008 and 9 some Pubs where starting to struggle. I am told by a friend of a friend who owns (owned) a pub.

"We saw the writing on the wall. People could buy cans a lot cheeper in the supermarket or the offey. We tried to sell our drink at 2 euro a pint from Sunday to Thursday. we could make margin on this! The brewery threatened to stop supplying us. The bars near by protested to the suppliers.
We tried to buy european beer and cut out the Irish Mafia but the customers wanted the old reliables.
After being forced to rip our customers off, they stopped coming and we closed."


My friend is unemployed now and can't claim the dole.

Ironic don't you think?

If your mate thought that there was an injustice in this, why didn't he go to the competition authority and have it dealt with as a criminal matter???

senordingdong

The fact is, alot of publicans are already buying cheaper products, such as soft drinks and bottled beer from a cheaper source.

But they are not passing the saving on the consumer.
While this isn't acceptable to the customer, it is acceptable to the publican.

Just like the taxi drivers, the older, ignorant, bigoted publicans are going to to die off and we will be better without them.
That's the only real loss the country stands to make.

maninasia

matrim wrote: »

What annoys me most about pubs is the price of non-alcoholic drinks. I went out yesterday morning to watch a match. I got a pint of rock shandy which was 5.40, a pint of Heineken in the same place is 4.95. How can they justify the mineral being 45c dearer when there are no taxes / duties on them?

I didn't even want a pint of beer but ended up having one instead of a second rock shandy because it was cheaper.

That's why pubs are sinking in Ireland...

A pub can't just open it's door, get some taps at the bar, play load music and expect to do well. They need to reduce their prices, make the place interesting, maybe get a chef so you can eat some decent food, get some music in. There are publicans doing that and they'll be the ones that survive and prosper.

gurramok

Publicans should read this. From the Sunday Business Post.

sbp wrote:

Diageo has agreed to slash the price of Guinness to the company which runs the bars in Dublin’s new Aviva Stadium at Lansdowne Road, after the company threatened to import supplies from Britain.

Irish publicans pay €131.66 for a 50-litre keg of Guinness. The ex-duty price of the same keg to the on-trade in Britain is half that, at £54.15 (€66). Even after payment of Irish duty, the cost of importing Guinness to Ireland would be only €99.33 per keg, a saving of 33 per cent.

http://www.sbpost.ie/news/ireland/diageo-cuts-drink-prices-for-aviva-bars-51099.html

Guinness when threatened with competition reduces the prices in order to keep sales. Just look at how easily they did it.

Now as we know the LVA & VFI is a powerful lobby, why don't they threathen to withdraw Guinness in response to constanty rising prices by Diageo??

lordstilton

Ardinn,
Any chance you can uproot that pub of yours and put it in Mullingar. It sounds like a great spot....a galway hooker tap wouldn't go astray either.

brian ireland

HellFireClub wrote: »

If your mate thought that there was an injustice in this, why didn't he go to the competition authority and have it dealt with as a criminal matter???

Not too sure. He is a very intelligent person, so I am sure he considered every avenue.


Sometimes I suppose it's not worth the hassle or expense when you see the lack of real power some of these bodies actually have. Thats my point of view not his.

stimpson

ardinn wrote: »

There are too many members who would not support a ban on sky.

You know what they say - there's no honour among thieves.

abouttobebanned

It seems to me that a large percentage off this thread could easily be moved to the Dublin Forum. Way too many generalisations going on.

Ireland reminds me of Liverpool fans at the minute - there must be something to blame. We are glorious and we are magnificent, therefore someone else must be to blame.

Pubs all around the country are doing what they can to survive in the face of a very fickle public and a very hungry government.

The majority of people here, from the way that they are talking seem to want all pubs to die, maybe except the one little bar that they like. True, there are bars out there that don't deserve to be still trading but I'd hazard a gues that 95% of them are in the capital.

The pubs die, and live music in the country dies. Your musicians have no outlet for their talents except maybe to pop into one of these house parties that, according to this thread, are happening up and down the country every day of the week.

The solution to this problem is not an easy one but I do believe it's a problem that needs to be addressed. There are a lot of knock on effects besides employment.

Capping prices in off licences and supermarkets is not logical but something about it doesn't make sense to me. Ireland, the nanny state, has always had a watchful, judgemental eye on pubs....that same eye has never crossed Tesco's path out of pure fear. Pubs are not allowed open on certain days...they must open and close at certain times. A man can walk into tesco and buy cheap booze but a pub is not allowed have a happy hour. If a pub wants to stay open later than 11pm then they must pay an exemption of €475. That cost plus the cost of staff, live music & stock and suddenly that bar needs to be busy that night or it may not be open the following week.

I'm all in favour of cheap drink and trusting that people are responsible enough to drink safely....but I don't like this attitude of "the pub is evil" close all pubs...

I wonder, by the way, if the instances of domestic violence has increased in the past five or so years. Lot of drinking at home...no security or fellow drinkers to behave in front of. Just a thought.

stimpson

abouttobebanned wrote: »

Publicans remind me of Liverpool fans at the minute - there must be something to blame. We are glorious and we are magnificent, therefore someone else must be to blame.

FYP

abouttobebanned

stimpson wrote: »

FYP

Aren't you clever.

ardinn

stimpson wrote: »

You know what they say - there's no honour among thieves.

They also say - He who posts qoutes from other people is very unoriginal and smelly!

ardinn

lordstilton wrote: »

Ardinn,
Any chance you can uproot that pub of yours and put it in Mullingar. It sounds like a great spot....a galway hooker tap wouldn't go astray either.

You know I was e-mailed hooker looking for a tap - Got no reply

stimpson

abouttobebanned wrote: »

Aren't you clever.

Sorry, but if you can't see the irony in what you posted then there is really no hope.

People cannot afford to go to pub because prices are high. Publicans assume it can't be their fault for charging so much, so it must be down to cheaper drink in Tescos.

Sparkyd2002

necessity is the mother of invention.Might force pubs to become something more than a glorified roof and 4 walls you go to for the privelidge of paying exorbitant prices and not watch football!

Venom

ardinn wrote: »

They also say - He who posts qoutes from other people is very unoriginal and smelly!

Back to attacking other posters again :rolleyes:

Venom

ardinn wrote: »

We have large bottles and charge 30c per splash - But you'd be amazed how many people just want a small bottle instead. They all thing the Splash id "dead" or flat. But younger people do buy it like that.

Out of interest how many 30c splashes do you get out of a 2lt bottle?

johnmcdnl

ardinn wrote: »

Value

Is a pint at €4 actually that bad value to everyone??

A 6 pack costs about the price of 2 pints - so yes bad value

Cinema ticket - €9 - €12 + €3 for your bloody 3D glasses.

6 euro for student ticket and read a review to make sure it's good first and well a tad expensive but the experience can be worth it

Restaurant steak or any red meat main - €18 - €30

Steak is a luxury item - wouldn't go out for one too often but can you say you ever resented your 20 euro steak

Bowling - €30 per hour - more

for up to 6 people - 5 euro per person unless your going to go on your own which unless your really into bowling your not going to do yourself

Snooker - €15 per hour - + -

surely there's somewhere cheaper???? if not well that's bad value too

O'briens Sambo - €4 +

:rolleyes: are they really that nice :rolleyes: I've gotten sandwiches in other shops for 2 euro that are probably just as good.. just like subway - might be nice but you can get just a roll at the deli in most supermarkets for half the price...


If I can get my beer for 1/3 of the price and have a house party with just a few of my friends around I think i'll have a better time and add in that we can choose the music and not have to listen to a jukebox/dj pumpin out ****e pop/hip hop music as well as not having to deal with being completely cramped up in a packed pump where you get it hard to even turn around never mind talk to your friends...

These other things are expensive - but people are arseholes for paying for them at that price and that's exactly why they continue to be charged that much for them...
People now finally start taking a stand against rip off ireland's prices and the publicans are the unfortunate ones who get stung first..

It's a recession and pubs will have to adapt too - people just can't afford to go out and get hammered like they used to be able to - adapt or go bust - simple as that...

Also - harsh times mean that having 10 pubs on one street in a little country village mightn't be sustainable in these times - unfortunate reality but if some of the pubs have to close it's unavoidable with the times we live in... the remaining pubs will get extra customers it'll help them stay afloat..
that's just the way it's going to be unless all the pubs can change the way they operate and find a way to draw the customers back in.

Pace2008

ardinn wrote: »

V
Cinema ticket - €9 - €12 + €3 for your bloody 3D glasses.
Restaurant steak or any red meat main - €18 - €30
Bowling - €30 per hour - more
Snooker - €15 per hour - + -
O'briens Sambo - €4 +

In these times of austerity, more and more Irish are choosing to go for the more inexpensive option of having a quiet night in with their homemade bowling alleys and 50ft cinema screens.

Capt'n Midnight

Pace2008 wrote: »

In these times of austerity, more and more Irish are choosing to go for the more inexpensive option of having a quiet night in with their homemade bowling alleys and 50ft cinema screens.

there are a lot of large screen TV's and projectors out there now

so cinema is not as huge a jump up from TV as it used to be

Pace2008

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

there are a lot of large screen TV's and projectors out there now

so cinema is not as huge a jump up from TV as it used to be

When I was a kid, I had some friends from Dungloe whose only opportunity of a cinematic experience, outside of travelling to Letterkenny, came around every few months in the form of a large truck with a built-in projector.

If that's what one's used to, I guess the analogy holds. Otherwise I'd stick with the food comparisons.

senordingdong

abouttobebanned wrote: »

It seems to me that a large percentage off this thread could easily be moved to the Dublin Forum. Way too many generalisations going on.

Ireland reminds me of Liverpool fans at the minute - there must be something to blame. We are glorious and we are magnificent, therefore someone else must be to blame.

Pubs all around the country are doing what they can to survive in the face of a very fickle public and a very hungry government.

The majority of people here, from the way that they are talking seem to want all pubs to die, maybe except the one little bar that they like. True, there are bars out there that don't deserve to be still trading but I'd hazard a gues that 95% of them are in the capital.

The pubs die, and live music in the country dies. Your musicians have no outlet for their talents except maybe to pop into one of these house parties that, according to this thread, are happening up and down the country every day of the week.

The solution to this problem is not an easy one but I do believe it's a problem that needs to be addressed. There are a lot of knock on effects besides employment.

Capping prices in off licences and supermarkets is not logical but something about it doesn't make sense to me. Ireland, the nanny state, has always had a watchful, judgemental eye on pubs....that same eye has never crossed Tesco's path out of pure fear. Pubs are not allowed open on certain days...they must open and close at certain times. A man can walk into tesco and buy cheap booze but a pub is not allowed have a happy hour. If a pub wants to stay open later than 11pm then they must pay an exemption of €475. That cost plus the cost of staff, live music & stock and suddenly that bar needs to be busy that night or it may not be open the following week.

I'm all in favour of cheap drink and trusting that people are responsible enough to drink safely....but I don't like this attitude of "the pub is evil" close all pubs...

I wonder, by the way, if the instances of domestic violence has increased in the past five or so years. Lot of drinking at home...no security or fellow drinkers to behave in front of. Just a thought.

Nope.
There is a need for Irish people to drink and socialise/gig/fight/**** etc...

The pubs will close, legislation will change, and a better alternative will appear.

Perhaps a Tesco pub.

tails_naf

Is it really below cost selling though?
Cheapest I've seen a can of beer for is a euro.

In other countries (usa, germany, poland, etc), you can buy beer for that easily, IN pubs!

So are our publicans being ripped off - i.e. are they really paying more than a euro for a pint themselves? I find that hard to beleive.

The pubs are a victim of their own policies, prices have been going up and up. It's a joke that I can get a guinness cheaper in ANY other country than I can in Dublin.

If you jack everyone around for long enough, they will vote with their feet, and they have. And now the publicans solution is to want to raise prices in the shops!

They need to take a long hard look at themselves and maybe bring some value back into going out, and then it might become more attractive to the public once again.

Idbatterim

when I was in Germany a few years back there were cans in PLUS going for 17c. I can only imagine with Tesco's purchasing power, what they are buying those crates of bottles and cans for! I highly doubt they are even selling them at break even. Look at what they sell the crates for in the uk, and I dont mean the North, way less than even the best deals here.

ardinn

Venom wrote: »

Back to attacking other posters again :rolleyes:

No that was a joke - relax!

ardinn

Venom wrote: »

Out of interest how many 30c splashes do you get out of a 2lt bottle?

1 Ltr - and how many depends on the person - Sorry to be vague, could be 4 - could be 6 could b 8!

bungler

Was out the other night and asked for a vodka and redbull the drinks were brought over a few mins later and i got the vodka with a can of Boost and they charged me €3.75 for the boost and marked on the can itself was 99c. they sell this boost in my local spar and obviously the manger/owner bought a load of it and tries to charge me nearly 4 times the price.

A mate told me that he got charged €4 for a can of blue bear with his vodke and there selling this dtuff in shops for 50c

This is why pubs are going tits up cause ill never drink there ever again

the_syco

cerebis wrote: »

I've been in a few pubs lately who have been serving "uk" bottles of beer and charging me the same Irish price.. is this ok ??

They can charge you €50 a bottle, if they want.

grenache wrote: »

Try telling that to the folk who live in rural areas where the pub is their only social outlet.

Most are small little things, and have existed for decades. They can exist off a few regulars, and once they haven't spent stupid money that they don't have one flashy crap, they'll exist for a while to come.

ardinn wrote: »

Cinema ticket - €9 - €12 + €3 for your bloody 3D glasses. €15 for 2 hours of entertainment. Cheaper unless you drink less than 4 pints in two hours
Restaurant steak or any red meat main - €18 - €30
Bowling - €30 per hour - more Jebius, where do you go? Only €5 per person per hour in the nearest one to me (Palmerstown)
Snooker - €15 per hour - + - Also, my local snooker hall is a lot less than this. Works out at a €5 each per hour mostly
O'briens Sambo - €4 +

=-=
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