Multi Pack Pub Rip Off

tricky D

dudara wrote: »

In short, the landlord can sell alcohol from whatever source he pleases.

Is this accurate? Isn't there something about alcohol having to be purchased through distributors so that excise/tax/duty can be properly applied. Eg. can't just go and buy cheap booze in a supermarket or up north and flog it and keep the much higher markup. It must be via an excisable channel for Revenue purposes.

irish_goat

Edg3 wrote: »

(bottles are nicer, i think the can taints the taste)

You're probably imagining it. Experts have done blind taste tests and been unable to work out which was which.

Edg3

tricky D wrote: »

Is this accurate? Isn't there something about alcohol having to be purchased through distributors so that excise/tax/duty can be properly applied. Eg. can't just go and buy cheap booze in a supermarket or up north and flog it and keep the much higher markup. It must be via an excisable channel for Revenue purposes.

This is exactly what everyone i spoke to before posting here thought, but no one was 100% on it.

Focalbhach

Edg3 wrote: »

well i dont mean i said same again, i said, "another pint of bulmers please"

I think this is really the nub of the issue. He'll keep doing what's he's doing as long as you're paying him to. Why would he stop?

If you want to report him to whichever body is responsible for maintaining standards and measures (for selling 500ml as 568ml) and to the distributors (for selling a multipack singly) you're well entitled to, but first things first - stop giving him your money.

Edg3

Focalbhach wrote: »

I think this is really the nub of the issue. He'll keep doing what's he's doing as long as you're paying him to. Why would he stop?

If you want to report him to whichever body is responsible for maintaining standards and measures (for selling 500ml as 568ml) and to the distributors (for selling a multipack singly) you're well entitled to, but first things first - stop giving him your money.

Thats why i started this, to find out who to report him to. I stopped paying him after the second one anyway.

the beer revolu

tricky D wrote: »

Is this accurate? Isn't there something about alcohol having to be purchased through distributors so that excise/tax/duty can be properly applied. Eg. can't just go and buy cheap booze in a supermarket or up north and flog it and keep the much higher markup. It must be via an excisable channel for Revenue purposes.

Nothing stopping a retailer from buying cheap booze in the supermarket.
Buying up North or anywhere else outside of the state for anything other than personal consumption is, however, smuggling and would be of great interest to The Revenue Commission.

Martyn1989

rubadub wrote: »

this old thread had some costs from the sunday business post
So with VAT @ 23% it is €162 for 50L which is 100cans, €1.62 per 500ml can with VAT but there is obviously going to be wastage on a keg. Guinness is typically one of the cheapest mainstream pints bar beamish & the newbie tuborg/fosters/tennants/bavaria pints. I am certain heineken costs more than guinness per keg, if you look at any keg supplier online to homes this is the case.

Cans of heineken are often around the €1 mark these days, so I expect a publican could easily source for lower than €1. In my local tuborg is €3.60 and I think heineken is €4.65, so about €1 difference while a can can be bought for that price! -something doesn't add up...

Probably the can TBH, it may depend on the particular drink (e.g. stout) but I have no problem with cans or bottles. Some lad & his mates did blind tasting between cans & bottles in some other thread and it was split pretty even as to which was better.

I know a few who do, I would have it the odd time myself and can taste the difference, I have no real preference though.

Yes, clearly marked out, the barcodes would be different for scanning too. I expect any reps coming in would be raging. And its not like they can say it is some inferior import, both are brewed in amsterdam. It really does expose the fact that people should not jump and accuse the end seller of being the ripoff merchant, it is often the manufacturer of goods changing prices in different regions.

I think kegs of heino are close to €150 ex VAT. (could be wrong dont quote me it just rings a bell)

Whats your RRP for a can in a pub? Its going to be high for the same reason draught and bottles are high and the publican will give the same excuse (valid or not) light and heat, wages, taxes etc etc etc.

I don't see why a customer would make their way to a pub and pay €4 for the same can you can get next door in the offlicence for €1. The only difference between drinking at home and drinking in the majority of pubs in this country is draught beer. Its the only thing they have to offer a beer drinker and its one factor that still has people going to pubs. I will only ever order a bottle in a pub if its a craft beer I want to try and not available on draught. Most beer drinkers will order draught beer because its better value, more liquid and is thought to taste better.

Why do they stock Irish Heineken at all, surely it will be just left to gather dust or they depend on people not noticing?

rubadub

Martyn1989 wrote: »

Whats your RRP for a can in a pub?

Of course it will be higher like pints in pubs, but they could sell it lower and make the same profit per unit alcohol sold. Your 150 keg works out about 1.84 per can from that keg with VAT, cans can be got near the €1 mark on offer. I know a guy with a bar in his house and he reckons he gets a good price on kegs but it is over €2 per pint.

Martyn1989 wrote: »

I don't see why a customer would make their way to a pub and pay €4 for the same can you can get next door in the offlicence for €1.

You might not understand it, but I am certain you DO see people buy bottles in pubs which are under a €1 in the offie next door or supermarket. So I can see no reason why they would not do it with cans.

Bottles of heineken are often more expensive than pints of it in pubs, but many still pick the bottles. A guy I know was delighted when he found they were serving cans in one pub, as he prefers the dutch brewed stuff and did not like paying over the odds for 330ml bottles. The can was the price you would usually pay for bottles in most places.

Why do they stock Irish Heineken at all, surely it will be just left to gather dust or they depend on people not noticing?

only the kegged stuff is Irish brewed, I am sure many do not notice, its not like heineken drinkers would be too discerning anyways, though they might think they are.

Martyn1989

rubadub wrote: »

Of course it will be higher like pints in pubs, but they could sell it lower and make the same profit per unit alcohol sold. Your 150 keg works out about 1.84 per can from that keg with VAT, cans can be got near the €1 mark on offer. I know a guy with a bar in his house and he reckons he gets a good price on kegs but it is over €2 per pint.

I see where your coming from, I would love to know what price an independent publican could source cans for. Its not like he has the buying power of tesco.

I think it was discussed earlier in the thread about publicans selling stock bought from a supermarket. Is it allowed? Bearing in mind customers would be very upset if they where served a 300ml bottle.

rubadub wrote: »

You might not understand it, but I am certain you DO see people buy bottles in pubs which are under a €1 in the offie next door or supermarket. So I can see no reason why they would not do it with cans.

Yes but draught is more popular, from what Ive seen the majority of bottles sold are to woman and its because its a smaller serving size and will stay cold and won't go flat by the time they finish it. Its also because they see it as more feminine.

rubadub wrote: »

Bottles of heineken are often more expensive than pints of it in pubs, but many still pick the bottles. A guy I know was delighted when he found they were serving cans in one pub, as he prefers the dutch brewed stuff and did not like paying over the odds for 330ml bottles. The can was the price you would usually pay for bottles in most places.

Bottles of macro lager are always more expensive unless there is an offer, he's opting for the can because it is a different product and getting better value from that product then before. I can't see that working the opposite way and everyone wanting a can instead of a pint where the products are identical mainly due to the points I made before about the perceptions of draught vs canned beer.

rubadub wrote: »

only the kegged stuff is Irish brewed, I am sure many do not notice, its not like heineken drinkers would be too discerning anyways, though they might think they are.

Yeh, you'd think they'd stock one or the other.

I see where your coming from with some of those points and they make sense, I can't see canned beer taking off in pubs and becoming more popular then draught. As I said before it would be a great way for a high volume night club or the like.

Edg3

Minor update :
Went 3 doors down last night to another pub that i thought was a restaurant for years and asked for a pint of bulmers, she handed me a bottle a glass and some ice and asked for 4.50! Think I found my new haunt!