How I love being ripped off in post Celtic Tiger Ireland

Waestrel

I was down at my local (old man style) pub a few nights prior to Christmas meeting with a Uni friend I had not seen in a while. I had to be up early the next day so I ordered a Carlsberg shandy. I imagine this is less than half a pint of actual lager topped up by the cheapest TK white lemonade.

This would be one of the cheapest drinks the pub could possible serve that is not a pint of water. They charged me nearly 5 euros. How can this be justified? We hear how the pub trade has suffered in this recession, yet still indulging in shameless rip offery? Also, when we have national awareness of our drink culture, it should not be that I am more out of pocket for "rethinking my drinking" than someone who orders a "proper" beer.

Should get drunk in future I guess.

Israel_Dagg

Take it to the rip off Ireland forum :P

MrStuffins

It used to be 15p for a packet of Mega Meanies

It's now 89c!

Unreal!

senorwipesalot

Cocktails are always expensive.

Hippies!

The 5 euro price was probably to discourage your type from darkening their door again.

Froyo

MrStuffins wrote: »

It used to be 15p for a packet of Mega Meanies

It's now 89c!

Unreal!

Don't get me started on chickatees!!

Culleeo

Waestrel wrote: »

I imagine this is less than half a pint of actual lager topped up by the cheapest TK white lemonade.

I imagine they used a bottle of 7up which costs in the region of €2.50 and then charged you for the half pint on top.

Where To

I've never heard of anywhere charging less for shandy.

Gummy Panda

Culleeo wrote: »

I imagine they used a bottle of 7up which costs in the region of €2.50 and then charged you for the half pint on top.

This is generally how shandies are done unless the pub has a soda gun thingy.

Culleeo

Gummy Panda wrote: »

This is generally how shandies are done unless the pub has a soda gun thingy.

I know that, I should have put :rolleyes: at the end of my post.

oodles19

Been working in pubs 20 years, shandies are always the same price as a pint

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Sheesh, 10p bags are about €2 now.

mikemac1

Only Brits go to Uni

You met your college friend

longshanks

Gummy Panda wrote: »

This is generally how shandies are done unless the pub has a soda gun thingy.

Not necessarily. Lots of pubs have those digital touch screen tills these days and would have a button for ale shandy, lager shandy etc. The same for brandy & port or other commonly mixed drinks, so you are not paying for two seperate drink prices in one glass.

UCDVet

You get what you pay for.....

staker

Must have included a free hand-shandy at the hatch OP?

J. Marston

MrStuffins wrote: »

It used to be 15p for a packet of Mega Meanies

It's now 89c!

Unreal!

This is the type of thing that should get the nation out on the streets protesting.

syklops

Thread disappoints. You got ripped off by 5 euro. Actually, you were charged 5 euro so at most you were ripped off by about 2 euro. Worthy of a new thread? No. Go get a twitter account.

Fr_Dougal

Waestrel wrote: »

They charged me nearly 5 euros. How can this be justified? We hear how the pub trade has suffered in this recession, yet still indulging in shameless rip offery?

What did the manager/owner of the establishment say when you posed this question to him/her?

Allyall

€5.45 in my local :mad:. They upped all drinks a couple of weeks before the budget and again after (Including Tea/Coffee)
They get away with it, because everyone lets them away with it. Anyone that would have, gave up doing anything about it years ago.

Hope someone starts "Warehouse" parties, and BYOBooze.. Better Craic/music and hopefully people. Small entrance fee to cover any costs.

Biggins

Tish!!!

I remember the days when you could buy a bag of Tayto for 5p.
(Seriously)

orestes

longshanks wrote: »

Not necessarily. Lots of pubs have those digital touch screen tills these days and would have a button for ale shandy, lager shandy etc. The same for brandy & port or other commonly mixed drinks, so you are not paying for two seperate drink prices in one glass.

Digital touch pad keeps track of what stock you have sold, which it then translates to how much money should be in the till. If the till is down at the end of the shift, the staff pay the difference.

weldoninhio

I'm presuming you drank what you'd paid for and left OP??

mikemac1

orestes wrote: »

If the till is down at the end of the shift, the staff pay the difference.

Illegal

Oh managers will try that one but they can be told where to go

MrStuffins

orestes wrote: »

Digital touch pad keeps track of what stock you have sold, which it then translates to how much money should be in the till. If the till is down at the end of the shift, the staff pay the difference.

And does the manager then sell them magic beans?

orestes

mikemac1 wrote: »

Illegal

Oh managers will try that one but they can be told where to go

MrStuffins wrote: »

And does the manager then sell them magic beans?

Maybe not here but tis standard practice in a lot of bars in Belgium and Holland anyway. You don't pay up, there's the door.

MrStuffins

orestes wrote: »

Maybe not here but tis standard practice in a lot of bars in Belgium and Holland anyway. You don't pay up, there's the door.

I don't think the OP was in Holland or Belgium at the time.............

Agricola

I drink the odd shandy in the summer or when driving. Sometimes while driving in the summer. Anyway, the way every pub Ive been in do it is to half fill a pint glass with cheapo TK red lemonade and then top it up with ale. End result is same price as a normal pint. It's just one of the many ways in which consumers are ripped off. Ho hum.

orestes

MrStuffins wrote: »

I don't think the OP was in Holland or Belgium at the time.............

Ok. OP is giving out about being charged full price for a pint of shandy. I pointed out that stock in bars is very closely monitored and sold/missing stock has to be accounted for in terms of cash taken in. Therefore, if half a pint of beer is missing and a bottle of 7-up is missing, the money for them should be in the till. If the bar-staff didn't take the money for them, they would be held accountable for the missing stock/money.

I foolishly extended this point by adding a pointless throw-away comment about having to pay for the stock, which was apparently wrong, but which has been used to overlook the part of my post that was pointing out why the OP was charged for a pint. I'm sorry. Better now?

Jimoslimos

orestes wrote: »

Maybe not here but tis standard practice in a lot of bars in Belgium and Holland anyway. You don't pay up, there's the door.

Pretty sure it's illegal there too. Employment laws tend to be standard across Europe these days.

Cienciano

You were charged ghay tax

MrStuffins

orestes wrote: »

Ok. OP is giving out about being charged full price for a pint of shandy. I pointed out that stock in bars is very closely monitored and sold/missing stock has to be accounted for in terms of cash taken in. Therefore, if half a pint of beer is missing and a bottle of 7-up is missing, the money for them should be in the till. If the bar-staff didn't take the money for them, they would be held accountable for the missing stock/money.

I foolishly extended this point by adding a pointless throw-away comment about having to pay for the stock, which was apparently wrong, but which has been used to overlook the part of my post that was pointing out why the OP was charged for a pint. I'm sorry. Better now?

Cool. And I understand completely that a lot of bar managers, shop managers etc will try this and get away with it a lot of the time.

I worked part time in a place when i was in college and they tried to do this! Everyone bar me (who happened to be studying employment law at the time) thought this was standard practice.

c_man

Worked in a few pubs, never a difference in price for a shandy.

LiffeyValleyB

Waestrel wrote: »

I was down at my local (old man style) pub a few nights prior to Christmas meeting with a Uni friend I had not seen in a while. I had to be up early the next day so I ordered a Carlsberg shandy. I imagine this is less than half a pint of actual lager topped up by the cheapest TK white lemonade.

This would be one of the cheapest drinks the pub could possible serve that is not a pint of water. They charged me nearly 5 euros. How can this be justified? We hear how the pub trade has suffered in this recession, yet still indulging in shameless rip offery? Also, when we have national awareness of our drink culture, it should not be that I am more out of pocket for "rethinking my drinking" than someone who orders a "proper" beer.

Should get drunk in future I guess.

Fair play to you for standing your ground and refusing to be ripped off by not paying the 5 euros and sending the drink back... Oh wait!

Pottler

Cienciano wrote: »

You were charged ghay tax

That thought did cross my mind. "Coming in here looking for fancy cocktails. What's wrong with a pint of plain? I'll show you, ya waestrel.":)

Also, what is "Nearly 5 euro"?? Is that €4.75? I.e, what's the big deal, sure you got your pint, what did you expect, €2?

brembo26

Waestrel wrote: »

I was down at my local (old man style) pub a few nights prior to Christmas meeting with a Uni friend I had not seen in a while. I had to be up early the next day so I ordered a Carlsberg shandy. I imagine this is less than half a pint of actual lager topped up by the cheapest TK white lemonade.

This would be one of the cheapest drinks the pub could possible serve that is not a pint of water. They charged me nearly 5 euros. How can this be justified? We hear how the pub trade has suffered in this recession, yet still indulging in shameless rip offery? Also, when we have national awareness of our drink culture, it should not be that I am more out of pocket for "rethinking my drinking" than someone who orders a "proper" beer.

Should get drunk in future I guess.

€2.60 was plenty enough for it, obviously they were new staff and charged for a split (bottled mixer).

Jimoslimos

Waestrel wrote: »

I was down at my local (old man style) pub a few nights prior to Christmas meeting with a Uni friend I had not seen in a while. I had to be up early the next day so I ordered a Carlsberg shandy. I imagine this is less than half a pint of actual lager topped up by the cheapest TK white lemonade.

The thing is, it's not usually. Most times a shandy would be ⅔ beer and ⅓ lemonade, or at most half and half (at customers' request). Never more lemonade than beer.

Was there any difference in price between the shandy and a standard pint?

Zuko123

Stop drinking like a pu55y and you will never have this problem

Senna

Its called the "Shandy" tax, introduced by Charlie McCreevy in 1983 to discourage people from pretending to order a pint but really wimping out of with half lemonade and half beer.

Cupcake_Crisis

orestes wrote: »

Maybe not here but tis standard practice in a lot of bars in Belgium and Holland anyway. You don't pay up, there's the door.

If the till is over do the staff share the difference then?

orestes

Cupcake_Crisis wrote: »

If the till is over do the staff share the difference then?

Yup, that's the tips. It sounds like a weird system that bites the staff in the arse but it's really just there to cut down on waste and make staff more careful with the stock, it works out in your favour the vast majority of the time really.

padd b1975

orestes wrote: »

Yup, that's the tips. It sounds like a weird system that bites the staff in the arse but it's really just there to cut down on waste and make staff more careful with the stock, it works out in your favour the vast majority of the time really.

I think it creates the temptation to short change customers.

Don't get me started on Penny sweets.