Disagree, I MUCH prefer the pub now I don't have to strip off all my clothes when I get in to wash them because they reek of stale smoke. The thing that has killed it is the 'Gourmet Burger and Chips' and the a Beer costing more than the £2.60 it costed when I was going to the pub and the smokers were there.
I used to go out 3 or 4 times a week to the local. Its now derelict and probably awaiting planning permission to become another Indian restaurant. At the moment, I am going to the pub about once every 4 months! We had about a dozen pubs in our town a few years back, now we have probably 6. The ones that remain constantly change hands, the people taking them on are like lambs to the slaughter.
I bought some kegs for my 40th party in Nov. £125 inc the VAT for a keg of Becks Vier 88 pints if I recall. That's £1.42 pint and in my book that some freaking mark up selling at £3-odd
Well they have to get all their salaries out of that, and pay the rent, and pay all the other business bills. What do you expect? if you buy a pair of jeans, you can reckon that you will be paying well over double what the shop bought them for. And I should imagine the mark-up on a pair of Termis is just stratospheric. I just wish it was like that in the computer industry. To take your pub analogy, if that was our buying price, we'd be selling at £1.52 a pint. And no, staff wages haven't increased a mite here in 10 years. So don't bother asking for a discount next time you buy a laptop.
I work in the computer industry and I know the terrible margins we work to, enough to make a grown man cry.
I agree, I worked for a small pc hardware firm and in 6 years the average Margin went from high 30's% to 17%.
17% fook me! we work on 10% Gross. Not unless I get the chance to stick grey stock in to a customer. But on saying that broker stock used to be the golden goose but we have come across a few resellers are selling grey HP/Cisco at low margins and trashing the last Bastian of a half decent hardware margin. One really has to be creative these days to earn a crust.
Dublin city is a little bit more expensive than the suburbs. On average its 5 euro a beer & prob 5.50 a bottle of beer. But it can go up after hrs in some pubs. We dont have to go to the city as much, lots of smaller boroughs have the pubs and eateries we want. In saying that, we get A LOT of UK visitors here. So they abviously see they're getting a bit of bang for their buck.
I refuse to sell at cost or get in to price wars. I walked away from £180k deal in the summer as it was getting to be just not worth it. And tying up £180k to make peanuts IMO does not make good business sense. Not to mention the weeks of headaches around deliveries, DOA and no doubt the odd none compatible part. I do only have a small customer base but they are loyal and I am just like an extended part of their team. VAR at its best I like to think, that way price is secondary.
Sounds like we were probably selling into many of the same customers! anyway.... I may well just go to the Pub tonight as it's been over a week, see... propping up the pub industry single handed!... That said they also do the best Pulled Pork baps in the world down there.
Where I go to salsa dance (run by the slug and lettuce) they only have 3 drinks on tap - stella, peroni, carling. All at £4.10 a pint. Not to mention £7 for the class! Jesus.
I do like a good pub and going there isn't the same as drinking at home. You pay extra for the ambiance and the fact that you are not at home. A bit like going to the cinema, or just staying in your living room and looking at the thing on your widescreen TV. All a bit sad.
What is it with Peroni? Let me guess - great marketing. Otherwise it's just another eurofizz, isn't it?
Well I can see why pub beer is so expensive - none of you bastards ever go there! So they have to put their prices up to try to make a wage, so us people who show some dedication to the local cause get clobbered. Thanks, thanks a bunch
Currently enjoying a pint of Pedigree in the Seacourt Arms in Botley, Oxford £2.60 a pint, very reasonable
