Outrageous price ?

EllanVannin. Yes! I didn't actually decide to stop but just didn't drink after my husband died because the children (still at school) had friends living all over the place and always needed picking up...
Years later I had the chance to go to the Salvation Army on Sundays. I had never lived near enough to join them for Sunday worship, not since when I was a student, that is, and in the first years of my marriage. I decided to join after several years. Of course, we don't drink, but not for the reasons people think. I won't pinch this topic to go on about it here though!
But not drinking makes you both healthier and wealthier!!

Mind you - other things are getting dearer! I love bottled water for example.

Also I don't miss alcohol at all! Even though when my husband was alive we used to entertain (it was part of his job) and I loved wine and used to order the wine myself for our formal entertaining 'dos' . But even now I don't fancy any!
I had a piece of a pudding at my daughter's once which had alcohol in (sorry - don't know what) and was alarmed. I thought the pudding had "gone off!" I couldn't eat it! It tasted like something bad! Luckily my son in law understood!

Monday nights in Wetherspoons, two large glasses of wine £4.80.

I am a meanie. Don’t even like to pay over two pounds for a coffee in Starbucks so take my own bottle of drink when I go out.
Remember part of the cost is VAT.

I hate being ripped off but as a previous poster said - sometimes it is all part and parcel of the whole experience and if a one-off I would probably just pay it!

A couple of years ago I treated my mum and 6 other family members to afternoon tea at a well known London Hotel. It was a treat for my mum's 85th birthday. The cost was £60 each!!!

Was it worth it? Not in value for money - nice enough but after all it was still only sandwiches and cakes with cups of tea oh and one glass of bubbly which non of us particularly liked - but the joy on my old mum's face was a joy being in such grand surroundings and something I have treasured since so...in that instance, I consider it well worth it!

I am surprised GG54 you would even realise what you paying going on past history.

Better for your health too Tillybelle----when you don't drink !

I visited Bourton on the Water recently and was charged £5.50 for two small cups of tea!

I think some places charge far too much for soft drinks too!

GrannyGravy

Actually, Willow, I wouldn't be surprised at a bottle of wine costing £22 and that doesn't sound as high as some - the markup on wine is very high.

However, a very good local pub/restaurant charges a reasonable £14 for an OK bottle of wine.

I remember being offered orange juice (at breakfast) in Paris about 30 years ago. When it came, it was a bottle of orange drink, not even pure juice. It cost £8 for the two. The husband never forgot it, and refused to go back to Paris, referring to it forever after “as that place I got ripped off for juice”.

Johno

Just want to thank you for reminding me about Temple Grandin. She's a heroine of mine. Not only did she advance the knowledge of Autism lifting it out of the Dark Ages, she is herself Autistic, which runs in my family of gentle, honest and straight-forward, hard-working people, she is a Psychologist (me too) and she worked with Cows - my family were Dairy Farmers.
Is the Gatwick ref. to do with people being crushed together? I can't work it out. I mean, Temple developed the squeeze apparatus used to calm cattle for calming anxiety in Autistic people, so is the Gatwick reference about calming humans by squashing them? Where do high prices come in? Do people get calmed so much they pay a lot for their drinks etc.?

Sorry if I'm way-off the mark. I am genuinely interested. Like an Autistic person, I don't make sarcastic remarks or "jokes" with double meanings about what people say. I really am interested in what you said about Temple Grandin and Gatwick.

Thanks.

Johno.

Oh! Now you've got me all curious! I remember about Temple Grandin - my professional life was very much involved with Autism, but I have no idea about the Gatwick reference ... I have no chance of going there.

Please. help me out!!

It's so much cheaper when you don't drink alcohol!

I agree with Maggie, those sort of prices take the shine off a special day out for me (unless someone elsi is paying and I don't know the cost!)

22 euros for a tiny coffee 27 years ago! £25 for a g & t! No, I'd never ever pay those prices.

But some quoted on here seem quite reasonable at an event, even to a skinflint like me. I'd take the £10 fish and chips and the £22 bottle of wine.

I did decline a glass of fizz at the Royal Albert Hall last year. Being ripped off wouldn't have enhanced the lovely experience of going to the Proms in any way. Especially served in plastic glasses.

I'm with Urmstongran on this. If you're going to push the boat out then you have to either do it completely or simply not bother.

Callistemon you are naughty
???????

I was in Venice earlier this year and we sat outside a beautiful cafe in full view of the water and drinks and pizza was really reasonable - cheap I would say compared to Sussex. Perhaps these Venetians have had to bring their prices down !

You can buy mini bottles of fizz and cans so next time take a mini cool bag with ice packs and a couple of plastic glasses and you are all set. We paid extra for Music when we had a drink in St Marks Square but you only do these things once so sometimes it is worth it for the memories.

I don't drink alcohol but would balk at paying per glass what I could pay per bottle with substantial savings at major supermarkets.

We went to Sheffield Arena a few weeks ago and a bottle of wine was £22! Someone behind us was thrown out fo being drunk and had apparently had 3 bottles of the stuff! A pint of beer was £11!

I've gone to festivals for years and prices have gone up over time - a cup of coffee or bottle of water was minimum £2, a slice of pizza £7 and fish and chips £10. That was 3 years ago so no doubt even more now.

Well, if you’re going somewhere special you know it’s going to cost a lot more than you might normally pay. It’s all part of the enjoyment of it being a ‘treat’. Most of us spend our lives watching the pennies and sometimes we just have to push the boat out !

I remember being charged over £7 for a very little bottle of water at the back of Notre Dame years and years ago but I was with a 14 year old and we needed water! Then he got head-butted by a donkey that was dressed up in ridiculous clothes a few seconds later...............we never forgot that visit!!

JackyB
That was your problem; St Marks Square is dreadfully expensive. We went to Florians, but we knew it would be dear, and allowed for it. Cafes just off the Square are a lot cheaper. Like Paris, you're paying for the experience.

My bil recently went on one of those anti Brexit marches, someone was selling cans of Coke for £6 !