@eric_plant said:
Pete Couhig tweeted a while back that profits were up
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but is he saying overall profits are up over this time last year, when we had no fans in the stands? Or is he just saying concession profits are up?
@Blue_since_1990 said:
It is a ridiculous price to pay for a pie or burger. People are starving and living on the streets in Wycombe and we are asked to pay £7/£8 for a pie.
Your first sentence is spot on.
Not sure what relevance the second has though? You could bring up numerous examples of how people pay wild figures for things of luxury when others have no money.
@eric_plant said:
Pete Couhig tweeted a while back that profits were up
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but is he saying overall profits are up over this time last year, when we had no fans in the stands? Or is he just saying concession profits are up?
He's saying that by charging £7 for these burgers they're making more money than they did by charging £3.50 for the old ones
I’m guessing you’re right @eric_plant in the sense that the vast majority of people, especially the ‘occasionals’, would barely give the price a thought. Only 20% of fans look at the Gasroom (I’m guessing again!) and in all probability 80% of regular posters are in age groups that are more cost-conscious than younger generations.
The degree of dissatisfaction with prices expressed on here is probably
unrepresentative.
@micra Interested in your view that younger generations are less cost-conscious than older ones? What is that based on? Instinctively I'd think the opposite given people in their 20s and 30s will be the first generation to be worse off than their parents
@FmG said: @micra Interested in your view that younger generations are less cost-conscious than older ones? What is that based on? Instinctively I'd think the opposite given people in their 20s and 30s will be the first generation to be worse off than their parents
This has been an interesting discussion. I can only give a very personal view and I fully recognise my own circumstances are very much my own. It seems that I'm unusual on here in that the changes to the "matchday experience" have absolutely worked for me.
Although I know that my journey is nothing like the odysseys that some people undertake to get to Adams Park, I have to leave the house too early to eat lunch. My habit used to be to get something to eat at Marylebone Station and eat it either at the station or on the train. For me, the burgers from the Hellfire BBQ are better than anything I can get at Marylebone, so I've actually been eating more at the ground than I did previously. I acknowledge that I'm in the very fortunate position that quality is far more important to me than price, but, judging by the queues, I'm far from being alone.
I've also really enjoyed being able to have a decent pint from the beer tent before and, now there is a 6 o'clock bus back to the station, sometimes after the game.
Everybody's circumstances are different. But there are alternatives for more cost-conscious supporters, such as Linda's or eating at home. The Club cannot possibly satisfy all its supporters' different needs and preferences. If the current arrangements are working for a lot of people and the Club are making higher profits, and there are alternatives for the people the Club's offer doesn't suit, then, to put it at its lowest, this is something I decline to get upset about.
Things of luxury @Malone, you are joking. The burger I bought at the start of the season from kiosk 6 inside the ground was far from luxury and ended up in the bin.
@FmG said: @micra Interested in your view that younger generations are less cost-conscious than older ones? What is that based on? Instinctively I'd think the opposite given people in their 20s and 30s will be the first generation to be worse off than their parents
I can’t speak with any authority about people in their 20s or 30s @FmG. I can only say that our granddaughter (24) tends to spend every penny (and more!) as soon as she receives it and our grandson (21) is more inclined to set a little aside for the proverbial rainy day.
The people I had in mind were those in their 40s and 50s - for example, those who have the largest trolleys in the supermarket, full to overflowing, and you can be pretty sure that a substantial quantity is going to finish up in the food waste. We have a lot of friends, acquaintances and family members who, like us, have middle aged children and whenever the conversation turns to the subject of food shopping and financial prudence generally (sounds like a kitten!), the common observation is that younger people have, shall we say, a less disciplined approach than we oldies had drilled into us during, and for several years after, the war. A discipline that became so ingrained that, however comfortable we may now be financially, it remains with us.
Another widely shared observation (and particularly relevant in our family) is the rigid adherence to “use by” dates and even treating “best before” as almost equally sacrosanct. We are frequent beneficiaries!
I also think that the use of debit/credit cards leads people to lose track of the cost of individual purchases in a way that fumbling around for yet another of one’s dwindling ten pound noted cannot match.
All the above is based on our own personal observation, plus the observations of numerous people that we have chatted to down the years. Others in our age group may well have very different views.
What a superb and very interesting post @OakwoodExile.
Very much share your attitude towards quality over price. I have been able recently to overcome to some extent the ingrained instinct to look for cheaper options whilst still seeking best value for money. And I still find it hard to come to terms with spending up to £20 for a main course in a pub or restaurant when I know that I can rustle up something equally delicious (if rather more rustically presented) for a quarter of the price.
@peterparrotface I said that, although, purely for effect, you missed out "Linda's or". I don't apologise for what I said. There have been times in my life when I've had to be much more cost-conscious, particularly when the kids were small, and have eaten at home or taken food prepared at home or bought in the supermarket to the cinema, the zoo, a theme park or whatever. I don't regard that as any kind of dereliction of some kind of moral duty by the venue.
@eric_plant said:
Pete Couhig tweeted a while back that profits were up
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but is he saying overall profits are up over this time last year, when we had no fans in the stands? Or is he just saying concession profits are up?
He's saying that by charging £7 for these burgers they're making more money than they did by charging £3.50 for the old ones
Cheers. I wonder if that thought process is working with the ticket prices too, inasmuch as they are making more at 28 pounds in the FA leaning on the diehards than they would at 22 hoping extra people show up?
@peterparrotface I said that, although, purely for effect, you missed out "Linda's or". I don't apologise for what I said. There have been times in my life when I've had to be much more cost-conscious, particularly when the kids were small, and have eaten at home or taken food prepared at home or bought in the supermarket to the cinema, the zoo, a theme park or whatever. I don't regard that as any kind of dereliction of some kind of moral duty by the venue.
Leaving out "Linda's or" is quite the omission. "Basically, if you can’t afford the food it’s ok you can eat at Linda's that you'd literally have to walk past to get to the expensive food anyway." doesn't quite have the same effect does it.
@drcongo yeah fair enough but Linda’s isn’t anything to do with the club. I don’t consider a community focused football the same as a zoo or a cinema or a theme park, I think pricing some hot food at a cheap ish price is a reasonable expectation from the club
@OakwoodExile you certainly don’t need to apologise, it’s a very valid view which I’m sure lots of people share.
@peterparrotface said: @drcongo yeah fair enough but Linda’s isn’t anything to do with the club. I don’t consider a community focused football the same as a zoo or a cinema or a theme park, I think pricing some hot food at a cheap ish price is a reasonable expectation from the club
I'm actually mostly with you on this. Even if the cheaper option was just chips from the kiosks which I used to see an awful lot of kids eating around me in the Frank Adams at half time. Don't see anyone eating at half time at all these days, though of course they may have all arrived early and gorged themselves on goldburgers before kickoff.
@peterparrotface said: @drcongo yeah fair enough but Linda’s isn’t anything to do with the club. I don’t consider a community focused football the same as a zoo or a cinema or a theme park, I think pricing some hot food at a cheap ish price is a reasonable expectation from the club
@OakwoodExile you certainly don’t need to apologise, it’s a very valid view which I’m sure lots of people share.
In theory you're completely right, but in practice being able to make cheap good food isn't easy when it comes to staffing. Linda runs that van as a full time job, and has it absolutely down due to years of experience- and the motivation that any money she makes goes to her.
That is extremely difficult to do with temporary minimum wage staff, often kids, that are likely to only be there for a couple of matches before finding more regular work. On top of that they get paid the same whatever the product they serve is.
Add in the increased ingredients cost when you only have events around once a week rather than selling daily, with much less predictable numbers and I'm really not surprised that the in ground food is dire
The queue at half time for food and drink still seems long and I don't see any evidence of a Fetch collection point.
Thought this was going to be one step away from waiter service to your seat but it's all gone very quiet.
My match day spend is much less these days with no draw tickets, programme and very often no food. But if the profits are really up as discussed I wonder both how and if thats helps the match day experience in any way? If I bought a pie would we get more fire displays for example?
I'm confused like you @Right_in_the_Middle with "the profits up" message from the club. A friend and myself each spend about £10.00 less per game now so over a season that is around £400.
Comments
My gut feeling is we are in the top three of most expensive pies / burgers in the country.
*Pun intended I presume @Commoner?
I wonder if Pete Couhig as tried the sugared ants?
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but is he saying overall profits are up over this time last year, when we had no fans in the stands? Or is he just saying concession profits are up?
Your first sentence is spot on.
Not sure what relevance the second has though? You could bring up numerous examples of how people pay wild figures for things of luxury when others have no money.
He's saying that by charging £7 for these burgers they're making more money than they did by charging £3.50 for the old ones
I’m guessing you’re right @eric_plant in the sense that the vast majority of people, especially the ‘occasionals’, would barely give the price a thought. Only 20% of fans look at the Gasroom (I’m guessing again!) and in all probability 80% of regular posters are in age groups that are more cost-conscious than younger generations.
The degree of dissatisfaction with prices expressed on here is probably
unrepresentative.
How do I get that last word on the previous line? I tried before I posted but it wouldn’t go. I should get out much more!! ?
@micra Interested in your view that younger generations are less cost-conscious than older ones? What is that based on? Instinctively I'd think the opposite given people in their 20s and 30s will be the first generation to be worse off than their parents
It's all those avocados we buy...
This has been an interesting discussion. I can only give a very personal view and I fully recognise my own circumstances are very much my own. It seems that I'm unusual on here in that the changes to the "matchday experience" have absolutely worked for me.
Although I know that my journey is nothing like the odysseys that some people undertake to get to Adams Park, I have to leave the house too early to eat lunch. My habit used to be to get something to eat at Marylebone Station and eat it either at the station or on the train. For me, the burgers from the Hellfire BBQ are better than anything I can get at Marylebone, so I've actually been eating more at the ground than I did previously. I acknowledge that I'm in the very fortunate position that quality is far more important to me than price, but, judging by the queues, I'm far from being alone.
I've also really enjoyed being able to have a decent pint from the beer tent before and, now there is a 6 o'clock bus back to the station, sometimes after the game.
Everybody's circumstances are different. But there are alternatives for more cost-conscious supporters, such as Linda's or eating at home. The Club cannot possibly satisfy all its supporters' different needs and preferences. If the current arrangements are working for a lot of people and the Club are making higher profits, and there are alternatives for the people the Club's offer doesn't suit, then, to put it at its lowest, this is something I decline to get upset about.
Things of luxury @Malone, you are joking. The burger I bought at the start of the season from kiosk 6 inside the ground was far from luxury and ended up in the bin.
I can’t speak with any authority about people in their 20s or 30s @FmG. I can only say that our granddaughter (24) tends to spend every penny (and more!) as soon as she receives it and our grandson (21) is more inclined to set a little aside for the proverbial rainy day.
The people I had in mind were those in their 40s and 50s - for example, those who have the largest trolleys in the supermarket, full to overflowing, and you can be pretty sure that a substantial quantity is going to finish up in the food waste. We have a lot of friends, acquaintances and family members who, like us, have middle aged children and whenever the conversation turns to the subject of food shopping and financial prudence generally (sounds like a kitten!), the common observation is that younger people have, shall we say, a less disciplined approach than we oldies had drilled into us during, and for several years after, the war. A discipline that became so ingrained that, however comfortable we may now be financially, it remains with us.
Another widely shared observation (and particularly relevant in our family) is the rigid adherence to “use by” dates and even treating “best before” as almost equally sacrosanct. We are frequent beneficiaries!
I also think that the use of debit/credit cards leads people to lose track of the cost of individual purchases in a way that fumbling around for yet another of one’s dwindling ten pound noted cannot match.
All the above is based on our own personal observation, plus the observations of numerous people that we have chatted to down the years. Others in our age group may well have very different views.
What a superb and very interesting post @OakwoodExile.
Very much share your attitude towards quality over price. I have been able recently to overcome to some extent the ingrained instinct to look for cheaper options whilst still seeking best value for money. And I still find it hard to come to terms with spending up to £20 for a main course in a pub or restaurant when I know that I can rustle up something equally delicious (if rather more rustically presented) for a quarter of the price.
Basically, if you can’t afford the food it’s ok you can eat at home?
If you say so @peterparrotface ! Never really thought of it like that.
That’s what the post said, “there are alternatives for more cost-conscious supporters, such as Linda's or eating at home”
I don’t recall saying that @peterparrotface .
@micra That very sweet of you to say. Thank you.
@peterparrotface I said that, although, purely for effect, you missed out "Linda's or". I don't apologise for what I said. There have been times in my life when I've had to be much more cost-conscious, particularly when the kids were small, and have eaten at home or taken food prepared at home or bought in the supermarket to the cinema, the zoo, a theme park or whatever. I don't regard that as any kind of dereliction of some kind of moral duty by the venue.
Eating out anywhere could easily be classed as a luxury. If I'm really scrimping the pennies, it's supermarket/ home prepped food only
Or bulk crisp buying. You can get 32 bags of Walkers for £16
That mounts up per game though.
Cheers. I wonder if that thought process is working with the ticket prices too, inasmuch as they are making more at 28 pounds in the FA leaning on the diehards than they would at 22 hoping extra people show up?
Leaving out "Linda's or" is quite the omission. "Basically, if you can’t afford the food it’s ok you can eat at Linda's that you'd literally have to walk past to get to the expensive food anyway." doesn't quite have the same effect does it.
@drcongo yeah fair enough but Linda’s isn’t anything to do with the club. I don’t consider a community focused football the same as a zoo or a cinema or a theme park, I think pricing some hot food at a cheap ish price is a reasonable expectation from the club
@OakwoodExile you certainly don’t need to apologise, it’s a very valid view which I’m sure lots of people share.
16 bags per Adams Park burger! Or alternatively around 40 bags per one of @micra's pub blowouts.
I'm actually mostly with you on this. Even if the cheaper option was just chips from the kiosks which I used to see an awful lot of kids eating around me in the Frank Adams at half time. Don't see anyone eating at half time at all these days, though of course they may have all arrived early and gorged themselves on goldburgers before kickoff.
In theory you're completely right, but in practice being able to make cheap good food isn't easy when it comes to staffing. Linda runs that van as a full time job, and has it absolutely down due to years of experience- and the motivation that any money she makes goes to her.
That is extremely difficult to do with temporary minimum wage staff, often kids, that are likely to only be there for a couple of matches before finding more regular work. On top of that they get paid the same whatever the product they serve is.
Add in the increased ingredients cost when you only have events around once a week rather than selling daily, with much less predictable numbers and I'm really not surprised that the in ground food is dire
Does this Fetch app work?
The queue at half time for food and drink still seems long and I don't see any evidence of a Fetch collection point.
Thought this was going to be one step away from waiter service to your seat but it's all gone very quiet.
My match day spend is much less these days with no draw tickets, programme and very often no food. But if the profits are really up as discussed I wonder both how and if thats helps the match day experience in any way? If I bought a pie would we get more fire displays for example?
I'm confused like you @Right_in_the_Middle with "the profits up" message from the club. A friend and myself each spend about £10.00 less per game now so over a season that is around £400.
Obviously, powerful and influential as our opinions may be, the Gasroom matchday pound is worth far less than we all thought.