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I have just returned from an evening trip to Waitrose.

They had offers on a variety of canned bitters. I was able to pick up 16 cans (500ml each) of Badger's Tanglefoot, Fursty Ferret, Marston's Pedigree and Well's Bombardier for £1 a can.

Now, clearly there are differences between the same beer when canned, bottled or on tap, however, if I walk round the corner to my local, Broadside is on tap for over £3 a pint.

How can pubs compete in these conditions?

What is it doing to the nation's livers?

Drinking at the bar is always a price shock. Paying $3 for a beer that's $1 in the local groceries is the norm. Folks still do it though - guess that's the price you pay for a convenient place to meet with pals.

Yes, you are paying for the atmos and so on.

However even at the bar prices, lots of pubs can't make a profit.

I reckon the big companies can charge less as they buy in bulk and probably get some sort of price cut depending on how much they get eg: 1000 cans gets a 5% discount.

Supermarket chains use alcohol in an attempt to get you to buy products they actually make money on. Stuff like the 8 and 16 packs are all sold at a loss for the super markets, but by getting you in the door they are likely to make a profit off of you

considering that I was at a 16th Birthday party on monday where the people who hadn't met me were apparently referring to me as Jesus because I didn't drink.

This is 16 year olds, who don't have a lot money, and everyone was drunk (apart from me)

there were about 10 .7 litre bottles of spirit, and apparently about £50 was spent on booze overall, I'm not sure if that's cheap or not. :/

Pubs compete in these conditions similar to how LGS do - gotta provide an atmosphere thats worth spending retail on for the merchandise. Ladies nights for example

Bars have always been ridiculously more expensive than liquor stores, since the main draw of a pub/bar is the social interaction that can be had with other people.

That being said, I've always drank alone for that very reason.

Correction Goliath. It was 16 year olds PRETENDING they were drunk.

Once you hit uni, you learn what drunk really is, and what teeneyboppers imbibe rarely matches up. The number of times I've seen them hanging around swigging cider and acting like they're off their face is astounding....

Pubs aren't losing out because supermarkets undercut them. People still go out to bars and clubs and pay even more for drinks. Pubs are in decline because they don't fulfill the role they used to any more of being a centre for social activity in a community. In the sense that they used to be, i.e. a 'public house' by it's very meaning.

Chrysaor686 wrote:pub/bar

Pub does not equal bar. At least not in Britain. Certainly not in this context.

Indeed not Whatwhat! Pub Superior. Bar Inferior round these parts.

Yet you know what is really crippling the Pub indutry? The pub chains!

Land Lady of my local was telling me that by the time she's paid costs, including wastage on a barrel of pissy Lager, like Fosters for example, she just breaks even. The Wet Trade makes no money. Luckily, she's an awesome Chef, and makes what little profit she gets from the Dry Trade. And this is because of her supplier, which is tied to the pub. She can only buy Lagers and Bottles from them, and they set the price. If she didn't stock naughty Real Ales (not really supposed to) she wouldn't make any profit out the Wet at all.

Add in the cheapo Supermarkets as an ancillary concern, and you have a massive problem. Personally, I'd like nothing better than to come into a decent amount of money, and secretly buy the pub. Then turn up with the deeds and sign them over to her. Good pubs need protecting, less all we be left with is poncey overpriced Bars full of posers! Where am I meant to have a few pints and a quiet read then eh?

This is what the Government are complaining about (the whole ridiculously cheap booze thing).

I usually drink Kopperburg, and that's about £2 in the shops and £3 in pubs and £4 in clubs - so it's never much of a difference for me.

I can't drink lager without feeling ill, so avoid it.

Hmm I think its more the same reason most play 40k or why you go out to eat for dinner.

Are you over paying for what you get?? yeah you are. But you are also getting to go out of the house. Be social with people. See the world,ext,ext

I just paid £4.70 for a Bombay Saph G&T in Frankie and Bennys, it was a single I might add...

*sadface*

It is kinda bizarre, we sell a lot of stuff at silly margin when its on deal, less than 5% which is poor when we can easily sell alcohol for 30-40% margin normally.

They still get us to do the deals mind, to try and get folks in the door. Of course being a lone shop in a village of over 400 houses, when the nearest Tesco is 30mins away, it does seem a little daft.

It also scares me that nearly 50% of our total sales are Cigarettes and alcohol.

Of course, maybe thats me raising an eyebrow as I don't drink or smoke, and it reminds me how much of a minority I am at my age.