Prices at station shops

[whole diary]

[grahame]

from the Sunday Mirror

Huge markups to the price of snacks as "station rip off" revealed in full

Prices of some snacks almost triple if you buy them at the station rather than on the high street a Sunday Mirror investigation can reveal

High street giants have been accused of ripping off train ­travellers with runaway prices at their booming station shops.

Chains including WH Smith, M&S and Greggs charge up to three times as much for chocolate, sweets and drinks as in other branches of the same firms.

As families hit the railways for half-term days out, we compared prices at mainline station shops and high streets.

A family-sized Cadbury Dairy Milk bar and a bag of Maynards Wine Gums both cost £1 in a high street branch of WH Smith – yet in a station they are £1.99 and £2.99 respectively. Other mark-ups can be found at M&S Simply Food, where a 70p bottle of mineral water and a £2.60 tub of M&S Rocky Road Mini Bites cost £1 and £2.80.

At Pret a Manger’s Eurostar St Pancras branch, some sandwiches cost 19p more while at Greggs a 90p sausage roll becomes £1.15.

[etc]

[Reginald25]

Some companies, (fast food for example) charge exactly the same whether in the station or out. But I get the impression that shops with offers outside (241s etc) often do not in stations/motorway services etc. I avoid trying to buy snacks at stations, preferring to get something much cheaper just outside. But to be fair, I imagine they pay very rents for space in a station which has be covered somehow.

[TaplowGreen]

Twas ever thus.....rail stations, motorway services, airports....

[Timmer]

Nothing new but not as bad as airport prices which are appalling. €6 for an egg sandwich, €2 for a small bottle of water in Lisbon airport the other day just two examples of daylight robbery.

[Clan Line]

Twas ever thus.....rail stations, motorway services, airports....

Yes..............but..............it's usually the wrong people "wot gets the blame" ! Could I recommend "The Undercover Economist" by Tim Harford - the first chapter in this book goes into the cost of a coffee at Waterloo.......... and the people who are making the most money out of it aren't Costa/Starbucks etc, etc.

Motorway service areas come in for a huge amount of (largely unjustified) flak. People complain about the exorbitant prices therein when they stop for the "free" loos and "free" parking which have to be available 365/24/7. Who's getting the most out of this ? not M & S/WH Smith or Burger King.

When I get the 1920 out of Waterloo I usually get something from Upper Crust beforehand to have with a coffee on the train. The baguettes from there are good quality, always fresh and not too bad price wise - would I rather pay half as much for the kind of fare (edible type !) that was available years ago at stations or on the trains ? I think not.  Having said that, I was horrified when my daughter told me what she paid there for a Cornish Pasty a couple of weeks ago 

[TaplowGreen]

Twas ever thus.....rail stations, motorway services, airports....

Yes..............but..............it's usually the wrong people "wot gets the blame" ! Could I recommend "The Undercover Economist" by Tim Harford - the first chapter in this book goes into the cost of a coffee at Waterloo.......... and the people who are making the most money out of it aren't Costa/Starbucks etc, etc.

Motorway service areas come in for a huge amount of (largely unjustified) flak. People complain about the exorbitant prices therein when they stop for the "free" loos and "free" parking which have to be available 365/24/7. Who's getting the most out of this ? not M & S/WH Smith or Burger King.

When I get the 1920 out of Waterloo I usually get something from Upper Crust beforehand to have with a coffee on the train. The baguettes from there are good quality, always fresh and not too bad price wise - would I rather pay half as much for the kind of fare (edible type !) that was available years ago at stations or on the trains ? I think not.  Having said that, I was horrified when my daughter told me what she paid there for a Cornish Pasty a couple of weeks ago 

There's an M & S at Waterloo - get a sandwich from there instead of Upper Crust and over the course of a year you will probably save enough to get a 1st class season ticket! 

[johnneyw]

A slow news day at The Mirror? Costly outlets at rail stations can hardly be a revelation to most people. I tend to plan any eating arrangements to exclude station outlet options.
Once though, at Temple Meads, I had a slight case of the munchies but after a quick look at the prices of the pasties in the underpass, I suddenly didn't feel all that hungry any more.

[CyclingSid]

Probably worse than the prices at stations are the prices at shops in hospitals, very much a captive audience.

[JayMac]

Although if such shops are run by a League of Friends or similar charitable/benevolent organisation then it's perhaps a little more agreeable if their prices are higher than the 'outside'. Run by volunteers, who often provide a bedside service too, their profits are used to provide the goods, help and assistance to inpatients that aren't provided by the NHS. My last time as an inpatient, an emergency admission, I had no money on me for toiletries. The LoF provided me with complimentary items.

In hospitals where there is a choice between a brand outlet, such as an M&S Food or WHSmith, and a League of Friends, then I'll choose the latter wherever possible.

[Red Squirrel]

...after a quick look at the prices of the pasties in the underpass, I suddenly didn't feel all that hungry any more.

You have more willpower than me; I can't pass the shop in the underpass without investing in a veggie pastie, they just smell soooo good! - highlight of my day, and worth every penny! YMMV^▸ (Your Method/Mileage May Vary)!

[grahame]

A slow news day at The Mirror? Costly outlets at rail stations can hardly be a revelation to most people. I tend to plan any eating arrangements to exclude station outlet options.
Once though, at Temple Meads, I had a slight case of the munchies but after a quick look at the prices of the pasties in the underpass, I suddenly didn't feel all that hungry any more.

Ditto - wherever the money goes, my purchases at most station outlets tend to be "distress purchases".  I'm fortunate in not having to worry about how I pay my electric bill if I spend the money on a pastie, but knowing what I've paid can degrade the pleasure of the experience of even a really fresh product.

[didcotdean]

Back in the day BAA used to make big play in their advertising that prices in the shops in their airports were at least the same as those in the equivalent high street outlets. Although some of these would have benefited from the VAT^▸ (Value Added Tax) regime airside.

[johnneyw]

For the sake of fairness, a number of coffee outlets at stations are on or about the same prices as what you are likely to pay in the town. The underpass coffee stall at Temple Meads gives a very decent cup for a reasonably comparable price to elsewhere.

Those familiar with Redland Station will probably also remember and sadly miss the excellent Coffee Trike run by Kiera on weekday mornings until 2 or 3 years back.

[TaplowGreen]

...after a quick look at the prices of the pasties in the underpass, I suddenly didn't feel all that hungry any more.

You have more willpower than me; I can't pass the shop in the underpass without investing in a veggie pastie, they just smell soooo good! - highlight of my day, and worth every penny! YMMV^▸ (Your Method/Mileage May Vary)!

To paraphrase Donald Tusk, there is a special place in hell reserved for those who describe such a thing as a "pasty" - heresy! 

[Western Pathfinder]

For the sake of fairness, a number of coffee outlets at stations are on or about the same prices as what you are likely to pay in the town. The underpass coffee stall at Temple Meads gives a very decent cup for a reasonably comparable price to elsewhere.

Those familiar with Redland Station will probably also remember and sadly miss the excellent Coffee Trike run by Kiera on weekday mornings until 2 or 3 years back.

for those who remember Kiera at Redland and her great coffee ,I had the pleasure of speaking with her just before Christmas, she's well and enjoying life doing something completely different these days.