jimbms Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 2 quid? rip off! Wetherspoon cuts price of a pint to under £1 Wetherspoon has cut the price of five varieties of beer, wine and spirits, and will sell pints of Greene King IPA and bottles of San Miguel for 99p. The pub chain, which is famous for its cheap drinks and `no music' policy, and has also cut the price of five meals to £2.99. The reductions will run indefinitely, Wetherspoon said. mmmm I wonder if anyone has mentioned to Wetherspoons tho old Woolworths site is up for sale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monasqueen Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 mmmm I wonder if anyone has mentioned to Wetherspoons tho old Woolworths site is up for sale Now there's a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 I here landlords wages are getting slashed heavily as well.And we are talking as much as half when it comes to the wage packet.If anyone fancies a career change , then I am sure there will be a few pubs requiring landlord/landlady teams in the coming months but don't expect more than 20k for a 7 day a week job !! You have to really love the pub life if you want to work in one these days. Only a few years ago you were talking around £14K for a singly running a pub, £22K for a couple. They even took the food off them so there was little/no incentive to work your nuts off in the kitchen and make a popular pub, as well as tightened every little thing including the amount of spillage/line beer allowed and even took away the entertainment budgets. Bar staff wages are also crap. Poor wages led to transitory management and staff arriving from the UK, with the better ones generally leaving not long after they'd arrived or moving on to do something else outside the trade. You just have to look at some Douglas pubs to see how many managers they've had in only a few years to see that. They milked it till it was dry IMO - I suspect so much so, that with the smoking ban and sod all decent facilities for smokers in general, it will be hard to turn it around. It all started going wrong in the mid/late 90s in my experience, but millenium year was the real downward turning point it seems to me, though there have been staggered catastrophic drops year on since. They can bring over numerous beers from the UK, but for years we never see them, only their own stuff or Carling in too many pubs. Only recently have some decent guest bitters generally started to appear. They couldn't have f***ed up the business any better than if they'd employed some evil genius to bring it to its knees IMO. It's just shareholders sitting back these days and piss-poor management running it all IMO - whilst those that founded the business and put their heart and soul into it will be turning in their graves. There is ownership/management associated with the pub trade over here that should be ashamed of themselves, that should start falling on swords and f**k off out of it. An utter disgrace. That said there are some good managers around still making the effort despite all this, including doing good food, a classic example of that is the Terminus. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Port Erin Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 2 quid? rip off! Wetherspoon cuts price of a pint to under £1 Wetherspoon has cut the price of five varieties of beer, wine and spirits, and will sell pints of Greene King IPA and bottles of San Miguel for 99p. The pub chain, which is famous for its cheap drinks and `no music' policy, and has also cut the price of five meals to £2.99. The reductions will run indefinitely, Wetherspoon said. mmmm I wonder if anyone has mentioned to Wetherspoons tho old Woolworths site is up for sale Done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 So how come quids in is so cheap ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Port Erin Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 I here landlords wages are getting slashed heavily as well.And we are talking as much as half when it comes to the wage packet.If anyone fancies a career change , then I am sure there will be a few pubs requiring landlord/landlady teams in the coming months but don't expect more than 20k for a 7 day a week job !! You have to really love the pub life if you want to work in one these days. Only a few years ago you were talking around £14K for a singly running a pub, £22K for a couple. They even took the food off them so there was little/no incentive to work your nuts off in the kitchen and make a popular pub, as well as tightened every little thing including the amount of spillage/line beer allowed and even took away the entertainment budgets. Bar staff wages are also crap. Poor wages led to transitory management and staff arriving from the UK, with the better ones generally leaving not long after they'd arrived or moving on to do something else outside the trade. You just have to look at some Douglas pubs to see how many managers they've had in only a few years to see that. They milked it till it was dry IMO - I suspect so much so, that with the smoking ban and sod all decent facilities for smokers in general, it will be hard to turn it around. It all started going wrong in the mid/late 90s in my experience, but millenium year was the real downward turning point it seems to me, though there have been staggered catastrophic drops year on since. They can bring over numerous beers from the UK, but for years we never see them, only their own stuff or Carling in too many pubs. Only recently have some decent guest bitters generally started to appear. They couldn't have f***ed up the business any better than if they'd employed some evil genius to bring it to its knees IMO. It's just shareholders these days and piss-poor management IMO, sitting back - whilst those that founded the business and put their heart and soul into it will be turning in their graves. There is ownership/management associated with the pub trade over here that should be ashamed of themselves, that should start falling on swords and f**k off out of it. An utter disgrace. That said there are some good managers around still making the effort despite all this, including doing good food, a classic example of that is the Terminus. My sentiments exactly. The pub prices have been slashed with a review at the end of January. IMO, it's a knee jerk reaction and it's probably too late to turn it around. It's interesting to note the pubs that are doing well, and they are a shining example to the disgrace of a hierarchy that sits in the Ivory Towers in Kewaigue. Having said that, it's a thankless task running a pub (especially for H & B) and a dog's life nowadays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
When Skies Are Grey Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 mmmm I wonder if anyone has mentioned to Wetherspoons tho old Woolworths site is up for sale Now there's a good idea. Oh dear lord no it isnt..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Port Erin Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 mmmm I wonder if anyone has mentioned to Wetherspoons tho old Woolworths site is up for sale Now there's a good idea. Oh dear lord no it isnt..... Oh yes it is - bring some much needed competition and break up the H & B monopoly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Isn't it a little unfair to point the finger at H&B for the decline of the pub trade? It's something that's happened throughout the UK, pubs are being hammered by supermarkets selling cheap booze, by high taxes, by increasingly strict drink drive laws, by competition with other entertainments like home cinema and the popularity of entertaining guests at home rather than going out and the use of social networking like Facebook for keeping in touch. They've also been hammered by a culture that seems to dictate that the only social drinking is to go out and get hammered until you fall unconscious. Pubs hark back to a time when everyone lived in shitholes you were desparate to get out of, where people lived with their parents until they were married, where you didn't move in with your girlfriend instantly you had to court her and needed somewhere to go. Some will fit the modern desire for food and entertainment rather than just booze, and some still exist for the smaller market that still wants to just go out and drink socially. But to blame a local company for this decline is daft. I think we're quite well served. We've a good range of establishments, and we've a few independent breweries so there's no monopoly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Isn't it a little unfair to point the finger at H&B for the decline of the pub trade? It's something that's happened throughout the UK, pubs are being hammered by supermarkets selling cheap booze, by high taxes, by increasingly strict drink drive laws, by competition with other entertainments like home cinema and the popularity of entertaining guests at home rather than going out and the use of social networking like Facebook for keeping in touch. They've also been hammered by a culture that seems to dictate that the only social drinking is to go out and get hammered until you fall unconscious. Pubs hark back to a time when everyone lived in shitholes you were desparate to get out of, where people lived with their parents until they were married, where you didn't move in with your girlfriend instantly you had to court her and needed somewhere to go. Some will fit the modern desire for food and entertainment rather than just booze, and some still exist for the smaller market that still wants to just go out and drink socially. But to blame a local company for this decline is daft. I think we're quite well served. We've a good range of establishments, and we've a few independent breweries so there's no monopoly. No doubt many of these 'social factors' have had a large impact on the pub trade. A lot of these social changes have also perhaps fuelled the perceived binge-drinking culture IMO, with fewer people going out less often, and often bingeing when they do. But I think relatively speaking i.e. relative to other pubs and chains, H&B have got it wrong in a major way IMO. They would have done better perhaps with fewer but better pubs with decent management, staff, facilities, food and beer, rather than a raft of scarcely populated pubs with few facilties and crap beer...and helped to foster competition. Competition is a good thing, Wetherspoons included, as it raises standards. That said, competition is actually quite scarce in many areas of Douglas, and in many cases not that up to the mark either. Pubs are an important social meeting/education place IMO, for those of us that don't want to live in 'virtual facebook worlds', where you can meet people from a variety of generations, and learn from many of them, including to drink responsibly. The age 30 plus group that would use pubs is a huge percentage of the population on the island. I still think there is still a large and bouyant market for pubs on the island, despite the health fascists seeking to destroy them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalpuppet Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Pub Wii! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebrof Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Isn't it a little unfair to point the finger at H&B for the decline of the pub trade? It's something that's happened throughout the UK, pubs are being hammered by supermarkets selling cheap booze, by high taxes, by increasingly strict drink drive laws, by competition with other entertainments like home cinema and the popularity of entertaining guests at home rather than going out and the use of social networking like Facebook for keeping in touch. They've also been hammered by a culture that seems to dictate that the only social drinking is to go out and get hammered until you fall unconscious. Pubs hark back to a time when everyone lived in shitholes you were desparate to get out of, where people lived with their parents until they were married, where you didn't move in with your girlfriend instantly you had to court her and needed somewhere to go. Some will fit the modern desire for food and entertainment rather than just booze, and some still exist for the smaller market that still wants to just go out and drink socially. But to blame a local company for this decline is daft. I think we're quite well served. We've a good range of establishments, and we've a few independent breweries so there's no monopoly. Good grief. I agree 100%. S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 But I think relatively speaking i.e. relative to other pubs and chains, H&B have got it wrong in a major way IMO. They would have done better perhaps with fewer but better pubs with decent management, staff, facilities, food and beer, rather than a raft of scarcely populated pubs with few facilties and crap beer...and helped to foster competition. Competition is a good thing, Wetherspoons included, as it raises standards. That said, competition is actually quite scarce in many areas of Douglas, and in many cases not that up to the mark either. Pubs are an important social meeting/education place IMO, for those of us that don't want to live in 'virtual facebook worlds', where you can meet people from a variety of generations, and learn from many of them, including to drink responsibly. The age 30 plus group that would use pubs is a huge percentage of the population on the island. I still think there is still a large and bouyant market for pubs on the island, despite the health fascists seeking to destroy them. Yes, agree. The pubs still a great place to meet, I still go at least once a week to meet friends and it really wouldn't be the same in a coffee shop. It's a do or die situation at the moment. There'll always be pubs and I'm glad there is, but the crap ones wont survive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
When Skies Are Grey Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 mmmm I wonder if anyone has mentioned to Wetherspoons tho old Woolworths site is up for sale Now there's a good idea. Oh dear lord no it isnt..... Oh yes it is - bring some much needed competition and break up the H & B monopoly. WIth indentikit establishments that pride themselves on 3 for 2 Carling offers and chicken in a basket????.....pub chains are a scourge that is not to be encouraged, regarldess of the motives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saltire Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 mmmm I wonder if anyone has mentioned to Wetherspoons tho old Woolworths site is up for sale Now there's a good idea. Oh dear lord no it isnt..... Oh yes it is - bring some much needed competition and break up the H & B monopoly. WIth indentikit establishments that pride themselves on 3 for 2 Carling offers and chicken in a basket????.....pub chains are a scourge that is not to be encouraged, regarldess of the motives. But you won't know its identikit as there will only be the one on the island. However in defence of Wetherspoons they do usually take over old buildings, banks, cinemas etc and breathe new life into them rather than them sitting idle boarded up. In my experience of the few Wetherspoons I've been in, each one has been different because they are all in different old buildings! Sometimes chains can work if done in a subtle way. My local was a complete dive. It was hideous inside, falling apart, depressing and old fashioned. A chain took them over. (I don't even know the name of the chain as they haven't publicised themselves). They kept the same pub name, the same manager and staff but injected money into it and completely refurbished the whole place into a nice boozer where locals have actually started going again. And apparently this company have done the same for other ailing pubs. Maybe that's the key. A chain that actually keeps the identity of the pubs they take over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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