To feel ripped off

It's bizarre isn't it. I'm with @ssd . I don't go very often at all.

But the bloody Gails is packed!

I suppose I can cope with a less than wonderful coffee. Please don't give me micro waved , bought in food at 40 a pop.

I never said it was the responsibility of paying customers.... what a strange thing to imply

I find the coffee overpriced in places like Costa but some people are obsessed with them. Their food is horrible, dried up rubbish but again people are buying them.

Thing is these places are often full. Thinking of a new Gails that was opened near us (well outside London!). Its packed with people who seem to have huge amounts of time and money and these arent people on expenses. Its late middle aged couples, retired people and people bringing in their children.

Thanks to RR - for small independents increasing NI and the threasholds to pay NI plus the increase in MW wont help things. Its all very well saying that people should be paid more but I dont think some get it - if wages go up then WE pay for the increase.

My independent hairdresser has sent his regulars an email saying due to the bduget he needs to increase his prices. Same with the electrian we use. He has laid off two of this staff and its now only him. He said its just not worth it after he reaches a certain level and combined with the paperwork he has thrown the towel in.

FGS - these are the SME's we need to be encouraging. Not signing their death warrant. Thanks Labour! I do wonder if my hairdresser will actually survive. Already a few people have posted on Facebook that they arent happy with the increases and are thinking of trying someone else.

But it's not the responsibility of the paying customer to threaten their own financial security to keep someone else in business.

I understand why cafes have got more expensive (increases in price of food, staff, utilities and likely other costs). However, you'd be a bit daft to think 'I can't afford to pay that amount for coffee etc but I must keep spending in the cafe or else they'll go bust'.

Perhaps there will be a significant reduction in the number of cafes, which is obviously a shame, but if the demand for their offering isn't there, what can you do?

We hardly go out at night now. A treat now is coffee and cake during the day. Last time we had 2 coffees which were lukewarm even though we asked for extra hot and one piece of shortbread. £10.50. Jesus wept!!!

Last year I was working in London temporarily and was in the fortunate position of getting a food allowance of £40 per day to cover breakfast, lunch and dinner. That sounds loads, but when you are out and about and dependent on pret and the like it does not go far let me tell you. Perfectly adequate to live off sandwiches for a bit - but I was imagining I could get a few restaurant type meals in (nothing fancy, just the chains) and found that if I ate out in the evening I had to ration myself to sainsbos meals deals the rest of the day. Sign o' the times.

The cost of your food isn’t dependant in quality anymore. It’s about how much utilities, wages and taxes are - and the cost of the ingredients.

Have you been living under a rock ?

Its really interesting to hear the perspective of a business owner as opposed to yet more 'daylight robbery!' type posts. Do you find you have to put the prices up even higher to compensate for a loss of customers/volume and this is a vicious circle of sorts?

Yes, that's why I do it. I'm glad to support local caffs, but I'm afraid £10 a day is a lot for me to spend on coffee. Certainly racks up over a week, a month. Freelance rates have not kept pace with inflation, so these days, like many other people, I have to limit my spending.
I agree that I benefit from their heating, but if I wasn't there they'd be heating an empty table...

That's a bargain, we are in the cotswolds, I went to a cafe with the kids after school, 2 flapjack type cakes and 1 smoothie, 1 milkshake (I didn't have anything, so a snack and drink for each kid) a whopping £18.50.
Won't be going back tbh..... I think lunch, coffee and a dessert for 12 quid is about fair so long as it was all good quality, a Costa or Starbucks is going to be similar as it'd be £3 ish for a coffee on its own! Cost of living does catch you out occasionally especially if you've not grabbed a lunch out for a while.

@FlyingFox , genuienely interested...what are the main factors please? heating I assume.

As a small independent restaurant owner, I don't think this is excessive any more. Overheads in the hospitality industry are through the roof and it's all about survival now. Come April it will be worse with our ridiculous Government making changes that are going to break many small businesses.

I always check prices first and often won't buy if they're too expensive.

I don't live in the UK and when I visit I've really noticed how much things have gone up by.

My adult daughters cut their own hair and are good at it now. Would cost them £40 plus otherwise.

I am very interested in this. The suburb where I live has loads of newish eateries. I've been to one, once for lunch. I don't know how they thrive.

No, she has been taking her lunch from home?

Quite simple really.

I think it's because they've priced themselves out of the market with these prices that so many people just do it themselves now. Including my own teenage daughter and most of her friends. £23-25 for a 'spray wet' cut that takes 10 minutes is silly money. They don't even get their hair washed and dried, so not even the slightest bit of pampering in that. No wonder a lot of stylists aren't busy any more.

Doesn’t sound expensive to me tbh, but then I work in the hospitality industry and the costs incurred by the businesses are astronomical.

I agree with a previous poster about having a wet cut that lasted 10 mins and cost £23. I had a dry cut in the cheapest hairdressers in my town and experienced similar. I said to the hairdresser I bet you were really busy over Christmas and she said no, not at all and that lots of people were doing their own hair now following you tube videos etc. Whilst I begrudge paying £25 for my cut (just a dry trim) there is no way I could do myself so I have to recognise that I’m paying for their expertise.

We rarely eat out as its just so expenesive and it pains me!
I also dislike drinking out of a paper cup!
We take a flask in the car for walks!
I enjoy cooking and baking too so would rather buy quality ingredients and make something at home
However yesterday we met my cousin at a museum which he had free tickets for and a cafe discount as he volunteers there so I bought us lunch but DH and I shared a baguette! Otherwise I wiuld have taken packed lunch
If I'm out with my son we sometimes go to the "golden arches" (McDonalds) for wrap of the day for £1.99
As a half term treat we might go to IKEA for lunch as not too expensive and often friends and family deals on food on Fridays and a free hot drink.

A couple of years ago I bought 2 chocolate bars and 1x 500 ml Diet Coke in a gift shop in Orlando. I had $10 and was looking for change it was nearly $12 I was so shocked. I had to run outside to get more money from my daughter that would be roughly £10

I went to the hairdressers and nipped into the local SPAR. I got a roast pork and stuffing roll, just a normal roll, not a baguette, and went to pay. £6 it was, but I was starving. Next time I'll eat before I go.

I paid £12 for a jacket potato with cheese and beans last weekend. I had stupidly not looked at the price list (my dad has Alzheimer's and was being Mr Awkward about eating anything, so I just wanted to order something basic quickly). It was a small potato and they were stingy with the cheese. I'm still pissed off.

I hate it on the very odd day I end up buying lunch at work as it works out pretty expensive. I hate even spending £5 on a meal deal (never tastes good) so i’d have been so annoyed with myself. I never buy hot drinks as I only drink tea, and that tastes the same if I make it myself.