AIBU to think £2.80 for tap water is ridiculous?

[Nativity3]

We went to a local 'chain' cinema. Having already spent an extortionate amount on tickets I asked for tap water. She gave me it and then charged me £2.80 for it!! It was definitely tap water too as I saw her get it out the tap. I did question her and was told they have to charge 'for the cardboard,disposable cup.

That is ridiculous!

The prices they charge for their soft drinks/popcorn/sweets are crazy anyway - but that is just gob smacking!

I'd have had to tell her to put it back

We used to go to a lovely Chinese 'eat as much..' charged by the head. Because it is a large family, this is where we used to do most birthday meals. Tables of 20-30 each time. As the food is quite salty anyway, and to keep the bill down, we would always ask for jugs of water some of the snootier would always ask by the glass That was great until we went for a 50th birthday, with 38 guests and had our usual water, and were served a bill that included £128.80 for water!!! Turned out that between our previous visit and the 50th birthday, they had had a 12 month suspension placed on their alcohol license and were charging over £4 for a jug and £.80 for a glass of water... oops. We were disgusted, but not much we could do but split it!

That's awful.
I can see why they charge something for the cup as it's not in their interests to give something for free that they can sell to you -but £2.80 is an extortionate amount and sounds as if you could have bought at least one bottle of water instead.
(I just smuggle in our own bottles and sweeties as far too tight to pay cinema prices for those, it gives me the silent rage if we go and DH gets nachos at £5 for a tray of stale tortilla chips, a dop of salsa and some inedible cold sweaty cheese sauce)

Please name and shame the cinema.

I think if they are charging for the disposable cup the charge should be near the unit price for said cup.

splodges That made me even more open-mouthed than the OP original post!

Our local Indian restaurant doesn't have an alcohol license - so you take your own. Table water is always provided free of charge. Win, win in my opinion.

iwantgin we might have to go to your local Indian for future family functions
We were all stunned, but they pointed out that the menu had been changed to reflect it with the tiniest add on sticky label on the back at the bottom To be honest as none of the family are drinkers, we have never looked at the drinks list on the back, just the 3 pages inside full of the yummy food!

YANBU! Was this a chain cinema? If so, name and shame.

I am pregnant so was drinking orange and lemonade for £3 in a posh hotel this weekend, then went up to get a second glass and it was £7 - she had to open a new 2l bottle of lemonade and 'had' to add a £4 cork-age fee... blimey!

I am going to the cinema later on today- will ask about glasses of tap water !

No way Jenni!!! That is totally taking the piss.

Our local ( lovely) indian is the same. tap water (in nice bottles that they keep in the fridge) free and BYOB for alcohol. You can buy pop if you want.

We always take our stainless steel drinking bottles wherever we go. Our local park has a lovely cafe but what they charge for kiddies drinks and cakes is extortionate. So I buy a 5 pack of Capri sun , that's a £1 from pound land and a box of fondant fancies about the same from aldi and that did 4 of the little blighters yesterday. At the cafe the little picnic would have cost about £7 for drinks alone! Then 60p for a tiny cake. I know everyone has to make a profit but to me selling drinks and cakes to children should be at a decent profit for them and a reasonable price for grannies and parents. Not a tenner for a little snack plus the cups of tea , me and gramps would have had.

With their greed, they shoot themselves in the foot. Especially Capri sun which works out at 20p per carton from poundland and not the £1-60 or £1-80 the cafe charged.

I went to a local gastro pub (Food to die for) and asked for tap water because I know it's free at pubs but was charged 80p for it. I didn't complain because it had half a slice of lemon and half a slice of cucumber in it. Yes, you can get a whole cucumber in Aldi / Lidl for 46p. After that, I always ask for 'plain' tap water.

Would somewhere charge if you were taken ill and needed water?

I thoughy that corkage charge was applied when you took your own bottles of wine to an event I.e. wedding reception. The corkage charge covers the cost of serving the wine, glasses, refrigeration etc. Not opening one of their own bottles of pop.
Cheeky blighters.

I know, I thought that too regarding cork-age - but at a friends wedding so after we'd questioned it twice we just went with it as we didn't want to cause a fuss, and if I was drinking I'd happily spend that on a cocktail...(justifying it to myself).

I do think the bar was making it up as they went along as my husband had four pints of the same beer and paid four different prices...that was questioned and they said all of the bars in the hotel were operated differently. He got blanked when he replied that the last three pints were from that same bar.

I often go along with it at the time to save everyone's embarrassment and then if stuff still rankles I'll write them a letter.

Why not just carry a reusable water bottle with you? Better for the environment, and I've never been charged anywhere to top it up.

I've just befriended a lady who lives in northern Canada. food there has to be flown in or shipped by sea.
A six pack of mineral water can cost over $100. I don't think any of you have a problem!!