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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how much you would willingly pay for your work's Christmas Party?

240 replies

Hohohonooo · 05/12/2018 22:19

I'm not going because of the cost.

Ours is £70 per person, which is for a 3 course meal and all inclusive beer and wine. AIBU to think that's way too much?! For context, I earn £25000 per year, which is fairly typical for my workplace.

How much would you be willing to spend?

OP posts:
Sowhatifidosnore · 05/12/2018 23:49

Not a penny, no way i’d Pay for the Xmas do. I’ll barely stay as it is despite the free ‘bar’ - it’s in the office...

Cliveybaby · 05/12/2018 23:49

£13.95 for a 3-course meal and probably a drink or two.
This is a university and it's partly subsidised :)

TheToldYouSoDance · 05/12/2018 23:53

Public sector so forking out £35 for a 3 course lunch. Drinks after and taxi home on top! Urrrgh. Don’t even like most of them. Never again.

MsAwesomeDragon · 05/12/2018 23:56

I'm paying £20 plus drinks, do about £30 all in. That's as much as I'm willing to pay. If it was more than that I'd not be going. All my colleagues feel the same tbh, and a couple have even grumbled about £20 for a 3 course meal.

£70 is a ridiculous amount!!

GrumpyOldMare · 05/12/2018 23:58

£0
Apparently the company is paying for ours this year (just been taken over by a new company) but I'm still not going - just because I work (happily) with most of my workmates and boss,doesn't mean I want to spend the evening with them.

Kate223344 · 06/12/2018 00:05

Public sector here too and we have to pay - otherwise our party would come out of tax-payers pockets! Depending on your grade, you pay £30, £15 or nothing in our team. My colleagues are lovely so I'm looking forward to it.

BackforGood · 06/12/2018 00:06

Ours is £70 this year, before drinks Shock

I decided not to go.

I preferred it back in the day when it was about £15 - £20 and a nice meal.
'How much?' depends a bit on what is included. I'd expect a night of dancing after a 3 course meal with coffee and a pre- meal drink, to be more than a 2 course meal in the pub and then home, for example.

Depends as well how much your colleagues are just the people you work with who are nice enough and you all get on without any issues, or if the people you work with are a really close bunch of your mates that you love spending time with. You'd pay more for a night out with the 2nd than the first.

nutellalove · 06/12/2018 00:10

I am paying £65 (not happily but didn't want to be a party pooper at Christmas)

KenAdams · 06/12/2018 00:14

Paying for your own meal is quite common in the public sector. It's about £30 for ours this year. People on lower salaries wouldn't attend for £70.

maxelly · 06/12/2018 00:14

Perfectly normal in public sector and charities to pay your own way (it wouldn't be right IMO for taxpayer's money or donations to be spent on a piss up!). But I would say we expect to spend no more than £20-£30 on food and then everyone buys their own drinks (or team leaders/directors buy in some drinks from the team from their own pockets).

I think TBH everyone still resents paying for overpriced set menu food at an expensive time of the year so this year we are experimenting with a 'bring and share' buffet for a lunch and then those that want too will head to the pub afterwards, which is still a pain to organise but should at least be cheaper!

£70 is def too much, I would not be happy to pay that unless it was going to be something really special which I doubt it will be!

NewFreshStarts · 06/12/2018 00:23

I paid £7.40 or something like that last year - main meal in a chain pub and one nonalcoholic drink. Some were paying over £40 because they were buying drinks constantly all night.
I think if it was a really nice place, I really liked my coworkers and I could comfortably afford it I'd pay £70

SilverBirchTree · 06/12/2018 00:27

Zero. I'm already giving up my time.

LanaLily11 · 06/12/2018 00:34

A friend of mine has recently been whisked away on an all expenses paid trip to Dubai for her work Christmas do. I truly couldn’t think of anything worse than faffing around on a boat with my boss and colleagues in their swimming gear Grin

noenergy · 06/12/2018 00:35

I wouldn't even pay £70 on a family meal out, that's extortionate for 1 person and food is always mass produced at these things as you normally have to pick from a set menu with limited choices. So it's not gonna be fine dining.

I thought most Xmas dinners were about £25 for 3 courses.

Holidaycountdown · 06/12/2018 00:42

I’ve just organised ours...return mini bus, light canapé style buffet and cocktail making inc 3 cocktails for 10 of us paid for by directors (who are attending), any extra drinks we buy ourselves, company are spending approx £500 inc. transport. Wouldn’t pay to attend unless I really wanted to socialise with my colleagues and we’d be doing something anyway.

mycatplotsdeath · 06/12/2018 00:46

I just don't do works party's.
Even if free.

CarlGrimesMissingEye · 06/12/2018 09:46

I'm self employed but my biggest client pays for everyone. Food, drinks, the lot. They're even paying for my train there and back. But a private company in central London.

If I had to pay for a workplace I'd do £30 max.

cushioncovers · 06/12/2018 09:49

£25 then drinks on top. I work for the nhs.
Last year our manager brought in two packets of Lidl's biscuits on the last day before Xmas as a 'treat' HmmGrin

BittyCharleston · 06/12/2018 09:57

Nothing. It should be paid for, especially if private sector. My boss treats us to an activity (cocktail-making, wine tasting, a tour, crafts or something) followed by a 3 course meal with wine every year. Small workplace, salaries roughly the same as yours, but usually 20 or so people go and never expected to pay. I definitely wouldn't put my own money in for a work do organised from above (different if it's just a bunch of colleagues getting together to do something, of course).

MaxTeyon · 06/12/2018 09:59

Nothing! Unless it’s compulsory you won’t find me there!

TheHodgeoftheHedge · 06/12/2018 10:02

I probably wouldn’t bother going to a work Christmas do if I had to pay.

theSnuffster · 06/12/2018 10:03

Ours is £45 a head and we have to pay £15 of that. 3 course meal, one drink. We work in a very poorly paid profession.

BittyCharleston · 06/12/2018 10:05

Ah, okay I've just seen you're public sector. Then yes, I suppose there isn't room in your employer's budget for a Christmas party.£70 is far too much though. Max. should be £30 including 1 drink, then pay more if you want more. I wouldn't go If it was £70. As you say, it's not in line with your salary. Even if you can technically afford it by saving/budgeting, you should not be expected or feel pressured to pay that much for a night out with colleagues.

babysharkah · 06/12/2018 10:07

Christmas parties always used to be fully expensed but those days are long gone. Now we get a £25 contribution per head from the company and try and do something that everyone can get involved with and then you can either self fund to carry on down the pub or finish there and leave.

There is no way on earth I would ever pay £70 for a formal work do. EVER not because I can't afford it but a) it's a lot for a lot of my team to shell out before Christmas and b) i think it's taking the absolute piss.

hellsbellsmelons · 06/12/2018 10:10

We don't pay anything.
Free beer and wine all night.
Coaches to and from various locations.
Really lovely 'prizes' given out.
We also get drinks vouchers in case we want something different to wine or beer.
£70!!??? Not a chance!

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