To think that shops charging non-locals higher prices is not on?

[BBInGinDrinking]

We're on a family holiday staying in a rural coastal cottage in the UK and have been doing all our grocery shopping at the local stores in the nearest villages. I discovered on the last visit to a general store in one village that they have two sets of prices - lower ones for locals and higher ones for visitors.

Who knew?! Is this a thing?!

This is a local shop for local people, there’s nothing for you here OP. You’re lucky you’re not being burned to death up on the moors whilst the shopkeeper watches whilst breastfeeding a piglet.

Discrimination is the unequal or unfair treatment of a person based upon --some personal- characteristics which are detailed in the legislation

Fixed it for you. Being a tourist is not a protected characteristic.

Wouldt bother me in the slightest

I don't believe it happens in shops - how do they know - you can't assume because someone has a non-local accent that they don't live locally. However, what does happen is that car park prices increase in the summer. You can get a season ticket if you are local (you have to pay but it is cheap-ish. So visitors pay more but if you are local and don't have the season ticket you will pay the same as visitors. You may also get a discount in museums and the like if you are local but you'll need something to prove it (in fact it doesn't need to be a tourist area, I believe Bracknell Forest council has a discount scheme for residents).

In Italy they give EU citizens lower prices at some tourist attractions - another thing British citizens without an EU passport will lose out on.

Surely they're shooting themselves in the foot? Why on earth would a tourist pay more in the local shop than the next person? They won't, they'll do what the local shops don't want you to do, which is buggering off to the nearest Tesco.

TerribleCustomerCervix, at least one pp has said they would (or even have) chosen to shop elsewhere/not eat out but bring their own food instead. 'calculated risks' can easily turn out not to be good ones.

I wouldn't have a problem with them offering, say, a discount card for local people, because it would be transparent.

But if they are just surreptitiously charging tourists more then that does seem scummy. If tourists are trying to support the local economy by shopping in village stores then don't smile to their faces while adding 10% to their bill.

OP, next time arrange for a major supermarket to do an internet delivery on your day of arrival. Cheeky fuckers can overcharge if they want, but shouldn't be surprised if word gets out and tourists shop elsewhere.

A small shop in a small village would know its regular customers so could easily charge them less or give them a discount.

A lot of villages have been killed off by people buying cottages as second homes/holiday lets, meaning that locals can't afford to buy them any more, so people grow up and have to leave and live somewhere cheaper. When the locals die out , the pubs die out, the schools die out and the shops die out. The only money coming in then will be from April to September, so the few remaining businesses charge a bit extra to keep going.

So no, I don't blame them for charging holiday makers more. It's no different to a tourist attraction charging a fortune for food and drink.

I don't like paying extra any more than anyone else does, but i don't blame them.

@Catsandchardonnay that made me literally laugh out loud. Trying to work out a way to explain that to my youngest without mentioning homicidal arson or lactating piglets...

Lactation for piglets, I hasten to add. A lactating piglet is a step too far, even for the Cotswolds.

They won't, they'll do what the local shops don't want you to do, which is buggering off to the nearest Tesco.

We go on holiday to a touristy place on the west coast of Ireland. The nearest Tesco or supermarket is a 35 minute drive away (on a good day, as long as you aren’t stuck behind a tractor). None of us fancy a 70 minute round trip to save a couple of euro.

So people might hold their nose at having to spend more than a local, but that doesn’t always translate to them looking elsewhere.

My first thought would be that it was discriminatory, ripping you off and unfair. But then, in many parts of Cornwall, people earn less than the national average due to an increase in seasonal work, but less all year round work. This may be a way of helping those local communities survive and could be seen as a loyalty scheme. And, arguably, if those communities dissipated, our summer holidays would be effected.

I think it's short sighted. A lot of the locals maybe wouldn't have jobs if not for the tourist industry. To alienate visitors just threatens their own future survival - if I was on holiday and discovered that the local shop was bumping up prices for me, I'd willingly drive to the nearest big supermarket instead. Even if it cost me more in petrol.

Apparently supermarkets price goods according to area, which is also outrageous, but at least they aren't discriminating against individuals.

I live in the Lakes and can think of three local pubs that do this and a tourist attraction that does discounts for people with a local postcode. There's also a village shop which is a co-op and offers a dividend to members although any regular visitor can also sign up to be a member of the co-op and some of them do.

80% of the houses here are holiday homes and affordable housing is a serious problem. I guess the discounts encourage loyalty from the small number of permanent residents. If visitors don't like the prices they won't buy the beer!

This has been going on in Cornwall for decades. Prices displayed are not the ones charged to locals.

Also tourists aren't all wealthy. A family might have gone without a lot of things to afford a few days away. It's shitty behaviour.

Pricing differential - to discourage travel and the environmental damage done by travelling - might be a tactic in trying to tackle climate change ?

Surely the OP would be happy to pay more to save the planet ?

My husband was in a pub in the south west with a colleague who had spotted someone biting into a magnificent pasty, so he ordered one. He was very disappointed when his arrived; the magnificent pasties were reserved for the locals.

Also tourists aren't all wealthy. A family might have gone without a lot of things to afford a few days away. It's shitty behaviour.

Yes, exactly. Who do people think they are judging everyone to one standard?

@EggysMom pm me if u can, can give u discount for zip world I run a local hotel to them x

Whenever any of us go into a pub/restaurant/shop we look at the prices and decide if we want to buy. It's not compulsory. In many areas it might take half a day to get to the nearest big supermarket and back and lots of visitors don't want to spend their time doing that.

Where I live it's not obvious that pub regulars get a discount and most visitors wouldn't know. I rarely drink in pubs as I can't afford it and so the bar staff don't usually know me and I forget to mention it so end up paying full-price anyway

Pricing differential - to discourage travel and the environmental damage done by travelling - might be a tactic in trying to tackle climate change ?

The village shop adding 10p to cornflakes to deter travel and tackle climate change?

Really??

I don't the shop keeper or publican is making a judgement that locals are more "worthy" than visitors but are more likely encouraging loyalty from year-round customers.

I know it happens a lot abroad especially on a cruise when a ship comes in but no idea it happened here. Wherever it happens is disgraceful

This is the only good thing about living in cornwall.