Two tier pricing system for summer holidays days out

[Fullofglee]

Anyone notice this? I was looking for something to do with my 8 year old for her birthday and look at a local farm they have a term price and summer price. 3 tickets for one adult and two dc is £43! Same for lighrwater Valley two different price charging more for the summer. Aibu for thinking these companies are greedy. I know its been covid but a simple day out the farm becomes very expensive when you factor petrol and food aswell. Thing is we went to an indoor amusement park last week for £36 for a family of four and it was unlimited rides so it's not everywhere. Looking at the life centre it would only cost 25 pounds for the 3 of us with parking included.

That's been going on since before Covid though. Like peak and off-peak. It's cheeky but it's expected. Especially in these times where small businesses would have to try to recoup some of their losses after being closed for so long

It’s supply and demand. They charge a discounted price outside the holidays as fewer people want to go then. Remember too that these places have high and ongoing running costs; they have to feed and pay vet bills for the animals in January even though nobody wants to go then. So the peak prices have to cover the year round costs.

Even family tickets have gone. I mean almost £50 quid for go to the farm is extortionate. Thing is if they start over pricing things people won't go.

Lightwater Valley has extra attractions for the summer holiday...

But non-peak prices and peak prices aren't new.

When(if) people stop going the prices will fall. Think of it as incentive for people who can go off peak to do so.

there always have been and always will be peak and off-peak prices. Of course there are.

The prices charged are the ones that will be paid, so no, people have not stopped paying to visit these places

We usually go to beamish but our tickets expired and we have waited for the restrictions to ease they have a family ticket for £36 there's a family there and are valid all year round. I just families on lower incomes or larger families will end up being priced out.

It's always the way. Look at holiday prices that rocket up in the school breaks - anyone in teaching will tell you the difference in price between the last the last week in the summer term and the first week of the summer holidays.

I totally understand why places in the UK do this - they have to cover their running costs for 12 months of the year, so getting as much as they can when visitors numbers a re highest is essential to cover Jan and Feb when no one visits but they still have to pay to keep the places maintained. And if the place is good enough the prices will not put people off.

Our local zoo is very, very expensive - but it is still packed out when the weather is good.

@Fullofglee

We usually go to beamish but our tickets expired and we have waited for the restrictions to ease they have a family ticket for £36 there's a family there and are valid all year round. I just families on lower incomes or larger families will end up being priced out.

But that is the case with everything - visiting Beamish isn't a human right that everyone should be entitled to. People with higher incomes get to do more things than people with lower incomes. Families on lower incomes are also priced out of buying bigger houses, going on more expensive holidays, as well as days out with their families. Businesses don't have to price things to ensure that everyone can take part, they price based on making a profit. And while enough people are willing to pay their prices, they'll keep charging them.

In the school holidays they can fill the place and then some. So people will still pay no matter what and you can't blame them for maximising their income when they can.

After all, they still have the same costs on a rainy January mid week day as in August but will get hardly any visitors.

However, there are often ways to make it cheaper even at peak times, so have you checked for 2 for 1 vouchers or similar on the internet, annual passes for places you often want to go to, and take a picnic where possible because food at attractions is almost always expensive, poor quality and at the end of a long queue, so it's not really a hardship to avoid it.

The other thing you have to consider is that if places operate on a 'make it cheaper but admit more people' model, at some point it's going to be overcrowded and not enjoyable for that reason because you won't be able to get near enough the animals to see them, or have to queue for hours to get on any rides.

A lot of these places probably aren't making enormous profits, especially over the last two summers.

The soft play and trampoline parks have always had peak/off peak prices, so it isn't something new in these neck of the woods.

I don't want to pay higher prices, but I don't see it as companies putting up prices, I see it as them offering discounts during off peak times.

There are often ways to get cheaper entrance tickets anyway - supermarket loyalty points, 2 for 1, groupon etc. Plus you don't have to buy food from many of these places anyway.

It's atrocious the way that these places hike the prices up, I'm on an ok income and I'm definitely struggling to afford a lot of the things available at the minute. I know there have always been differences but it seems worse this year.

I think we are in a similar area OP, we looked at Flamingoland and considering my DC are to young to go on the bigger rides it was still going to cost us £150 ish for the 4 of us to go. Having been before I know it is not worth the money at all!

We recently went to an outdoor dinosaur attraction, it cost £30 ish for us to go which sounds manageable but it was literally a muddy track with 10ish plastic dinosaurs and then padded out with farm animals and superheros. Nothing else, nothing interactive. Paid £30 to walk through a patch of woodland. Our local woodland does attraction similar to this for free!

Was it Whitehouse Farm by any chance? We used to go lots but even before covid we noticed the prices were creeping up and up as well as there being extra charges added for various things. They're busy year round, even in winter, so it's not due to lack of visitors in the winter.

Have you tried Northumberland Zoo?

Anothermuddywalk
I don't think you get what I saying what was once reasonably priced activity isn't anymore and many people won't be able to afford them anymore.

There's always been peak and off peak pricing at big attractions. It's just business. More people want to come (or don't have a choice to come) during the summer so they can up their prices. When it's colder or kids are at school, they need an incentive for people to come, so reduce their prices. There's often more activities on over the summer too. Prices will shoot up at half terms as well. It's nothing new.

@EmilyEmmabob

It's atrocious the way that these places hike the prices up, I'm on an ok income and I'm definitely struggling to afford a lot of the things available at the minute. I know there have always been differences but it seems worse this year.

I think we are in a similar area OP, we looked at Flamingoland and considering my DC are to young to go on the bigger rides it was still going to cost us £150 ish for the 4 of us to go. Having been before I know it is not worth the money at all!

We recently went to an outdoor dinosaur attraction, it cost £30 ish for us to go which sounds manageable but it was literally a muddy track with 10ish plastic dinosaurs and then padded out with farm animals and superheros. Nothing else, nothing interactive. Paid £30 to walk through a patch of woodland. Our local woodland does attraction similar to this for free!

They don't "hike" the price at peak time. They drop it to encourage more visitors off peak

@Fullofglee

Anothermuddywalk I don't think you get what I saying what was once reasonably priced activity isn't anymore and many people won't be able to afford them anymore.

True, but that's not the venues concern. So long as enough people can go they maintain or grow their profits, that's all they are bothered about.

They don't really care if its family X whose parents are on low incomes or family Y who are millionaires.

In fact, you may get more higher incomes going if its slightly quieter and not full of lower income families who probably would not spend as much on food, drinks, extras etc

So they may even be able to make more profit by upping extras

@Fullofglee

Anothermuddywalk I don't think you get what I saying what was once reasonably priced activity isn't anymore and many people won't be able to afford them anymore.

But as long as the activity can get in as many people as it needs at the higher price this doesn't matter to them. They are not there to provide a public service - they are there to make money.

This year, lots of companies have put prices up as they've been shut for so much of the year due to Covid. And many families are happy to pay more as they've been stuck at home. I suspect we'll see some "readjustment" of prices over the next year or so.

Some people are willing to pay stupid prices to give their kids a day out.

EmilyEmmabob thankgod I'm not the only one who thinks this. Flamingoland is over priced and dated, they even offer fast track prices, we only went once when it was 2 for 1. I suppose altons tower offer that but still operate the fast track.

Clocktopus
No it was adventure valley, we been before but the prices this time were ridiculous £14.50 from the age of 2 up and the same price as an adult. Most places under 4s are free. Glad I'm not the only one who thinks this.

However low the prices, many people still won't be able to afford them, and at some point the attraction will be losing money.

There are always base costs that need to be covered and a lot of these are unavoidable and things that shouldn't be skimped on like feeding and caring for animals, equipment maintenance, staff training etc.

Simple supply and demand. These are mainly businesses but even those which are charities need to maximise profits in order to pay for upkeep, staff costs etc. Given increase in UK holidays this year (though offset in eg cities by loss of overseas tourists), there’s higher demand so peak pricing more likely. It’s annoying but understandable - and as a PP said, if it was too cheap they’d be too crowded.

@Fullofglee

Anothermuddywalk I don't think you get what I saying what was once reasonably priced activity isn't anymore and many people won't be able to afford them anymore.

but that's not greed it business. If the businesses have got it wrong they will see attendance drop but I doubt that will happen.