To feel frustrated so much has to be booked in advance these days?

[Teentrauma]

I'm talking mainly attractions and days out. I've found that increasingly over the last few years and certainly since Covid many places require booking online in advance taking away spontanaety as they're often full up on the day. For example, tickets for a kids Father Christmas experience locally sold out within hours of tickets going on sale the other week - in August! We also booked to go up the Snowden railway - had to do in advance as wouldn't have got on otherwise. On the day, the weather was appalling and we wouldn't have gone if we didn't have tickets. We saw nothing and it was a total waste of money!

I get it's more efficient for the businesses and also takes away the need to queue. I'm probably a dinosaur but I hanker for the days when you could just decide to do things spur of the moment!

It is so individual isn't it. I live in a seaside resort and we can't prebook. My husband is disabled, should be in a wheelchair but fiercely independent but can't walk far. We go down to the beach most days if we can, the prom is ideal for him to walk, it is flat and well maintained and lots of benches (although he has a fancy walking stick that turn into an emergency seat if needed.) If we go down and can't get a parking space on the front he doesn't get his walk so I'd love it if we could regularly book a space.

You can't please everyone can you, maybe we should swap beaches?

By coincidence, I just heard my nephew went swimming with his friends the other day. His friends had booked but he decided to tag along at the last minute assuming it'd be fine. It wasn't.

The free swimming area was fully booked so he was told he could only do Lane swimming. He had to do lengths while his friends had fun in the free area laughing & waving at him 🤔 Apparently it wasn't even that busy but the jobsworths wouldn't let him join his friends!

Ah yes, those terrible jobsworths whose job it is to ensure pools are at a safe capacity to prevent accidents, injuries and drownings, refusing to allow a poor young boy the opportunity to swim.

You sound really unpleasant OP.

Low swimming numbers are being used as a reason not to replace one of the swimming baths here which was part of a bigger leisure complex in process of being replaced by council. I assume running costs also play a role and there are others - but yes there no mechanism to just turn up and pay any more in any of them.

I do think it puts off some teenagers who get together decide to swim and pay with cash - especially as that pool was in city center and others are further out - now it's all pre-book and needs a card to pay - which some have and some don't.

Very true. One of my kids worked as a pool lifeguard all through uni. It is an incredibly responsible job and yes you get abuse from people who don't think the rules apply to them. One of his favourite stories was turning away an Olympic gold medal swimmer who had to go and comply with the rules, the rules that apply to everyone gold medalists or someone's nephew. He said the gold medalist was absolutely fine with it, came back to swim and was charming. There are sensible people out there.

I'm actually lovely 😁

It was told as an amusing anecdote, they thought it was funny and were definitely not abusive, he just complied as he is a lovely boy too 😁 They just thought it was a bit OTT in a not busy pool (hence the jobsworth comment) and an illustration of how times have changed.

No offence meant sorry x

I agree, advance booking is becoming excessive.

I tried to ask about a first bra fitting for my daughter in a department store this week. I was directed to a QR code on a poster on the other side of the store.

I had to select the store I was standing in from the online list and select the day I'd like to book an appointment before being told via the website that appointments must be made 48 hours in advance.

Last time I had a bra fitting, I just popped over to the changing room where the sales assistant checked a clipboard and told me if they had a free slot.

It could well be as simple as lifeguard numbers... there was X number for the fun bit, Y for the lane bit and they needed to limit the numbers in each section.

Or they could have been deliberately awkward.

@Username9020 Was this M&S? Had the exact same experience last week. I can't get the hang of QR codes so just bought a few bras in likely sizes & plan to return the ones that are no good!

It sure was! So frustrating - I left empty handed and they missed out on a walk up sale.

I work for an attraction and pre-booking is a moneyspinner. 10% of pre-booked tickets are no-shows which means we have banked the money without having to provide a service and that means we can accommodate that 10% as walkups on the day.

Pre-booking allows us to better manage numbers and plan income. It also means that we can offer flexible pricing based on capacity which usually means higher not lower prices for last minute tickets.

It's great for attractions but very much designed to benefit the attraction/organisation NOT the consumer.

Maybe, who knows! I was even more surprised at the separate bookings for lanes vs free swimming. Last time I went to that pool they had a couple of lanes roped off for those who wanted to swim lengths (a fast one & slow one if I remember rightly). Typically, I'd do a few lengths, then move to the open bit then maybe do more lengths later. Not sure how they can stop people doing this tbh. Presumably in the past they'd restrict numbers going in if it got too busy, which it rarely was whenever I went. Really think this will put people off. I get the need for H&S but there must be another way!

You have to book in advance for alot of free things nowadays as well

@asdfgasdfg I know! Making the likelihood of no shows higher. I was pleased to find that our dump doesn't take bookings, although I'm sure it won't be long! I'm relieved the National Trust didn't carry on with their booking system after Covid (yes, I know that's not free but as a member that would be really frustrating!)

When in London I would always pop into the National Gallery for a bit where I had time, but last time I went they said I would have had to book...I miss spontaneity. Also quite difficult with work, for networking meetings I have to book in advance and I don't always know until the day due to both other work things and that my autistic son often has bad days and may not go in or be late. But if I haven't booked and paid, I can't turn up on the day if I find I'm able to go.

OP our local National Trust you still have to book to go in, which is a shame as I used to pop in quite a lot for the cafe etc.