Church Fair Prices

[ScholesPanda]

I am organising the kitchen for our church fair for the first time. Do people think these prices are reasonable or not? For context, in the south of England, mixed area, some wealth, some poverty:
Bacon/ Sausage/ Veggie Sausage Sandwich: £2.50
Tea : £1.00
Coffee: £1.50 (Filter)
Squash: £0.50
YABU: Your prices are too much for a fair
YANBU: Your prices seem reasonable to me

We did 50p for a kids’ squash at a school fair recently, and were criticised a lot for not making it free as some families were struggling and couldn’t even get their kids a drink etc.

So we now do that for free…
other prices seem fine to me though OP

It's fine, but I'd charge the same for tea and coffee

It's impossible to know the right price for bacon/sausage rolls without more information. How many rashers/sausages in each one? Is the meat nice, or is it cheapest of the cheap? There's a huge difference between a sausage with 42% pork (the minimum amount needed to be called a sausage) and a sausage from the butcher!
The cost per roll will depend hugely on those factors.

By the time you factor in roll, meat, butter, sauce, electricity to cook, paper plate and/or napkins, and wastage, there's not going to be a whole lot of profit. And if it's a fundraiser, there has to be profit! So I'd get hold of your costs first and work out what you need to charge. As it's a church thing, you should probably charge the minimum amount which turns a sensible profit rather than fleecing people for as much as you can, but you need to make money from it otherwise you would be better using the people making them to do something else.

You could increase food and make hot drinks same price, I personally think squash is too expensive. Ours use to do cup of cheap fizzy for 50p.

I think the original prices are fine but agree free squash sends a welcome message.

Give a biscuit with a hot drink? They’re so cheap and would make it seem better value. Just have a tub of cheap biscuits for people to help themselves and offer with the drink.

Lidl has some huge packs of Christmas biscuits for about £3.

They're the prices I'd expect at an event like this. It's a fundraiser, not a giveaway 'feed the community' event.

I'd said yanbu but I think you need to charge more. Those are decade ago prices. Barely cover costs. Double would work

Bacon/ Sausage/ Veggie Sausage Sandwich: £3.00
Tea : £1.50
Coffee: £2.00 (Filter)
Squash: £0.50 to £1.00 depending on cup but assuming decent sized paper cup not a planet wrecking plastic one then £1

Sounds great.

I wouldn’t pay £2 for coffee unless it was nice coffee.

They seem a bit high to me, especially the drinks.
Coffee £1
Tea 50p
Squash free

Sandwiches maybe fair enough to charge that as ingredients cost more, more prep time etc. But if you can reduce to £2 I would.

You don't want to put people off from buying by charging too much, you need to get the balance right. We're in a COL crisis so the church /PTA fairs are a cheap Christmas day put for a lot of people. Hiking the prices too much will prevent people from spending and leave you with unsold stock.

When was the last time anyone bought a cup of tea for 50p?! Honestly, I'd have to go back to the 80s.

I was charging £1 for a disgusting brew in a paper cup to football parents more than 10 years ago, as did every team in the county.

I think the prices are fine
I do the cricket club refreshments. There was a significant drop in sales when we tried to out the price of bacon/sausage sandwiches up from. £2.50 to £3!

It's a fundraising event.

When was the last time you honestly went to a cafe and paid £1 for a coffee or £2 for a bacon sandwich? It's not like the church gets a special God discount on buying the stuff in. A pack of 8 rashers of bacon is what, £3 these days? So if you do say 3-4 rashers per sandwich once you add on the cost of bread/butter and cooking at £2 you are making a loss.

Work out how much it costs to provide everything and stick a profit margin on top. Easy.

Dear OP, firstly thank you for volunteering.
It is a bit of a minefield. I'd put tea and coffee at the same price £2.00.
Do 50p squash and maybe free water.
Have a bacon and sausage sandwich for £3.00
You will be asked for herbal tea, gluten free bread, etc, etc - been there done that.
I work in a charity shop and get told stories of how a family has nothing and can I bring prices down, only to carry stuff out to a Jag or massive 4 x 4.

Churches as everywhere else have seen an increase in costs and a drop in donations. Have fun op and remember to make sure you have a nice meal prepared when you get home or a chippy tea. Our church fair is Saturday.
Jingle all the way.

I think your prices are fine, but I’d give the squash for free.

Id skip the filter coffee as it’s a lot more money and hassle for you compared to instant.

I would do mince pies ( no work compared to making hot sandwiches) and chocolate wrapped biscuits for the kids ( again no work ) . You will make more profit on them.

Don’t put out plates of unwrapped biscuits , you will get kids / teens who will take half the plate in one go .

You could make a separate table ( away from the hot food and drinks ) and have it staffed by the guides , for the squash and biscuits . You might be able to get them to make rice crispie cakes or similar , kids love that.

That will keep the queues down and the kids away from the coffee area . Congestion / hot drinks / hyper kids running around is always a problem At these events .

Some posters on here seem to want OP to carry out a fundraising event without actually making any funds.

How many children would you expect to come? If it's not many I'd suggest free squash. Keep every thing in £ or 50p increments if you want a happy treasurer. Odd amounts like the £1.60 suggested are a nightmare for change and totting up.

If you've got a local butcher with a good reputation you can normally use that to justify a higher price for bacon/sausages if you advertise the source e.g. "Smith's bacon roll - £3.50". IME people will pay more for something they know is better quality. The butcher may also be willing to charge a reduced price for the quantity/publicity.

Are all the takings from the fair going to the church? If so, worth keeping refreshment prices low as it will encourage people to spend more at the stalls as they feel they are getting a good deal. If stallholders are giving you a fixed fee to be there I'd tweak the prices slightly upwards to increase the amount going into church funds.

If nothing else, this thread has proved that OP will get criticised at whatever price she chooses!

FWIW, the prices seem ok to me and are comparable to what we charge at school PTA events. As a couple of PPs have said though, you need to make sure the cost of your ingredients match your pricing so you actually make a profit.

A fair is a place to spend money. If you can't afford 50p for a drink why would you go? And if you know you can't afford a single thing but just wanted to look why wouldn't you bring something for your kids to eat and drink whilst there? It seems entitled.

You’re not charging enough

The prices are cheap enough without reducing them further, people don't have to buy it if they can't afford it.

I do a lot of fairs etc with my jewellery. Tea and coffee usually cost the same. Filter coffee is a waste of time, just do instant. £1 per cup is about average for that, maybe £1.50 but £2 is a bit steep. Charge for squash otherwise people will take the piss. Just make up jugs and 50p per cup. £2.50 for the sarnies is fine, more would be too much I think.
The nicest fairs I do give free tea and coffee to the stallholders. At one of the schools I go to we get given a mug when we arrive, and can take it up for refills all day. Doesn't cost them much and is a really nice touch.

A 90% approval rating in the poll OP. Job's a good'un. It was never going to unanimous but you've got surprisingly close.

It's a church fair, not a business per se.. yes, you want to make money but not price some people out. The elderly on s pension could not be able to afford £5 on a meal. Col as it is. I also doubt that there is a huge market for sandwiches. Wouldn't cakes, biscuits and crisps be easier and cheaper?