Afternoon tea is a rip off largely aimed at ripping women off

[Coddy]

Somebody suggested this to me and I’ve never thought of it that way.

You don’t get very men going for afternoon tea do you? The Mark up on afternoon tea is absolutely enormous aside from staffing and cost of the building and stuff- it must be money for old rope for the businesses concerned. Specially the ones that charge over 50 quid ahead.

Are we being conned by the whole afternoon tea debacle?

(yes cake is nice I get that)

£17 a head for our local one. Can add prosecco. But we normally have to take the excess home.

I love afternoon tea. I see it as a real treat and try to go a couple of times each year. I've never noticed that there weren't many men in the hotels/restaurants I've been to!

There are good and bad Afternoon teas. Personally I love it and always go away full. There were plenty of men having it last time I went for Afternoon tea.

It was £28 for two. Buffet style and it was lovely. I’m more than happy to pay that personally. I was comfortably stuffed by the end.

And there was no giggling involved.

Lol. Done that. Guilty!

Well I suppose bike manufacturers have convinced men they all need a £3k road bike for their weekend recreation so we ladies are getting off lightly with our £50 afternoon tea 😁.

But seriously, it's just a social option. I don't think many people feel obliged to book one.

Only if it’s the cheapest crappest food and they’re not paying staff, for a premises, energy bills, insurance and all the usual business over heads.

Imagine if you went in your best soSandar get up and there was some really really hot men having afternoon tea. They wouldn’t be straight would they?

It's usually a present for someone when they don't need stuff anymore. My gripe with afternoon tea is the ratio of savoury and sweet is wrong. I don't want to eat loads of cakes after a scone. More sandwiches and one sweet thing would be better for me.

Agreed. Anyone would think women are silly and vulnerable and incapable of making social and financial choices.

You could say the same about most things these days , all a rip off and designed purely to part you with cash.
I remember when stag or hen dos was a drink up the pub , but somehow it's now much more and been made into a huge money spinner.
I enjoyed the only afternoon tea I've ever done years ago , but I wouldn't go back and I've heard it's now mega expensive and not that great.

On that basis why does anyone go out for a meal? Why do I pay £9 for a glass of wine in a pub when I can get a bottle for that and drink it in my living room?

I love an afternoon tea with my friends. I love putting on a nice dress, sitting comfortably in nice surroundings and being served. I accept I have to pay for that far beyond the actual cost of the food. And if there are no screens showing football and no noisy men, all the better.

Take away my afternoon teas at your peril!

So is afternoon tea another instrument of the patriarchy to oppress women?

Ah, this old one.

Are you pricing in:

Kitchen staff
Waiting staff
Cleaning staff
Food wastage costs
Heating
Electricity
Water rates
Waste disposal
Insurance
Business rates
Upkeep

Both dh and I have enjoyed several afternoon teas - the most we paid was about £200 (the Westbury in Dublin) which included champagne as well as tea coffee etc, unlimited sandwiches, the most delicious cakes etc)

I don’t think we’ve ever had a bad one, and it’s not something I tend to do with girlfriends- when the girls go out it’s usually getting pissed and dancing! We’re certainly not ladies who lunch.

Are you one of those people who are tighter than a gnats arse and moan about the cost of everything op?

”knows the price of everything and the value of nothing” springs to mind!

It’s a bit of a minefield for me. Do I eat lunch beforehand ? Or do I risk being all hangry when the afternoon tea arrives? What if I want 2 vol-au-vent, but don’t want a sausage roll at all ? What is the actual point of a cucumber sandwich ?
How to I get the jam out of the dress I was coerced into wearing?
And when it’s all done, the sugar hangover…

Oh no, I’m definitely quite profligate with my cash

Or 'old ladies'...

I love a good afternoon tea. And if all the items are made in-house by the restaurant/cafe/shop bakers, its just amazing and well worth the price (for me personally).

I suspect I am in the minority though.

Blimey @JeysusH

who stole your fondant fancy

If women didn’t put up with these prices then they would drop, simple as that. For example, a man only pays about £15 for a haircut because they would not accept the £100 cost that women are prepared to pay. Similarly, men don’t do afternoon tea. They will just get a £10 burger and chips.

Right but that doesn't mean its a con.

And you don't have to giggle. What's wrong with laughing though

I don't want a men's haircut, thanks.

Are you being serious?