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)

A lot of women are gullible.
I’m a man. I get a half decent haircut for £10. I don’t need an expensive manicure either, having just spent 5 mins doing it myself. :-)

I buy my own scones and do my own at home for a fraction of the price. Wouldn’t pay it.

Its a bit like going to the pub though. Drinks are cheaper in supermarkets.
I tend to meet people of assorted genders and sexes in cafes rather than pubs. I had colleagues of dh round a couple of weeks ago for homemade cake and biscuits. We even had prosecco.
But I have an afternoon tea voucher which was a gift so i appreciate that too. I love a cream tea too!

Why would I 'carry it around with me in town afterwards'?

I wouldn't go for an afternoon tea - which I consider to be 'going out', and I would probably put a dress and nice shoes on as part of the 'going out' (I realise that isn't compulsory) and then head off round the shops or to do a list of other errands.
I let the server put any spare cakes in the specially designed box, which I carry to the car, and take home. Just the same as if I bought individual cakes in a bakery without having afternoon tea.
Personally I eat the sandwiches there (my favourite bit). then I generally eat the scone, jam, and cream and then I am full. So I don't take any sandwiches home.

Who needs unlimited tea? You still need to make the hour’s train journey back to the deepest darkest Surrey.

Well, news as this might be to you, not all of us make an hour's train journey home from our afternoon teas. Plus, everywhere I have had afternoon tea has had toilets you can use at the venue. As a complete aside, I don't think I've ever been to Surrey - even without having had an afternoon tea first. It is one of the things I want to do when I retire - visit every County in England that I haven't been to.

However, I love drinking tea and chatting to whichever friend is with me.

Ah, what a relief to come across a good old fashioned, down to earth chauvinist previously lurking in a latter Dickensian true story.

A bacon butty with builders tea sounds like heaven to me.

Some of us can enjoy both things. In fact there are lots of different meals that I can enjoy, both at home and when it with friends. One of them is afternoon tea. One is a bacon butty. Neither gives me reason to crow that I'm somehow better than anyone else.

@saraclara

I never said anything about not being able to enjoy both or what my opinion is of afternoon tea. I merely stated what was my idea of heaven and I certainly wasn't crowing about being better than anyone else.

What does enjoying a bacon butty have to do with afternoon tea being or not being a rip off though? People who like to go for the occasional afternoon tea might also have bacon butties other days, as afternoon tea isn't usually something people go for regularly. Afternoon tea is usually classed as a special day, which is why it's usually served on fancy cups and plates.

Wow, so nasty. I've never heard anyone giggle about afternoon tea or think that prosecco is naughty, nut then I'm obviously not as cool as you, OP😒

I love afternoon tea although I go rarely. I know they are not value for money if you just break down the ingredient cost. I usually go to a beautiful hotel/country house where you can dress up to the nines I see a few men there (mainly in couples). You pay for the ambience (like many things).

Spa days. What a bloody money spinner!!

£49 for a basic one and what is it - a white robe, paper slippers and access to a pool. Absolute rip off!!

A friend used to regularly announce "let's do a spa day!" In the end I threw my dressing gown at her and told her she was welcome to sit in my bathroom 🤣

😁

We could take this anywhere. I am a good cook so is my partner. We can cook for each other and even using top quality ingredients it would be cheaper than eating out. You know what? sometimes I like to eat out. Recently I had a meal on holiday just outside a well known landmark. We could have got a cheaper meal around the corner in a back street. Was I ripped off? No i had a choice and chose this option as I may never go there again.

Haha, I’m far from chauvinistic, quote the opposite. Men spend silly amounts of money on some things too.

That would only make sense if your bathroom was the size of a small country house with grounds housing several large jacuzzis, and the bathroom itself having a variety of whirlpool baths, saunas, steam rooms, foot spas, swimming pools and relaxation beds. With someone else paying for all that hot water.

The cheap one I go to admittedly only has indoor and outdoor hot tubs, woodland relaxation area, pool, foot spas, steam room and sauna, but it's only £29 for 3 hours including lunch and a glass of prosecco.

The nicer ones are more (£70-100) but have far more facilities, are absolutely bloody lovely, include brunch or lunch with wine and worth the money to me.

What’s all this about tramming around town afterwards, or sitting on a train for an hour?
Don’t pass out but when I go for afternoon tea it’s usually in a very quaint, and very remote establishment and get this, I can actually drive!!!!
Yes I drive myself there and back!!!!

Oh the horror.
I also consider it good value to be able to sit in peace in beautiful surroundings whilst not having to listen to blaring tvs or people shouting like they do in pubs.
I also go where there are no children. Just like minded people sat talking quietly and peacefully, so no interruptions.
There is no way I would piss about making the individual delicate cakes either, no way.
I always have several coffees too.
Yes I could sit at home but so could the people who get ripped off in pubs daily.

Calling women gullible for spending money on something they like, which men also spend money on too, but apparently don't need to be called gullible for it is the very definition of chauvinistic

But congrats for thinking you are the opposite, thats cute

I’m not winding you up. I just asked practical questions, as a few people mentioned how stuffed they were and got a doggy bag for home. Also the unlimited tea and access to the loos after. I suppose that’s what motorway service stations are for; a bit of a step down from the quaint establishment you’re coming from.

How far do you think people are travelling for Afternoon tea? I can’t speak for everyone but generally I’m going to have Afternoon tea in the city closest to me.(20 minutes) No motorway service stations required and the hotels(and other venues) do generally have loos.

Carrying cakes in a box that you can put into a bag is no more challenging than carrying any other item that I might purchase when shopping.

There are a lot of bizarre posts on this thread. I’m decidedly not a spa day person and I’ve never tried one but I’m pretty sure that it involves considerably more than a dressing gown and sitting in your friend’s bathroom.

I'm pretty sure that poster was joking.

Yes I’m aware of that but it’s the sort of sarky dismissive comment that’s rife on this thread simply because others like to spend money on things that they don’t personally value or care for and apparently that’s worthy of derision.

I loathe them. Living in London I assume the hotels lay them on for the less sophisticated out of towners. Who the fuck wants sandwich's and cake for lunch - over the age of 5 and under the age of 70?

I see acres of HRT-fuelled non Londoners - donning vile floral midi dresses (clutching high street bags), tripping out of Claridges or similar. Because it's 'a treat'. I've always assumed it was invented for those who can't afford a proper lunch.