To feel ripped off

[Bunny2607]

Nipped out to a local cafe at work today for some lunch to take back and eat at my desk. Very rarely buy lunch as either take it with me or nip home but circumstances today meant i ended up buying it.
small independent cafe, i got a mocha coffee, flapjack slice and a soup to take away. £12.60!!! I paid and didn’t say anything but i was so shocked at the price. Its been bugging me all day and tbh i don’t think i will go back due to the prices, it was only average at best as well.
when did you last feel ripped off?

Not food but today I went to the hairdressers for a wet cut.
Hair all one length, needed an inch off.
I was really looking forward to having it washed/lovely head massage. Wasn't expecting it to be dried.
Well that didn't happen. I was in and out closer to 5 minutes than 10. She did a couple of sprays with water, and trimmed the ends.
That was £25.
There were 2 stylists and no other customers.
Which probably speaks for itself.

I’m currently in a Costa. Mocha is £4, flapjack is £3, and a panini is £5 toastie £4.

Yours is comparable, OP.

Same prices round here. I just can't afford it. We took sandwiches in tin foil, an apple and a flask of coffee last time we went out to a museum. It made us feel like Roy and Hayley Cropper on a day out but I would have been £20 lighter otherwise at least.

This is why we always take a picnic lunch with us if we travel anywhere. Soft drinks especially are very expensive so I just go to sainsbury and get everything to do at home to take.

I allocate a tenner for lunch when I buy it. I would class that as the soup and coffee, so with the added flapjack that sounds exactly right. When I get a sandwich, coffee and packet of crisps from Pret it’s about that price.

I don’t think you’ve been ripped-off, I think you may be out of touch.

Not unreasonable. However a stark indicator of the Cost Of Living Crisis

Have you been living in a cave the last few years op?

Sadly that actually sounds "reasonable" for nowadays. It's usually about £3.50 for a coffee, £3 for a small bake and normally about £7 for a soup!!!! So actually probably cheaper than some other places. It's no longer an option for many people...

£17 for 4 birthday cards & that was with a discount because I bought 4. They are quite individual from a popular website & the postage costs didn't help much either. I paid over £4 for another card recently. When did cards become so expensive?

We went to a little farm shop and got a slice of cake each and a pot of tea for two. It came to just under £20!?! The cakes were £7 per slice 😬
Everything is so expensive now it makes it hard to support local businesses which is such a shame.

Not RTFT but that does seem steep-does it depend on the area? I avoid cafes, not keen onmost of the food at most of them and don't like the model of fast food and cramped tables so I've no idea about them really, but I had a substantial dinner in a 'naice' pub last week that only came to £15 something. Soup, a coffee and a flapjack-I'd be hungry again in an hour or so. That's what makes it seem overpriced for me-it might keep you on for a while but it isn't worth it.

Five guys is CRAZY expensive

Utterly, depressingly normal.

Sounds quite reasonable tbh! It would cost more where I live!!

That’s probably about average, minimum wage to be around £12.20 an hour plus all manner of running costs they need to make a lot of money just to cover these costs. I’m all for a good minimum wage but we also have to pay for it.

Food costs have risen massively though especially eating out type. Just ordered a takeaway from somewhere we used to order from around 7 or 8 years ago and some of the dishes have literally doubled. Used to get a tandoori mixed grill and a bag of chicken pakora for around a tenner. Now it's 17 just for those.

Went to a cafe yesterday with my son - £6.15 for a hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows. Today - another town, another cafe - pea and mint soup £8.50, prawn and salmon sandwich £16.
Prices just seem to be crazy now!

If I forget my lunch I go to sainsburys for a meal deal at £3.50, main, snack and a drink.

Our local sandwich shop is better can get a jacket potato for £4.50

£4.95 for a (small ish) slice of carrot cake to take away at my local garden centre. Up north but it does have notions.

I don't mind paying if it's a bit of a treat. Bit of fancy side salad with dressing will do it - I'm not expecting a 3 course meal for a tenner. But I refuse to pay through the nose for something very basic just to stop feeling hungry. I'd rather grab something cold from a mini market. If it's going to be shit, it might as well be cheap.

My favourite local cafe still do a very decent breakfast with hot drinks. Mine's a veggie one. Under £18 for both me and my mate. Huge portions. Yes, in the north 😉

That sounds about right. Which is why I avoid places like that.

All this talk of cakes is making me want to bake again at the weekend

how TAF can you do a food shop for a family for £86?

Yeah, if the prices aren't listed, I'd either ask or not order. It's too risky to just hope for the best, and I'm not about to spend more than I think it's worth, unless I'm desperate and out of other options. So yes, I'd feel ripped off by those prices, but I wouldn't have ordered food without knowing how much it cost.