AIBU to blame people who constantly pay high prices for food and drink at events for keeping those prices high?

[Weeeeeeeeeee]

Went to watch The Hundred the other day. Got the cheap seats (restricted view - £12.50 per adult and £5 per child). We took food and drink. Bought some drinks from the bar but waaay too expensive to have as many as we'd have liked.

Husband took little one off for a promised ice cream (it was hot and young children love an ice cream treat). It was £8 per ice cream (one was a Cornetto, the other two scoops in a pot). Wtaf?! I don't know how anyone can justify charging that. I also wonder how on earth people with more than one child are meant to afford it. Had hubby realised the cost, before promising the little one an ice cream, he wouldn't have said ice cream was on the cards! Won't be doing that again, for sure.

AIBU to blame people who repeatedly pay such exorbitant prices for these prices being maintained? If everyone took a stance and refused, surely they'd have to come down.

I wonder if it's some sort of sick joke to see how much can be charged and people will still pay...

You paid the prices….

Happy to pay for convenience and location.

If you aren’t, don’t. But you did!

I didn't.

Husband did. I wasn't with him. He'd promised a 4 year old ice cream. I'd have said sorry to the little one and that it would have to be another time. Husband didn't have the heart to do that. Who would ever expect a bog standard ice cream to cost £8, anywhere?!

I didn't.

See response to previous poster.

After seeing the prices your husband still bought 2 ice-creams so clearly not just for your child who had already been promised one. You also bought some drinks from the bar. But you want other people to boycott this?

Prices at these things have always been ridiculous, and it's not going to change. For a long time I wouldn't have bought anything. Now I can easily afford it I'm happy to pay for what I want.

Yeah, he did - one for the little one and one for himself. Didn't have the heart to say no to a 4 year old about a promised treat on a very rare family day out.

I was bought one drink from the bar. We were there 6.5 hours.

£8 an ice cream justifiable because it's at an event? That's more than 4x what it costs from an ice cream van. I didn't see other drinks and food at 4x what they'd cost outside the ground. Almost like it's doable because parents having thought "let's get the kids an ice cream" wouldn't ever expect it to be that much and then don't feel they can say no after having promised one.

But he didn't need to buy himself one, or the drinks from the bar. He didn't refuse to pay those prices but you think other people should?

You did the same as other people visiting...

Sorry op just curious, you said these prices are more than 4 times of what you pay at ice cream van. So that would make it less than 2 pounds... mostly the ones in our area are like 4 pounds..

He absolutely didn't and I thought he was a bloody idiot for doing so.

On the fence about upsetting the kid, though.

The drinks weren't 4x what they'd cost outside the ground. And one drink over 6.5 hours... Need to stay hydrated and we'd got through everything we could carry!

I didn't - I didn't buy anything.

Oh dear. The conclusion is a DH problem then?

Seriously? Christ! It was like £1.80 - £2 last time I bought an ice cream from an ice cream van. Admittedly that wasn't this year but will have been last year or the year before. Surely inflation on ice cream hasn't gone that mental?

If it has, I stand to be corrected on what I perceived to be a disproportionately high increase to the cost of ice cream within the ground.

Seems my real issue is with ice cream inflation in general.

Ok, new question... AIBU to think that ice cream inflation is utterly insane?!

When isn't it 😏

Who drank ‘some drinks’?

Maybe have a word with DH. Rather than us…

At the point I realised ice cream was £8 I would have said we’re not getting one. 4 is old enough to understand that some things are too expensive. Your post is odd, you paid high prices but want other people to boycott paying high prices?

My Dad bought a round of drinks - one for each of us (not the kid).

I did have a word with DH. He got the (muted) "wtaf?!" reaction. His response - he couldn't let the little one down and, as he was already paying £8, might as well pay £16 🤦🏼‍♀️ DH logic 🙄

I do largely blame him for ice cream inflation, and exorbitant food and drinks costs at events, nationally, but it's not 100% on him... He's not rich enough to sustain that sort of spending.

You could have drunk tap water!

I didn't pay anything and, yeah, I'm pretty sure I would have done the same as you.

It was a very rare family day out and the kid had been promised an ice cream as a special treat (which he'd been looking forward to since the day before). Kind of sad to then say no (was my DH's take). We have a family day out like that once or twice a year.

Might depend on where you live but I bought my daughter an ice cream for ice cream van when in the south east a few weekends ago go - £4! Then she decided immediately after it was purchased she didn’t want it 🤣🙈 jusy a big standard ice cream and a cone that was - up north it is more around £2. Agree it’s disgustingly expensive at £8 but also your original question was it it the fault of the people who are paying the inflated prices which despite you blaming your husband for buying it - your family unit are also a part of. Perhaps everyone going doesn’t want to upset their little one on a rare day out? It’s not right but no different to prices being inflated at the airport or petrol stations - they know they’ve got you buy the balls as you’ve got nowhere else to go :/

When I was younger and poorer I would take cheaper alternatives if we went out e.g pop into Asda for some sweets before going into the cinema.
Now I’m older and more comfortably off, I factor into my calculations that things will be a rip off but just enjoy my night and treat myself if I feel the urge.
To be honest, I think you’re getting yourself a bit worked up over nothing. It can’t be much fun for your husband and kid if you’re so uptight and moany. Live a little, it’s only an ice cream.

I had been. All day. And I didn't buy the drink - it was bought for me without me asking. I wasn't going to buy one.

It's the same as cinemas though, they don't make money from the ticket price, the profit is in the popcorn and drinks. So you could be happy that the people paying for drinks etc are subsidising the costs for everyone else.

They're just so incredibly loveable at times, aren't they 😏

And I blame them all!!!!! Hahaha!

I just wonder what the limit is. Would people continue paying if they were £15 each, or £50 each? At what point does it stop?

That's how we were brought up, too. The day out would be the treat and we'd take stuff to eat / drink. I was always taken aback, even as a child, by how much stuff people would be buying on days out.

As you do, I factor in spending money on days out. The cricket was an extra trip we hadn't planned for so we were doing it on a dime (until DH chucked £16 at two ice creams!). Even with all the money in the world, budgeting £8 an ice cream just seems crazy.

Not worked up. Lying here having a giggle at some of the comments (mostly my own 🤣). Just find it incredulous how expensive some things are and that people accept it and pay, ultimately justifying the crazy prices and keeping the cycle going.

I didn't (and don't) moan ☺️ I'm definitely not uptight. In fact, I'm frequently told I'm a very happy and fun person to be around - how nice is that?!