National Pub Boycott Day - Fri 9th Sept '05

JJDoherty

Hi all,

Received this email today and thought it was definately worth posting. I have already passed it on to as many people as I can it'd be great if it caught on! Here's the text...

National Pub Boycott Day – Fri 9th Sept ‘05
With our politicians failing us it is time for Positive Action. The first of hopefully many national boycott and positive action days against those institutions and companies that are ripping us off. Since our democratically elected representatives seem unwilling or unable to help us it is time to help ourselves.

· Do not go to a public house on 9th of September 2005
· Stay at home and have friends for dinner
· Go to the cinema
· Go to a local non-alcoholic event

Take one day and help yourself and others, hit them where it hurts the most, their pockets.
National Pub Boycott Day – Fri 9th Sept ‘05

Mr E

Without a huge national marketing campaign to back it, this isn't going to reach numbers that matter..... great idea, though.

Board@Work

I for one am sick and tired of being robbed everytime i want to go for a pint.. even though its a friday i'm gonna drink at home. Power to the people

FinoBlad

these boycott emails are silly, you'd be better off spending some time to find the cheapest pub in your area and drink there from now on. Tell your new pub why you drink there and tell your old pub why you moved.

a boycott is just too easy and would be ignored, one day wont affect any publican.

gqma0

So, what does it take to gather all together and spread posters all over the cities ?

As TmB said, only a minority will do that and the rest will just act as usual.

Anyway, I boycott the pubs everyday since I decided not to go to the pub anymore.

Gaetan

rondjon

Given the comments above about how this won't work, how about we try to see if we can actually do anything about it to make it work.

Without being cynical, lets see if we can broadcast to the most people possible.

We can do it on the back of the current success and high profile of the "Ripoff Republic" programme mentioned elsewhere here.

Can't do any harm.

Bard

JJDoherty wrote:

· Stay at home and have friends for dinner

Nah, I think I'll stick with my plans to have pizza for dinner on Friday. My friends are too chewy.

Although I disagree with the idea of the boycott, I won't be down the pub on Friday anyway. I'll be in studio doing a live 3 hour radio show and then home having a few gottles of geer afterwards.

Sarsfield

I think FinoBlad has the better answer. Show a positive preference for the pubs that compete on price. That will send a much stronger message, and can be continued in the long term without having to do without a night out.

Or, as Eddie Hobbs suggested, drink pints of tap water in the pub!

Mangler

I honestly cannot see this working, Its on a Friday
The Irish have been brought up to crave drink, I mean people
in this country are still judged by how much alcohol they can consume
in a sitting, and the Irish especially like to do this on a Friday.
Our generation are beyond help, we need to start teaching the kids
that there are other things to do other than get completely rat-arsed
in a pub or club. The Cafe Culture would have been good idea, in order
to teach people to sit back relax have a bite to eat and a glass of wine,
but I have heard that this has been scrapped is this correct ??

rondjon

Mangler wrote:

I honestly cannot see this working, Its on a Friday
The Irish have been brought up to crave drink, I mean people
in this country are still judged by how much alcohol they can consume
in a sitting, and the Irish especially like to do this on a Friday.
Our generation are beyond help, we need to start teaching the kids
that there are other things to do other than get completely rat-arsed
in a pub or club. The Cafe Culture would have been good idea, in order
to teach people to sit back relax have a bite to eat and a glass of wine,
but I have heard that this has been scrapped is this correct ??

This is the kind of mealy-mouthed responses you'd expect from Irish people when someone comes up with an idea to do something.

"blah blah, why bothers, no point, i can't be arsed".....

For one day, if you still want to get bladdered, get some beers from the off-licence, or wine or spirits, or whatever you're having yourself, invite your mates round, and have a knees-up in the house.

It's the easiest thing in the world to do. It'll save you money. And it'll make a small gesture.

Why the hell not!!!!

JJDoherty

As the message says at the end "Take one day..."! If you don't think it'll work but are still pissed at being ripped off then it won't hurt you.

Copying the message and sending it off to a few friends won't hurt you either, let them make up their own mind. Go on give it a try and make alternative arrangements for that Friday, just to see what happens!

Skitbra

Sarsfield wrote:

Or, as Eddie Hobbs suggested, drink pints of tap water in the pub!

Are you allowed to go into a pub and just ask for tap water? Without buying anything else.

rondjon

Skitbra wrote:

Are you allowed to go into a pub and just ask for tap water? Without buying anything else.

Don't know if there's any rules on this? Would it be better stay out? I know my willpower wouldn't allow me into a pub drinking water for a whole night.

I'm weak, I tell you.

Mr E

A friend of mine did that about a year ago, and had the trots for 24 hours after. Its like the publican thought "I'll teach you to order feckin' water!".

My friend has been drinking bottled water in pubs since.

Board@Work

Skitbra wrote:

Are you allowed to go into a pub and just ask for tap water? Without buying anything else.

I have always thought that it is illegal for them to refuse you tap water or to charge for it.. I dunno how true that is..

rondjon

Board@Work wrote:

I have always thought that it is illegal for them to refuse you tap water or to charge for it.. I dunno how true that is..

I'm sure right of admission is reserved and all that. And a shop/pub doesn't have to sell stuff to you - they're offering it to you with a view to entering into a contract.

If they don't like the look of you, or they don't want to give you water, they can refuse. Their pub, their rules.

Mangler

"This is the kind of mealy-mouthed responses you'd expect from Irish people when someone comes up with an idea to do something"

Did you even bother to read what I posted you thick Lepricaun

rondjon

Mangler wrote:

"This is the kind of mealy-mouthed responses you'd expect from Irish people when someone comes up with an idea to do something"

Did you even bother to read what I posted you thick Lepricaun

Yeah. You were coming up with multiple reasons for you, yourself, to do absolutely sfa.

jor el

Wasn't there a boycott the pub day last year aswell? I don't think it worked though as there was simply not enough coverage or campaigning. It needs a group to organise it and get press-releases and so on, not just a chain email that most people will simply ignore. I remember a guy from the Vintners Association being interviewed on TV3 news I think and was all smarmy about how this boycott wouldn't work and how the Pub would be the winner etc. Really got up my nose and I wished that it would work, but I don't think it did.

I more than likely won't be going to the pub that night as I normally don't go out to the pub on a Friday anyway. Plus I don't think a one day boycott will have any effect anyway, the simple solution is for everyone to cut back on the amount the spend in pubs. I don't go to the pub nearly as often these days as I did say five years ago. It's just gone so expensive for a night out, I'd rather go to the cinema (if there was anything worth seeing but that's a different matter) or stay in or do something that doesn't involve drink.

Already we see the publicans complaining that business is down and that they are being forced to close in some cases (blaming the smoking ban of course). People are seeing the light and are staying away from the pub because of the expense. Maybe the publicans will cop on and reduce prices and we can all go back to happy days of cheap plonk and getting blotto every night, or maybe we'll choose to not go back to that regardless.

FinoBlad

I'd love the mods here to open a sub-forum for Drink prices and open a thread for each county and one for each postal district in dublin.

We'd all then try to find the cheapest pubs in our area and post into the threads.

Stop fighting lads and lets do something positive

rondjon

FinoBlad wrote:

I'd love the mods here to open a sub-forum for Drink prices and open a thread for each county and one for each postal district in dublin.

We'd all then try to find the cheapest pubs in our area and post into the threads.

Stop fighting lads and lets do something positive

Done already - http://www.drinkfeckgirls.com/

FinoBlad

rondjon wrote:

Done already - http://www.drinkfeckgirls.com/

Done yes, but done badly and never updated.
No entries for dublin in 2005 so totally useless.

rondjon

FinoBlad wrote:

Done yes, but done badly and never updated.
No entries for dublin in 2005 so totally useless.

So now you've discovered the inherent problem with your suggestion. Any thoughts on how to get around that (and the basic fact that people don't care enough about how much they're paying)?

dudara

It just won't work because of poor publicity and because a lot of people simply won't care. Though having said that, after Eddie's show on Monday people might finally be more aware.

RainyDay

Why all the drama of a 'one day boycott'? If you don't believe that the pub experience offers good value for money, then stop going, or go to the pub less frequently. The market will dictate the response from the pubs.

gobdaw

RainyDay wrote:

Why all the drama of a 'one day boycott'? If you don't believe that the pub experience offers good value for money, then stop going, or go to the pub less frequently. The market will dictate the response from the pubs.

I agree.
When was the last time you said "Lets go to Soandso - the pint is €3". More likely the decision is made on the fact that you will know a lot of the other customers, good sport on the large screen, plenty of talent, convienent. Any reason except the price of the booze. Look around, plenty of pubs are offering cheaper drink! But are they getting a response?
If we are really concerned about rip-off pubs, is this not a better way to go, that a single day boycott?

the_syco

Heh. I'll be working in my local pub, and I'd say it'll be as quite as usual, with a full nightclub, tbh.

rondjon

RainyDay wrote:

Why all the drama of a 'one day boycott'? If you don't believe that the pub experience offers good value for money, then stop going, or go to the pub less frequently. The market will dictate the response from the pubs.

Missing the point, RainyDay.

It's a "statement" I reckon, more than anything else.

As consumers, we're taking everything lying down in the alleged "rip off Ireland". Because of this, unscrupulous businesses can get away with their shoddy practices.

(No implication that pubs are unscrupulous!!!).

FinoBlad

rondjon wrote:

So now you've discovered the inherent problem with your suggestion. Any thoughts on how to get around that (and the basic fact that people don't care enough about how much they're paying)?

At least boards has the traffic.

What are you doing about it mr doom and gloom?

Bard

Bah,

Changed my mind.

Going to go to the pub after all. A few pints will be most welcome after doing a live 3 hour radio show... plus the guy I'm interviewing on the show is gigging that night in the Spirit Store here in Dundalk along with a couple of other good rock bands so I'll be there - knocking back their fine fine stout.

rondjon

Bard wrote:

Bah,

Changed my mind.

Going to go to the pub after all. A few pints will be most welcome after doing a live 3 hour radio show... plus the guy I'm interviewing on the show is gigging that night in the Spirit Store here in Dundalk along with a couple of other good rock bands so I'll be there - knocking back their fine fine stout.

And we care because?????

rondjon

FinoBlad wrote:

At least boards has the traffic.

What are you doing about it mr doom and gloom?

Loads, thanks for asking.

RainyDay

rondjon wrote:

Missing the point, RainyDay.

It's a "statement" I reckon, more than anything else.

As consumers, we're taking everything lying down in the alleged "rip off Ireland". Because of this, unscrupulous businesses can get away with their shoddy practices.

(No implication that pubs are unscrupulous!!!).

I'm not missing the point at all - I'm seriously questioning your tactics. OK, so you make a 'statement' with your one-day boycott, and then you go rushing back into the pub the next night. That makes a statement too - a statement which says 'look, I'm not really serious in my moaning about your prices - I really am prepared to pay these prices - but I got something off my chest last night and it makes my conscience feel better'.

The only statement which will have any effect is to significant reduce the amount of money moving from your pocket into the till on the bar on an ongoing basis.

the_syco

If you get 500 people to stop going to the pubs, that may only equal to 10 people not going to one pub, etc. So the pub owners aren't gonna give a crap, really.

Bard

rondjon wrote:

And we care because?????

And I care about this 'boycott' because?????

rondjon wrote:

Loads, thanks for asking.

Wow, 2 super informative and constructive posts from rondjon there. Well done, n00b.