ardinn wrote: » For those of you who have left the pub scene and taken up home-drinking, what were your reasons? What would you like to see happen in your local that would get you out again? What do you think the local means in your area / or should mean? Do you believe people have been forced into their homes by drink-drive laws / the smoking ban?
stepbar wrote: » It's quite simple. 4 cans of Carlsberg for under a fiver where I live in Dublin. The same 4 pints in a pub in Dublin range anywhere from 16 - 22eur.
budgemook wrote: » Indeed, The "few pints" thing is still going strong in England but over there you can have a few for a tenner. Here a few will cost you about twenty. The Government and greedy pubs ruined it for everyone. For shame.
ardinn wrote: » But is money that tight that people cant go to the pub? Is this such a big issue. Before I go any further, I am a publican and will probably be slated here as so, but, is the social scene of the local not a draw to people anymore due to / Facebook, Boards, CSI??
questionmark? wrote: » Money is the biggest barrier. Think about a night out even a quite one. U plan on drinking no more than three pints. So first you cant legally drive so taxi lets say average 12€ - 20€ (i know it varies widely) three pints anywhere between 4.30 and 5.00 depending on where u live plus the taxi home. Thats a lot of money. I know you can say maybe ur local is within walking distance but think about the irish weather. Or €5 in ur local offie and the comfort of ur own sitting room and the idea of one or three isnt really an option for many people.
ardinn wrote: » Cinema Ticket for 2 - €20 + Snacks could come close to €50 (yes it does, I often go and usually in the €45 range for me and the missus) Bowling for 2 for one Hour - €40
ardinn wrote: » But that said your point is that the cost of €4.00 (average) per pint is excessive?
ardinn wrote: » O.K. Forgetting the taxi the most your going to spend is €15.00 for three hours (or whatever) in the local with the locals, having a drink and a laugh. I understand that some people actually need taxi's and others require babysitters etc but most people are in walking distance of a pub. If you go into an off licence, Even only to get 2 cans for yourself for the night or a bottle of wine, Your going to spend a tenner. Not much difference really...
Des wrote: » Firstly, you will be treated with respect here, as all of our posters are. I'll make sure of it. Secondly, fair play to you for coming and posting here, I really hope you stick around to address points, and engage in discussion. You'll have to realise that people are going to have fairly robust opinions on this subject. Don't take them personally, and try to ignore anyone who is rude etc. Now, where to start with your question. A. I don't like lager, or guinness on tap. I do, however, like Ale. So, what are MY choices in a pub? Smithwicks normally, some places have Macardles, but they are few and far between and large bottles of Guinness aren't that prevalent either, but it's getting better. I just don't want to pay nearly a fiver for something I don't really want to drink, when I can go to a off licence, or Tesco and get what I want for about 150% cheaper. B. When do I go to a pub, either me or my OH is driving, To drink coke all night is more expensive than drinking beer. To drink cordial most publicans charge more than a bottle of cordial costs them for a splash in a glass with some water. Simply, it's a rip-off, so I'd rather stay home with some friends, or go to a friend's house with the beer I want to drink. C. there is a pub near me that is a nice stroll on a summer evening, or a cheap-ish taxi trip. They DO sell something I like on tap (O'Hara's Stout), at a decent price (€4 a pint). I go there probably about once a month, they have nice, reasonably priced, food too, which is a bonus. The food isn't some deep fried crapola either. D. Blaring thump-thump music. No thanks. Again, that pub I mentioned with the O'Hara's, they have a small band playing every Saturday night, but they don't interfere with my night. They play at a volume that isn't intrusive. If I want to listen, I can hear them, but if I want to have a chat, I can do that without getting hoarse. E. I don't like being treated like a piece of dirt by the staff. I want to be made feel welcome. I want the barman to remember my order, even if it's two- or three-deep at the bar. When he catches my eye I want him to ask me "Same again?". F. I like the bar staff to be properly trained. I want to be able to ask for a Smithwicks with a Guinness head and not have to teach the moron behind the counter how to pour it. Or wait for five minutes as he waits for it to fizz down again, after the fifth time he's pulled it incorrectly. G. I want a proper place to smoke, not some street corner. H. It's not that I prefer to be at home, it's just that the pub isn't attractive as an option to me any more. What would get me back? Cheaper prices. More choice. I actually enjoy going to that pub for the O'Hara's. I also enjoy going to places like The Porter House, The Bull & Castle to try new stuff, and not have Carlsberg, Heineken, Bud and Guinness shoved down my throat. Publican's not being all over the radio claiming poverty when the prices keep going up.
Des wrote: » Two bottles of my favourite beer costs €4 in Tesco. Two pints of Smithwicks in a pub costs between €9 and €10 That's 150% more expensive. Also, what cans cost a fiver each?
Des wrote: » Mate, the average price of a pint is NOT four quid.
ardinn wrote: » The whole country does NOT live in Dublin!
koHd wrote: » Yes but surely the country's average price is heavily affected by Dublin ?
koHd wrote: » The price gap between a few cans in and a few pints out is too great. Price of cans should be raised, and price of pints should be lowered. Right now I can get 8 cans of bavaria for 8.99 and have a good laugh in. Or spend 40 euro on pints out. And also have to get a taxi home for a tenner. Adding up to 50 quid versus 8.99. I can't be spending 50 quid on one night out right now. So 8.99 wins every time. If pints in pubs were around 1 euro more expensive than a can I would definitely go out more often as the extra euro per drink is worth it for the atmosphere. But right now pints are 3 euro more than a can. Which really adds up over the night.
amacachi wrote: » Price and choice are far and away the two big issues. between 4 and 5 quid for a pint of piss adds up all too quickly when I can get 4 cans of piss for 3.09 in Lidl and hit the park or a mate's house. You say that everyone lives near enough a pub to not need a taxi, while that may be true (and I'd argue about it tbh), unless all those going for a few live near each other most will have to get a taxi or the bus. Choice is a huge thing though. While most of the time I stick to cans of piss, if I'm going to be paying 4-6 times what I usually pay for my drinks I want it to be outstanding. A proper ale would be good, hell even a proper pint of guinness is getting harder and harder to find. Then there's atmosphere. ****ty seats (only applies to some pubs), ****ty lighting, not showing sport, music too loud, waaaaaaaaay too hot, and then the staff who really don't seem to want anybody to ask them for a drink. For me as well I live near the border so I can pick up a litre of vodka for about 12 quid, or wine at about 3.50 a bottle. On the cost issue though, people speak from experience. Taxi home + food + the ridiculous amount I smoke when I'm out is a good 20 quid on top of the pints. *Yes you can argue they're discretionary, but so is spending 25 on cinema food for two people as you claim to do. So on a limited income I do what I can, I can spend 20 quid and get wasted and well fed while watching a film or TV or any number of things, or I can go to the pub, listen to whatever crap music is on and sweat my balls off. On the cost issue, I know in England a lot of Landlords are being run into the ground by the breweries, but when I see a country pub charging 3.50 a pint and only having about 8 people in each night and €5+ being charged elsewhere, ostensibly to pay the rates I have to wonder how high the rates are. I also wonder if pubs are allowed sell cans, I know of a few which do (and charge full pint prices for it), and wonder why more don't, charge say 2.50 a can. It tastes no worse than the crap pouring of most barstaff I've come across.
ardinn wrote: » I understand that some people actually need taxi's and others require babysitters etc but most people are in walking distance of a pub.
HavingCrack wrote: » For me theres a couple of issues. A-Price My local off licence sells 10 cans for 10 euro while the local pub charges 5.50 for one pint of equivilent lager. No contest. B-Customer Service-The employees of the local off licence know me by name and chat to me when I come in while the 5 local pubs are full of rude, ignorant unpleasant individuals who do nothing to attract people to their pubs. C-Age-I'm only 20 and the youngest patrons of my locals are early 30's. That's quite an age gap. Theres literally nothing attracting "younger" (18-30) people to pubs in my area at least. It's seen as an older persons hang out. D-There s a lot more social outlets in Ireland now than even 10-20 years ago. Restaurants, cinemas, nightclubs, pool halls, casinos, late night gyms etc etc etc are competing with pubs for peoples social outlets in the cities and big towns at least. (I've no experience of rural areas so I apologise but I can only comment on personal experience).
koHd wrote: » Re:Re: cans in the pub If you sold the cans at the bar with a pint glass and made sure people poured into the glass themselves, then disposed of the can into some kind of recycle bin set up, then it wouldn't be too bad. I'm 25, and personally, I would love to be able to do that at a bar and pay 3 euro a pop for a can.