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I would find somewhere of the motorway to by petrol I cannot believe how much a rip off the services are in the UK.
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Daily Mail: "Millions of motorists prefer to drive past the stop-offs unless they need to use the toilet or fill up with petrol, the research reveals."
Why else would one stop at a motorway services area?
OK, I suppose one might stop to eat one's picnic or stretch one's legs.
I've always been surprised by the number of people who actually do buy hot drinks or meals at these establishments.
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I'd guess a quite high proportion of spend is businessmen/women on expenses or families having a "treat" on a long journey.
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On a related topic - French & Spanish roadside hotels - wifi access free; Travelodge UK £5 per hour
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Don't forget the never ending coach parties who are driven in there with no choice..........because the coach driver eats free. (even when the coach is empty)
Pat
Last edited by: pda on Sat 4 Sep 10 at 05:36
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>> ....because>> the coach driver eats free. (even when the coach is empty)
>>
I have always assumed the driver's palm was crossed with silver! Is that not so? All he gets is some of their awful food?!
If I were a coach driver I would be searching the motorways of Britain until I did find a service area that would pay me.
Last edited by: Duncan on Sat 4 Sep 10 at 06:44
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I hold no brief for motorway service areas; I rarely use motorways and never use the service areas. However, they must cost a lot to run, 24 hours a day. Many of them are quite remote and staff, most of them on the legal minimum wage of £5.93 (gross) an hour have to get themselves to work or have transport provided. It is a bit like a certain low cost airline; you know what you are letting yourself in for if you use the service and it is your choice.
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What I disagree with is the Highway's agency having electronic boards send out the message "tiredness kills take a break".
A price is then placed on safety by tagging each vehicle in and out of the service area, if you stay more than two hours your fine is in the post. If I think I may need more than 2hours why do I need to buy a 24hour parking ticket? I may be tired I'm not auditioning for Sleeping Beauty though. If I need a nights sleep I find a hotel.
We either want safer roads with fewer tired drivers who rest for as long as required to then continue the journey suitably refreshed or we are just paying lipservice to the notion of safety.
I do realise some sections of society will take the Michael and out stay their welcome. I don't see why more costs & pressure should be added to the law abiding heavily taxed motorists when they should be relaxing.
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The food has improved enormously in the 30-odd years I have been using motorway service stations.
I now expect to be able to buy a hot drink and something to eat of decent quality.
Some of the prices are high, but I am often prepared to pay for the convenience.
Yesterday, I had a coffee and a rather nice mozarella, basil and tomato panini for about £7 at Bowburn services on the A1(M) in County Durham.
A similar meal might be £4 or £5 at a supermarket.
Am I prepared to chase around using time and fuel to save a couple of quid?
No.
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Different if you've got a wife and three kids with you though.
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...Different if you've got a wife and three kids with you though....
Yes, and it would be different were I eating 'on the road' often.
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I try to avoid them but if you are desperate for a pee, desperate for fuel and desperately late for your next meeting they are quite handy.
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I prefer to take my own corned beef and pickle butties and will only eat in one if I get caught out. I've never bought petrol in one as far as I can remember.
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I don't do meetings, but service areas are useful places to sit to do some work on the netbook.
I have been known to resist the unhealthy snack and buy just an over-priced cup of coffee.
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I take my own buttys if I remember or my wife is feeling nurturing. Branston is always a risk though, hence the preference for check/plaid/tartan shirts and dark jeans. Spillages are less obvious. I rarely seem to have the time for selectivity on stopping places though. Always in a rush. Doesn't say much for my organisational skills but there it is.....I prefer to blame all those fat people who should be walking or cycling instead of clogging up my roads and their arteries.
:-)
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...I prefer to blame all those fat people clogging up their arteries...
Are soot-coated arteries any better?
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i always have a flask and if i move the nodding dog i can use the tartan blanket to mop up any spilled pickle
its all down to planning really..........
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>> Are soot-coated arteries any better?
No, but they take up less room.
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"Branston is always a risk though, hence the preference for check/plaid/tartan shirts and dark jeans. Spillages are less obvious."
The trick is to use the memory seats and set up the ideal MacDonalds Drive-thru position. I drive in a laid-back, reclined kind of style which isn't conducive for eating behind the wheel. My eating position is bolt upright, seat pushed back and steering wheel pushed up and away. All spillages go in my lap, not down my t-shirts.
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Ah, corned beef sarnies, now there is a gastronomic delight. Funny how its never the same unless you use Branston pickle.
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...Ah, corned beef sarnies, now there is a gastronomic delight...never the same unless you use Branston pickle...
Tomato sauce for me, which increases the spillage risk.
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That's another reason why the Mondeo is better than the Qashqai. The Ford has fully electrically adjustable ( albeit not memory ) seats. Up, down, rake and angle of seat squab. Totally fine tunable in moments. Great for when sharing the use of a car with another driver. The Nissan has a system of manual levers which take about a week to get back to how I like it after "she's" been faffing with them.
I wouldn't dare try your technique in the Squashy Dave. I have thought of sewing my sandwiches together round the edges with dental floss. You could then use the thread to clean your teeth when the sandwich was finished.
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A rip-off? Surely for for the majority who do not buy food at the Services but simply use the parking, toilets and picnic areas without charge they are far from a rip off since these service are supplied free and without any cost to the taxpayer. Quite a good arrangement for most.
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"The food has improved enormously in the 30-odd years I have been using motorway service stations."
Fair point. They were a lot worse 30 years ago - though the same could be said for a lot of things in Britain.
And the arrival of M&S Simply Food shops at a lot of services areas is not only a welcome improvement, but something that would have been unimaginable 30 years ago.
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>> simply use the parking, toilets and picnic areas without charge
Well, they are funded by money raised via income tax/road fund license fee etc.
Without them, people will have to pee on roadside which is not nice :-)
Nowadays people are very conscious about price. Naturally people are not buying anything from services.
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"Prior to 1992, the Department of Transport was responsible for developing MSAs by acquiring land, funding construction and leasing the completed sites to operating companies. 21 MSA sites are still owned by the Government. The remaining 50 sites are privately owned, and a further two are currently under construction. Since 1992 it has been for the private sector to take the initiative in identifying and acquiring MSA sites and to seek planning consent from Local Planning Authorities (LPAs). The Highways Agency provides advice to LPAs in relation to motorway safety and traffic management."
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>> Well, they are funded by money raised via income tax/road fund license fee etc.<<<
Could you explain how that works please Movilogo?
Pat
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Movilogo, I think that you will finds that the toilets parking etc are paid for by the companies who run the service areas. Under the terms of their contract with the government they are obliged to provide these free services. Obviously the companies have to make money somehow and they do so by selling food and petrol at high margins.
It follows that those buying food and petrol at MSAs are effectively funding the free services for those who don't. There is no taxpayers money involved.
If like the majority you never buy anything at a service area you are getting a bargain in in that you are getting these services free.
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Ok, I now understand that they are privately funded - just like the railways :-)
Last edited by: movilogo on Sat 4 Sep 10 at 17:43
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I paid a rather high 122 (.9 obviously) for petrol at Leigh Delamere yesterday as I was low and the Galaxy only does 23mpg. Only put a tenner in to get home at that price. If I'd been nearer Swindon there's a BP on the A419 towards Cirencester selling at 113...
Notice the coffee shop inside the station also want nearly £3 for a hot drink.
I'm not tight but these places are definitely expenses only IMO.
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...want nearly £3 for a hot drink...
Nothing's cheap at service areas, but I reckon the drinks - hot and cold - is where they really take your eyes out.
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My local Sainsburys on Thursday (East Midlands) 110.9, so that's over 50p a gallon different. Of course it isn't all mark up. The service areas are expensive to operate, as has already been noted.
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I bought 4 large Mochas to go at Forton last year, borrowed a tray to take them back to the caravans.
Just got there when I tripped and lost all of them down my front and on the tarmac.
Over £11...............spent the rest of the day in a bad mood !
Ted
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Reminds me of that credit card ad.
4 Takeaway coffees £11.00p, one unintended comedy moment - priceless.
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I went to Hull yesterday - The Lawns Caeavan Show - and on the return journey needed a meal. Unfortunately, there is nothing before you hit the M62 so had to stop at Ferrybridge services. The car park was quite full yet inside the café area only had about half a dozen punters. Fish and chips were priced at £5.99 so I asked for two portions. There was nobody else at the counter, and the assistant said all meals were made to order and would take about ten minutes. After we had paid she brought them over to our table.
Obviously, they can't keep food in the hot trays that might be there all day if people are not patronising the place. Incidently, the fish was excellent - nice crisp batter and not greasy.
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ferrybridge services is in limbo land these days though due to the new a1 link,saying that they were never that nice when new
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>> Of course it isn't all mark up. The service areas are expensive to operate, as
>> has already been noted.
>>
Why are they expensive to operate ? Is it licencing fees back to local authorities/Treasury or is there some other hidden cost ?
No doubt they have a program running that counts footfall and average spend to give a nice profit margin. By doing this, they will continue to push the limits of what people will spend and can chop the data to gain all manner of stats. Comparisons with previous day, week, Bank Holiday in previous years etc...
I haven't seen a loyalty bonus card to keep you within a certain chain yet, I'm very surprised by this. Must be on the cards (no pun intended) if not already here.
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I avoid them if I can.... partly in protest at the disgraceful charges they impose for parking HGV's, which often have no alternative except such services.
I had the misfortune to use Chester services on Friday evening, on a trip up to Leeds; wifey needed the loo so stopped there rather than at Lymm. Was charged the princely sum of £2.19 for a tea!
Admittedly it was a very large cup, but a disposable cardboard one. Could not help but think that by volume, a pint of beer in a pub would be cheaper. The point I would make is that a goodly number of people, especially elderly ones, would not want or even need such a large drink; perhaps it's to ensure that they need the loo again by the next services provided by that company. I would have been happy to pay, say half the price for a smaller measure, knowing I would not waste most of it.
On the way home on Saturday, we did stop at Lymm, where a perfectly good cuppa (not far off the same size) in the McDonalds on those services cost all of 75 pence.
As for the old argument that they're open 24/7; fine, so are Tesco and they seem to get by OK without charging rip-off prices.
This might be of use to those of you who are willing to dine with the lower orders...... ;-)
www.transportcafe.co.uk/truck_stops_transport_cafes_motorways.html
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"a pint of beer in a pub would be cheaper."
a London pub too
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And there is no tax of any sort on a cup of tea!!!!
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The problem is the average spend, when compared to the footfall is very low.
How many of you pull into the services, use the toilet, toilet paper, hot water, hand dryer and then empty the rubbish from your car into the bin in the car park?
Then drive out again without actually buying anything.
It's not uncommon to see coach parties of children, sitting at a half a dozen tables in the restaurant, eating their packed lunch and cans of pop all brought with them.
While I understand that children's trips could never include the cost of a services meal (and neither should it) the rubbish left on the table has to be cleaned up and disposed of, at a cost.
The toilets, hot water, hand dryers, heating and lighting all have to be paid for by someone and unfortunately it's the ones who DO buy something who foot that bill.
Pat
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During the journey described in the "Pig ignorant" thread we were heading north on the A19, (the A1 was shut at Leeming Bar this weekend), we stopped at a 24hr McDonald's at 6am on Sunday morning, had a perfectly acceptable piping hot bacon and egg roll and orange juice / coffee. A fraction of the price of a MSA and far more convenient.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 6 Sep 10 at 08:21
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...stopped at a 24hr McDonald's at 6am on Sunday morning...
I've long thought the best thing on the McDonald's menu is the breakfast McMuffin.
A double sausage and egg is a whisker under £2 around here.
Yummy, and it's not (very) greasy, so it's almost bordering on healthy. :)
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>> The problem is the average spend, when compared to the footfall is very low.
Surely that's the symptom of the rip off pricing, not the cause?
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Chicken and egg thing really isn't it? Are prices so high that people don't call in or do they not call in anyway, for whatever reason, and so prices go up to try and maintain profits? I think they need to cut prices, accept a short term loss, and try to get more people in who buy more but cheaper stuff and sustain the profits, although there aren't any profits at the moment SFAIK.
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>> I think they need to cut prices, accept a
>> short term loss, and try to get more people in
>>
Get more people in, you must be joking, The averge MSA south of civilisation resembles an overcrowded zoo.
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They seem to have the footfall. They're maybe even bordering on having a captive audience.
Just need to get better at converting footfall into sales. Lower prices is definitely one way (but admittedly not the only).
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...Surely that's the symptom of the rip off pricing, not the cause?...
Good question, but I wonder if the perception of rip-off services has not overtaken the reality.
Some prices in the service area shops have come down of late.
A couple of examples I've seen are 'two for a £1' offers on chocolate bars, and meal deals of pop, crisps and a sandwich.
I saw a service area Burger King boasting 'high street prices'.
Marks and Spencer are not cheap at any location, but I think the sandwiches in the service area branches are the same price as those in their ordinary shops.
I've never eaten it, but there's a £5.99 offer on a plate of fish and chips at Bowburn services on the A1(M) near Durham City.
That's not a lot more than the chippie charges for a takeaway.
Most of the stuff at the services carries rip-off prices, but not all of it.
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I saw a sandwich on sale at Watford Gap for £3.89. Two slices of bread with some stuff in between, cut diagonally, packaged. Nothing special - Lidl's are better, at less than £1.
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>> cut diagonally, packaged. Nothing special
I was pretty taken with a trick they use -- lay down one slice of bread, scrape on some butter (or not), lay down one bit of meat to cover the bread, then a further half a slice of meat in the middle.
Now when you assemble the sandwich and cut diagonally, the filling looks 25% bigger than it really is, and you can label it deep fill (even though only the area immediately surround the diagonal cut, is deep fill)
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...I saw a sandwich on sale at Watford Gap for £3.89...
Just paid £2.95 for a cheese and ham sub roll from M & S at Wetherby on the A1(M).
Enough filling in a decent-sized roll.
Hardly a bargain, but not more than a £1 more than a similar roll from Tesco.
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Thats the British Rail sandwich technique if I'm not mistaken.
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>> Now when you assemble the sandwich and cut diagonally, the filling looks 25% bigger
41.4213% bigger, actually. :o
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Maybe not quite if the bread is not square in plan.
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Rip off motorway services - Collos
