Is the High Street doomed

[andysays]

Does it really blow your mind that some people are willing to pay for the labour and other costs brought about by the convenience of being able to just grab something and go? There's a nice little Italian place almost literally just over the road from my place, who make sandwiches nicer than any I could be bothered to make. I can be in and out of that place in minutes, I've got better things to do with my time and energy than make sandwiches. For sure, buying them from Gaudio's costs more money than making them myself, but I can afford it.

We're not really talking about your favoured independent sandwich place (which sounds great) on this thread though, we're talking about Pret.

I very rarely buy stuff there, but it certainly doesn't come into the category of "better than you could make at home" at least in my experience.

People use them, and places in a similar category, because they're convenient and because they're ubiquitous, not because they provide a quality culinary experience.

 

[weltweit]

My local high street is fucked, I visited to get my hair cut and didn't realise he had slashed his prices in a bid to get people back visiting. His meaning the high street is fucked .. no one is coming out .. and he can't persuade all those who bought clippers during the shut down to come out and use his services ..

 

[Marty1]

My local high street is fucked, I visited to get my hair cut and didn't realise he had slashed his prices in a bid to get people back visiting. His meaning the high street is fucked .. no one is coming out .. and he can't persuade all those who bought clippers during the shut down to come out and use his services ..

My barber said he was mad busy as soon as he was allowed to re-open then pretty much dead straight after.

Personally I couldn’t wait to get my Corona cut, cut out by a pro.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Does it really blow your mind that some people are willing to pay for the labour and other costs brought about by the convenience of being able to just grab something and go? There's a nice little Italian place almost literally just over the road from my place, who make sandwiches nicer than any I could be bothered to make. I can be in and out of that place in minutes, I've got better things to do with my time and energy than make sandwiches. For sure, buying them from Gaudio's costs more money than making them myself, but I can afford it.

It doesn't blow my mind, but I fail to comprehend how it can possibly be more convenient to queue in a sandwich shop than it would be to make your own sandwich before leaving home.

 

[weltweit]

..
Personally I couldn’t wait to get my Corona cut, cut out by a pro.

Yes, me too. and it only took him a couple of minutes to do what took me about three quarters of an hour! He had cut his prices to £5.00 for a clipper cut. Can't argue with that.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Yeh but hot water doesn't give you that caffeine buzz

Wakes you right up though.

 

[Pickman's model]

Wakes you right up though.

Specially if you're expecting coffee

 

[NoXion]

It doesn't blow my mind, but I fail to comprehend how it can possibly be more convenient to queue in a sandwich shop than it would be to make your own sandwich before leaving home.

Well let's see:

A few minutes queuing.

vs

Thinking and planning what sandwiches to make, buying the ingredients, making the sandwiches, wondering what to do with the stuff left over that doesn't quite make an entire sandwich (or more likely in my case, forgetting about that stuff and having to chuck it out later 'cause it's gone off), and still ending up with a sandwich that isn't as nice as one I could just buy.

Maybe your judgment of the value of time vs money is different to mine, but for me it's an easy choice.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Wakes you right up though.

And the degree to which it wakes you up is directly proportional to the temperature of the water, and where it's poured.

 

[NoXion]

We're not really talking about your favoured independent sandwich place (which sounds great) on this thread though, we're talking about Pret.

I very rarely buy stuff there, but it certainly doesn't come into the category of "better than you could make at home" at least in my experience.

People use them, and places in a similar category, because they're convenient and because they're ubiquitous, not because they provide a quality culinary experience.

I don't remember if I ever ate anything from Pret, but the thing with chains is while the quality may not be the greatest, it is still consistent. A known quantity which means that you'll know what you're getting. Chains and franchises work very hard to ensure this kind of consistency.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Well let's see:

A few minutes queuing.

vs

Thinking and planning what sandwiches to make, buying the ingredients, making the sandwiches, wondering what to do with the stuff left over that doesn't quite make an entire sandwich (or more likely in my case, forgetting about that stuff and having to chuck it out later 'cause it's gone off), and still ending up with a sandwich that isn't as nice as one I could just buy.

Maybe your judgment of the value of time vs money is different to mine, but for me it's an easy choice.

You have to travel to the shop and queue, to have a sandwich made by somebody who possibly didn't wash their hands after using the toilet. Whereas I pull something from the fridge, and make a world-class sandwich in less than a minute.
I'm sorry your sandwich making skills aren't up to scratch, but I've been making nice sandwiches since I was about 6 years old. Maybe a little more practice would help change your view.

 

[weltweit]

I know I could make acceptable sandwiches but still I buy them. On the grand scale of things I don't spend so much on bought sarnies, so it wouldn't be so much of a saving to make them myself. mainly I CBA. That said, more invention for my lunch could be worth doing, sometimes the sarnies aren't very great!

 

[mx wcfc]

You have to travel to the shop and queue, to have a sandwich made by somebody who possibly didn't wash their hands after using the toilet. Whereas I pull something from the fridge, and make a world-class sandwich in less than a minute.
I'm sorry your sandwich making skills aren't up to scratch, but I've been making nice sandwiches since I was about 6 years old. Maybe a little more practice would help change your view.

Working in a busy town centre means you don't exactly "travel" to the sandwich shop - it's a two minute walk away, and an excuse to stretch your legs and get out of the office for some fresh (ok, polluted) air.

For me though it's largely down to being to 'king lazy to get out of bed quickly enough in the morning to make sandwiches, along with the planning a buying of ingredients.

TBH, though, I suspect I just earn enough to be able to not be arsed with making my own lunch. I agree that makes me lucky.

(I saw a meme the other day along the lines of "2019 - if you made your own sandwiches you could afford to save for a deposit to buy a house. 2020 - go out and buy sandwiches to save the economy")

 

[NoXion]

You have to travel to the shop and queue, to have a sandwich made by somebody who possibly didn't wash their hands after using the toilet. Whereas I pull something from the fridge, and make a world-class sandwich in less than a minute.
I'm sorry your sandwich making skills aren't up to scratch, but I've been making nice sandwiches since I was about 6 years old. Maybe a little more practice would help change your view.

It really doesn't take that long. If there was no convenience factor, then why would anyone bother buying sandwiches instead of making their own? Like I said, I got better things to do with my time than make sandwiches. If you can make super duper sandwiches in no time since you were a nipper, good for you. I'm not sorry, why should I be? I'm spending my time and my money how I want.

 

[Saul Goodman]

It really doesn't take that long. If there was no convenience factor, then why would anyone bother buying sandwiches instead of making their own?

Consumerism 101.

 

[NoXion]

Consumerism 101.

You're still consuming if you make your own sandwiches, just in a different way.

 

[mx wcfc]

You're still consuming if you make your own sandwiches, just in a different way.

yes, sure, but the government at the moment is telling us to go back to our offices to keep the sandwich shops and coffee shops in business.

It does underline the dual role of the working (and middle) classes, as both workers and consumers.

Though at other times the ruling class tell us we should all be saving more so we are not a burden on the State/taxpayers.

It's just so confusing. I haven't got a clue what to do anymore.

 

[Saul Goodman]

You're still consuming if you make your own sandwiches, just in a different way.

Indeed, as I'm still consuming if I build my own computer from discrete components, it's simply a different degree of consumerism. I neither have the time, nor the wherewithal to bake my own processors, but I do have the time and the wherewithal to make a butty, but I guess that even if I grew the pig, I'd still be guilty of consumerism, if I bought feed for it.

 

[Marty1]

I make my own sandwiches - mainly because I don’t want to pay through the nose for ready made Greggs ones - cost an absolute fortune compared to self made.

Takes me less than 5mins tops.

 

[NoXion]

yes, sure, but the government at the moment is telling us to go back to our offices to keep the sandwich shops and coffee shops in business.

It does underline the dual role of the working (and middle) classes, as both workers and consumers.

Though at other times the ruling class tell us we should all be saving more so we are not a burden on the State/taxpayers.

It's just so confusing. I haven't got a clue what to do anymore.

Stop listening to the whatever government tells you to do, and just do whatever you personally feel is right.

If you want to stay home and stay safe, then do that if your employer will let you. Mine forces me to come in on a part-time basis, and the only concession I've managed to wring out of them so far is more flexibility in start/finish times so I can miss the school rush on the buses. I would rather work from home full time. Hopefully your employer is more reasonable.

If you want to try and support a local business, then do that if that's what you want.

Either way, make it your decision.

 

[mx wcfc]

Stop listening to the whatever government tells you to do, and just do whatever you personally feel is right.

If you want to stay home and stay safe, then do that if your employer will let you. Mine forces me to come in on a part-time basis, and the only concession I've managed to wring out of them so far is more flexibility in start/finish times so I can miss the school rush on the buses. I would rather work from home full time. Hopefully your employer is more reasonable.

If you want to try and support a local business, then do that if that's what you want.

Either way, make it your decision.

yes, mate, I know that, and that's exactly what I'm doing. Sorry you have to go in go in part time.

 

[Dogsauce]

Last job I’d just buy ingredients from the supermarket and make my own sandwiches at my desk. Bottom drawer was full of food and changes of clothing because I cycled in and showered on arrival, usually bringing the week’s clothing in on a Monday. Looked like I was living out of the place, glad I left before they brought in ‘agile working’ where everyone hotdesked and had a small locker, I’d have never coped. Out of town business park with a greggs (where I’d buy the occasional cake) and a sandwich van, so fuck all choice really.

 

[Dogsauce]

My central London office has a nice kitchen, with boiling water tap, kettle & Nespresso machine, they supply all the coffee types you can think of, 10 different types of tea and about 5 different types of milk, yet still people slope off down to Starbucks at least once, more often twice a day to spend bare cash on a bucket of coffee to bring back to their desks. Madness.

We’re probably relatively sane in this county, stayed with my uncle in the states quite a few years back and a couple of times a day he’d drive from home to a local petrol station about a mile or two away to buy a coffee. Normal behaviour. Apparently he really liked their coffee.

 

[Hollis]

* chortle* I currently pay £4 a day for the privilege of walking 5 minutes from work and sitting in a particularly shite local cafe eating a tuna salad roll and a bag of crisps. It's a godsend to be honest - and far preferable to spending my lunchtime sat at work chewing my home made sandwich.

 

[not-bono-ever]

Zombie shops advertising new spring 2020 lines

 

[Chilli.s]

I make my own sarnies, that saves about £1000 pa. Thats like earning an extra grand a year. Easy.

 

[Chilli.s]

I like to eat 'em in works time too. Paid lunch.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I make my own sarnies, that saves about £1000 pa. Thats like earning an extra grand a year. Easy.

Save/earn even more money by chorring some other sap's sarnies from the work fridge

 

[Saul Goodman]

Save/earn even more money by chorring some other sap's sarnies from the work fridge

A lad used to do that at a place I worked. He used to steal slices of another lad's ham from the fridge, until he got food poisoning from ham that had been left out to fester for a week before being put in the fridge.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Well let's see:

A few minutes queuing.

vs

Thinking and planning what sandwiches to make, buying the ingredients, making the sandwiches, wondering what to do with the stuff left over that doesn't quite make an entire sandwich (or more likely in my case, forgetting about that stuff and having to chuck it out later 'cause it's gone off), and still ending up with a sandwich that isn't as nice as one I could just buy.

Maybe your judgment of the value of time vs money is different to mine, but for me it's an easy choice.

Sandwiches are cheese surely?

With:

Onion
Tomato
Pickle
Ham
Jam
Marmalade
Golden syrup
Beetroot
Lettuce and tomato

Before you knock it, try a good sharp cheddar with blackcurrant jam.