Rant number 331
There is nothing in the world that people love to exploit more than a captive audience. It's a kind of extension of supply and demand.
No place is this more true than motorway service stations.
We left at around 11 in Perth Scotland headed back home - which is a bloody long way. Because of this, you have no choice but to stop somewhere - and unless you have an encyclopaedic knowledge of decent places located near to motorways that will not cause massive delays in every area - you have to go to the services.
And don't they know it!
Whereas a Burger king might run on average to £4-5 - the same meal will cost you £7-8 pounds in a services - that's some serious increase!
The same can be said for any other restaurant food - even the (always appalling) food that the places prepare themselves. It doesn't seem to matter how hard you try to find something cheap filling and nutritious - you won't.
Even by resorting to packet foods - such as sarnies/pasties etc - run at 2-3 times the going rate - which is a bit bloody rich.
Then there is the general look and feel of service stations. By the advent of what they are - they are always a bit grotty and unclean (except, surprisingly the toilets - which I am generally happy enough with.) They're also almost always quite cavernous and full of people who like you have been sitting in a cramped space for too long and who probably could do with a shower!
Then there are the shops which seem to inexplicably sell just about anything and everything. On the way to somewhere far away - i don't generally think 'I need to buy a camping stool' - but if I did - there would be one to be found at the services no doubt.
They are rubbish!
Rant over.
Showing posts with label expensive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label expensive. Show all posts
Sunday, 25 November 2012
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
Rant 95 - 4/4/12 Subject: The cinema experience
Rant number 95
As most of you will be more than aware, I am a massive movie fan! I like movies of all types (except for Twilight & its derivatives of course,) and from all around the world. I recently sat through a 4 hour long, utterly bizarre & totally twisted Japanese film - and surprised myself by loving it!
I have as such, a more than healthy collection of DVD's - a small amount of Bluerays (although, it must be said that as of yet, I don't really see the need (is it bluerays by the way, it doesn't scan right like dvd does; blueray movies sounds awfully clumsy doesn't it? Anyway, I digress) I subscribe to lovefilm to rent yet more films - and allow me to watch them on demand. Its good to say that I like to cuddle up with the wife and a good film.
You'd think then, that I was an avid cinema goer.
You'd think that, but you would be wrong.
The reasons for this are many, some of which I plan to cover today.
Firstly and simply, many of the new releases over the last couple of years just don't endear me. For several years sequels, prequels & reboots have become big fashion. There are some high points to this - such as Batman Begins/The Dark Knight which have been fabulous. Many though have been of little interest to me.
That aside, lets propose that I have found something I want to see - such as today, when I watched 'Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists' (Pretty good actually, ask for details if you wish) what's stopping me?
First off, the price: When I stated attending the cinema - it was about £4 pounds for an adult ticket - now its closer to £8. Yes there is Orange Wednesdays to bring that to what it should be, but I don't always want to see a film on a Wednesday.
And why would that be? Because, on Wednesday (because it is less expensive) it is always busy, which means that there are many noisy people in the cinema with you. Today it was like movie with sweet wrapper accompaniment, joined also by munching, slurping, stage whispered conversations and scuttling feet - heading to the bathroom at a frequency of approximately 4.7 minute intervals.
Now, going back to sweets is another cinema beef. The food they sell beggars belief. The shoddy quality of nearly everything they sell is doubly painful for the price. A corn cobs worth of popcorn costs about £4, a bag of sweets that anywhere else would cost £1.50 costs £3 and of course, you are not meant to take your own food (and they wonder why everyone does.) The drinks too are ridiculous in both cost and quantity, guaranteeing that a small bladder will require multiple trips within an hour and a half's sitting.
Finally (for this rant, but there are more annoyances, trust me) is the adverts.
Don't get me wrong here, I mean adverts - not previews. I love to see what's coming soon on the big screen, but I hate seeing an additional 20 minutes of big screen sales pitches: particularly when I have paid out for the pleasure.
This also creates yet another issue - the obligatory late arrival, who breaks your concentration by trotting in - with all the subtlety of a rhinoceros on a unicycle, giggling that they can't find a seat because its dark.
OF COURSE ITS DARK, YOU ARE 20 MINUTES LATE!
Gaaargh!
Rant over.
As most of you will be more than aware, I am a massive movie fan! I like movies of all types (except for Twilight & its derivatives of course,) and from all around the world. I recently sat through a 4 hour long, utterly bizarre & totally twisted Japanese film - and surprised myself by loving it!
I have as such, a more than healthy collection of DVD's - a small amount of Bluerays (although, it must be said that as of yet, I don't really see the need (is it bluerays by the way, it doesn't scan right like dvd does; blueray movies sounds awfully clumsy doesn't it? Anyway, I digress) I subscribe to lovefilm to rent yet more films - and allow me to watch them on demand. Its good to say that I like to cuddle up with the wife and a good film.
You'd think then, that I was an avid cinema goer.
You'd think that, but you would be wrong.
The reasons for this are many, some of which I plan to cover today.
Firstly and simply, many of the new releases over the last couple of years just don't endear me. For several years sequels, prequels & reboots have become big fashion. There are some high points to this - such as Batman Begins/The Dark Knight which have been fabulous. Many though have been of little interest to me.
That aside, lets propose that I have found something I want to see - such as today, when I watched 'Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists' (Pretty good actually, ask for details if you wish) what's stopping me?
First off, the price: When I stated attending the cinema - it was about £4 pounds for an adult ticket - now its closer to £8. Yes there is Orange Wednesdays to bring that to what it should be, but I don't always want to see a film on a Wednesday.
And why would that be? Because, on Wednesday (because it is less expensive) it is always busy, which means that there are many noisy people in the cinema with you. Today it was like movie with sweet wrapper accompaniment, joined also by munching, slurping, stage whispered conversations and scuttling feet - heading to the bathroom at a frequency of approximately 4.7 minute intervals.
Now, going back to sweets is another cinema beef. The food they sell beggars belief. The shoddy quality of nearly everything they sell is doubly painful for the price. A corn cobs worth of popcorn costs about £4, a bag of sweets that anywhere else would cost £1.50 costs £3 and of course, you are not meant to take your own food (and they wonder why everyone does.) The drinks too are ridiculous in both cost and quantity, guaranteeing that a small bladder will require multiple trips within an hour and a half's sitting.
Finally (for this rant, but there are more annoyances, trust me) is the adverts.
Don't get me wrong here, I mean adverts - not previews. I love to see what's coming soon on the big screen, but I hate seeing an additional 20 minutes of big screen sales pitches: particularly when I have paid out for the pleasure.
This also creates yet another issue - the obligatory late arrival, who breaks your concentration by trotting in - with all the subtlety of a rhinoceros on a unicycle, giggling that they can't find a seat because its dark.
OF COURSE ITS DARK, YOU ARE 20 MINUTES LATE!
Gaaargh!
Rant over.
Monday, 26 March 2012
Rant 86 - 26/3/12 Subject: The peasant wagon
Rant number 86
I am pretty sure that I may have cholera, and a little bit of leprosy probably some almost definitely some dysentery.
Why? I hear you cry my friends. Have I been swimming in some filth infested plague pit? Have I been smearing myself with filth, have I been eating from a kebab shop.
No.
Far worse, I had to get the bus.
For years and years, I was forced to get the bus on a daily basis - which was fine.
My immune system was tuned to the max. Comparatively speaking - I had a full on force field, an armed guard, turret guns, pill boxes, grenades, mustard gas and some other defences banned on several pages of the Geneva convention.
Now however, I mostly drive my own car- with my own germs and those of those I allow into my car. These I have a truce with - so my defences have lapsed a little. The little men in my body have gone for a pint - leaving only the simple minded ones to man the defences.
As such - when I ever I get on a bus, I feel like it may be my last journey ever.
You see, buses are not a nice or hygienic place to be. They tend to be plastic havens, full of people who don't cover their mouths when they cough, people who don't wash quite often enough and people who have no sense of personal space.
The one I got on today smelled a little bit of wee - which was nice, had curious stains on the window (inside) - which was nice and was generally just quite unpleasant.
Beyond this, my complaints with the bus continue. They are very expensive to use unless you use them very frequently. The timetables would make the average Mensa member scratch their heads (not that they stick to them anyway.) Mostly, the drivers communicate with you in monosyllables and the fellow bus riders hate you almost as much as you hate them!
Even the way buses looks is rubbish. The designs are so unimaginative - and the surroundings
inside are not nice places to be. There's even one I've been in before with leather seats - I don't even want to think about the residue left on those.
Rant over.
Friday, 16 March 2012
Rant 76 - 16/3/12 Subject: Malingering wedding tax
Rant number 76
My wife requested today's rant.
Well - she did and she didn't.
Part of it she did anyway!
The year before last, I got married to my lovely wife Jude (well, I didn't get married to my wife. That doesn't make sense. I got married to my fiance, then she was my wife.)
As you can guess or will already be aware, Weddings take a great deal of planning, thought - and stuff.
As such, weddings take a whole great boat load of money!
One of the reasons for this; is wedding tax.
Wedding tax applies to everything you buy that is, can be used for or can be any way associated with weddings. Everything costs more when weddings are involved and the costs can be endless.
The dress, the rings, the food, the drinks, the decorations and all the rest of it costs you a fortune.
Even the registrar costs a bloody fortune.
You would think that wedding tax would have ended when the wedding was done wouldn't you?
Me too
It isn't though!
Now nearly 18 months on, its still getting its claws in.
The reason for this is simple - because my wife took my name.
Taking someones name, costs...
How shit is that! Our landlord for instance want to charge us £60 for the privilege. £60! That's the cost of a good night out, a good bottle of whisky or many other things that actually have a physical value.
Why should it cost £60 to make a change in your computer system? Its ludicrous. The council, the bank, the passport people and many other folk don't feel the need to charge for it.
Fuck it, forget the £60 and I'll make the change in the computer system myself - I'm pretty sure it wouldn't take long.
I look forward to the end of bloody wedding tax!
Rant over.
My wife requested today's rant.
Well - she did and she didn't.
Part of it she did anyway!
The year before last, I got married to my lovely wife Jude (well, I didn't get married to my wife. That doesn't make sense. I got married to my fiance, then she was my wife.)
As you can guess or will already be aware, Weddings take a great deal of planning, thought - and stuff.
As such, weddings take a whole great boat load of money!
One of the reasons for this; is wedding tax.
Wedding tax applies to everything you buy that is, can be used for or can be any way associated with weddings. Everything costs more when weddings are involved and the costs can be endless.
The dress, the rings, the food, the drinks, the decorations and all the rest of it costs you a fortune.
Even the registrar costs a bloody fortune.
You would think that wedding tax would have ended when the wedding was done wouldn't you?
Me too
It isn't though!
Now nearly 18 months on, its still getting its claws in.
The reason for this is simple - because my wife took my name.
Taking someones name, costs...
How shit is that! Our landlord for instance want to charge us £60 for the privilege. £60! That's the cost of a good night out, a good bottle of whisky or many other things that actually have a physical value.
Why should it cost £60 to make a change in your computer system? Its ludicrous. The council, the bank, the passport people and many other folk don't feel the need to charge for it.
Fuck it, forget the £60 and I'll make the change in the computer system myself - I'm pretty sure it wouldn't take long.
I look forward to the end of bloody wedding tax!
Rant over.
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