Highway robbery???????????????

[Channa]

OP made the mistake of taking b1264 towards York. towards Wetherby there are two stations one a Morrisons and a Shell station filled there a fortnight since.

Wetherby Whaler does good fish and Chips too.

The benefit of knowing an area ,frustrating when away from home always knowing there is a local solution and not knowing it !!!

Channa

 

[Jo001]

There is a morrisons just off the A1 at junction 48 Bouroghbridge, that also does lpg and red diesel for those running a night heater from a tank.

And close to there is The Masons Arms at Hopperton which is one of the pub stops - brilliant place to stop over, about half a mile from the A1, great food, big level car park, dog friendly and very welcoming.

 

[Jeff G]

Yes I know Motorway services are bad but he price there is the highest in the country except maybe the outer Hebrides where it is difficult to get it there. The point is that all the other services are dear but not that dear. I wanted a break and enough fuel to get to another station in a town supermarket. The warning message was up and telling me of dire happenings if I did not fill up. It was lying to me as there was actually about 50 miles on the range. I did make the mistake of turning left towards York and not right to Wetherby itself.

Lol,only 1.37 in Shetland at the mo

 

[Channa]

Many moons ago when I started in catering, my first job was for Trust House Forte popular catering division at Barnsdale Bar not far from Wetherby in the grand scale. Better known today as Welcome Break and the opposition Moto Services used to be Granada.

Very few sites are owned but on extortionate leases granted on a franchise basis by the government. The infrastructure maintenance of the places plus high rents sadly reflects prices people pay.

I do believe on refurbishments and certainly new builds shower provision is now a legal requirement another overhead to absorb.

The whole system seems flawed. told to take a break tiredness kills ,want to fleece us to park after 2 hours and take our collective eyes out should we buy anything. It starts from the governments greed really not necessarily those who take on the franchises

Channa

 

[Robmac]

Many moons ago when I started in catering, my first job was for Trust House Forte popular catering division at Barnsdale Bar not far from Wetherby in the grand scale. Better known today as Welcome Break and the opposition Moto Services used to be Granada.

Very few sites are owned but on extortionate leases granted on a franchise basis by the government. The infrastructure maintenance of the places plus high rents sadly reflects prices people pay.

I do believe on refurbishments and certainly new builds shower provision is now a legal requirement another overhead to absorb.

The whole system seems flawed. told to take a break tiredness kills ,want to fleece us to park after 2 hours and take our collective eyes out should we buy anything. It starts from the governments greed really not necessarily those who take on the franchises

Channa

Nice bit of balance there Andy.

As usual, more to it than meets the eye.

 

[alcam]

Many moons ago when I started in catering, my first job was for Trust House Forte popular catering division at Barnsdale Bar not far from Wetherby in the grand scale. Better known today as Welcome Break and the opposition Moto Services used to be Granada.

Very few sites are owned but on extortionate leases granted on a franchise basis by the government. The infrastructure maintenance of the places plus high rents sadly reflects prices people pay.

I do believe on refurbishments and certainly new builds shower provision is now a legal requirement another overhead to absorb.

The whole system seems flawed. told to take a break tiredness kills ,want to fleece us to park after 2 hours and take our collective eyes out should we buy anything. It starts from the governments greed really not necessarily those who take on the franchises

Channa

Company I know had to do research on motorway services finances . You are spot on Channa , not the cash cows people think they are

 

[delicagirl]

but it does seem extremely odd that meals seem to be priced the same no matter which services you call in at....... price fixing ? food costs are not the same in different parts of the country, and the foot-fall through service stations is huge so i have no sympathy for those operators.... many have been there for decades so would not have done so had they been failing to make a profit.....

 

[Robmac]

but it does seem extremely odd that meals seem to be priced the same no matter which services you call in at....... price fixing ? food costs are not the same in different parts of the country, and the foot-fall through service stations is huge so i have no sympathy for those operators.... many have been there for decades so would not have done so had they been failing to make a profit.....

I'm not sure they are asking for sympathy Collette, they are successful businesses who are still attracting customers. The only captive audience they have are possibly coach travellers, but when booking they would surely know the score and take their own food etc?

We all have a choice, but many are too lazy to drive a couple of miles off of the motorway to pay less. A good comparison re Harrods earlier in the thread.

 

[Channa]

but it does seem extremely odd that meals seem to be priced the same no matter which services you call in at....... price fixing ? food costs are not the same in different parts of the country, and the foot-fall through service stations is huge so i have no sympathy for those operators.... many have been there for decades so would not have done so had they been failing to make a profit.....

Part of the reason Granada and THF got involved with other partners.

One of the reasons prices are the same where ever you go, unlike in my day when we had "Julies pantry" little Chefs is recent years to attract custom many service operators have attracted "brands" and purchased franchises. As an example Moto tie in with Burger King and WB with Mc Donalds KFC ...As house hold names attracts the masses and of course the idea of a franchise is a Mc Ds in Inverness should be the same at Plymouth that includes price all consistent marketing that's all.

Minimum investment for a Mc Donalds over 10 years ago was £500000 before you opened the doors I know that to be true as I know a chap in Leeds that operates three ....Interestingly the one n Dewsbury closed down which proves all that glitters isn't gold.

Channa

 

[Byronic]

You have to remember most people have only ever been PAYE and haven't got a clue .
I always remember at a meeting with an architect he said that I could only add a 2.5 percent profit on supply of an 8k gas cooker , told him ok that's fine but we are leaving site now .
Wouldn't have been worth my time writing the cheque :hammer:

I wouldn't turn down £200 for writing a cheque and making a couple of phone calls, chances are that's all the graft it would entail!

 

[Channa]

You have to remember most people have only ever been PAYE and haven't got a clue .
I always remember at a meeting with an architect he said that I could only add a 2.5 percent profit on supply of an 8k gas cooker , told him ok that's fine but we are leaving site now .
Wouldn't have been worth my time writing the cheque :hammer:

That reminds me of the old tale of a machine broken in a factory no one could get it working so they called outside help.

An old fella turns up bashes it with a hammer and it bursts into life and gives an Invoice for £100

The owner complains forgetting his problem is solved £100 / you have only bashed it with your hammer !

The old fella replies " No I charge £1 for hitting it with the hammer the other £99 is knowing where to hit it !

Some people miss the point and see it as a rip off
Channa

 

[Byronic]

Exactly my point
It may go missing and never be delivered
It may arrive damaged
It may be faulty
The customers may be a nightmare
The suppliers may go bust and you lose your 8k but still have to supply !
Your choice but I don't know many businesses that would bother.

I agree all these things 'could go wrong' but I take that automatically into consideration.
Most things in life have a risk we all make a judgement.
And the truth is that's exactly what I used to do, or was compelled do to at times.
And sometimes the contractor would still slip in a claim even though I'd done
his bloody work for him!

 

[alcam]

but it does seem extremely odd that meals seem to be priced the same no matter which services you call in at....... price fixing ? food costs are not the same in different parts of the country, and the foot-fall through service stations is huge so i have no sympathy for those operators.... many have been there for decades so would not have done so had they been failing to make a profit.....

Yes if they have been there for decades they must be making a profit charging the prices they charge ! What I was pointing out is that their overheads are such that they have to be expensive . No sympathy from me but them is , apparently , the facts .

 

[delicagirl]

Yes if they have been there for decades they must be making a profit charging the prices they charge ! What I was pointing out is that their overheads are such that they have to be expensive . No sympathy from me but them is , apparently , the facts .

i dont disagree that they have high overheads... but i still think there is a degree of illegal price-fixing goes on in terms of the pricing of meals in the services. Foodstuffs do not cost the same in the SW as they do in the NW and so why are the meals the same price nationwide ? i suspect it is part of the contract between the original site-owners and the lessees - to agree price fixing so that one MWay services does not have an advantage over any other - i would drive an additional 20 miles for a significantly cheaper meal if there was true competition - but i dont believe there is.

 

[mark61]

My point of view, is that I couldn't car less what prices they charge for food or fuel as I only ever stop at them for a piddle!
You don't have to use them!

Pretty similar here. I have no idea what a meal cost at a service station, if I'm on a M Way I'm on it to get somewhere faster or easier, not to have a meal. lol

I won't pull off a M Way to get fuel though. I'll fill up before I go on it, and if I need to refuel, I'll pay the extra. Thats not often though in UK.

I will top up with AdBlue at service station though, so easy at pumps, and most of the petrol stations which have AdBlue pumps are at service stations. Might even go mad and get a coffee too.

 

[seadogjon]

I know that Dick Turpin was from York area but there are new kids on the block now. The services on the A1 at WETHERBY they are awful. I was low so I thought I would get some fuel on board, but what a horrible place. I queued to get in went around the park got turfed out as the man said there were 4 others waiting so went around to get fuel. It looked like a height barrier on the car pump area so went around again to the truck pumps. I needed a fuel card unless I left my card there for verification whilst I filled my 5 gallons. 5 Gallons you say, well at the price they wanted of 149.9 a litre I was NOT going to buy more than that. just enough to get to another friendlier place at Doncaster where I was going. THAT PRICE is absolute robbery but it is because they are the only fuel in the area that is obvious.. I did not give them me card or pay up front as that is an insult. I did find that I can do a lot more miles after the low fuel light comes on but I did have 20 litres in the garage just in case. I suggest that you forgo going to that service for anything, it makes interesting reading of the reviews for them. Basically the reviews all say the same thing. ROBBING BAXXARDS.

We came home up the a1 a week last friday from dover ,pulled into wetherby services feeling very tired ,we qued to get in and unable to park any where went over to where some caravans where parked and a traffic warden guy directed us on to a coach parking area and gave us one hour,,i said i was dangerously tired ,he just smiled and said 1 hour,, what can you do?

 

[alcam]

i dont disagree that they have high overheads... but i still think there is a degree of illegal price-fixing goes on in terms of the pricing of meals in the services. Foodstuffs do not cost the same in the SW as they do in the NW and so why are the meals the same price nationwide ? i suspect it is part of the contract between the original site-owners and the lessees - to agree price fixing so that one MWay services does not have an advantage over any other - i would drive an additional 20 miles for a significantly cheaper meal if there was true competition - but i dont believe there is.

You are probably correct on price fixing . Always puzzled by ferry prices , I'm convinced there is a carve up going on .
Remember , as a child , stopping at motorway services and wondering why we had a picnic whilst everyone else went to the cafe/restaurant .

 

[Channa]

i dont disagree that they have high overheads... but i still think there is a degree of illegal price-fixing goes on in terms of the pricing of meals in the services. Foodstuffs do not cost the same in the SW as they do in the NW and so why are the meals the same price nationwide ? i suspect it is part of the contract between the original site-owners and the lessees - to agree price fixing so that one MWay services does not have an advantage over any other - i would drive an additional 20 miles for a significantly cheaper meal if there was true competition - but i dont believe there is.

Moto have Burger King ,Welcome Break have Mc Donalds. both are franchises and both have consumer driven price points advertised all over TV.

Prices can vary but the idea is whether Shepton Mallet High street or Stretham services the customers expectations at a price point can be achieved and often is

Other franchises working along the same lines are Starbucks and Costa Coffee Moto and WB like the fast food outlets take advantage of their corporate image unlike the days when it was Journeys friend etc

Some retail space is sub leased to people like Mark and SPencer Wh Smith and Waitrose ...they charge what they want and despite higher overheads are owned outlets not franchises hence the price differences to the high street

I am not sure what you mean about illegal all is above board

Channa

 

[Nabsim]

Seeing as nobody else seems to have mentioned it I will share

Gloucester services (same family owners as Westmorland/Tebay) give you 3 hours free parking so you have have an extra long shower but these are closed at night.

If you spend a certain amount in the shop/cafe/restaurant you get 10p a litre off fuel

 

[oldish hippy]

well asda only down the road a blyth and morrisons locally sell gas also just a note thier car park is multi story so only small space for motor homes ps had to reverse on to pump at asda as some where closed and fuel filler was on wrong side