Tea Shoppes.....

[GrahamNR17]

but the pot of jam isn't going to get him booking a wedding at the tea shop is it? no, it'll just lead everyone to expect free jam and make teacakes go up in price, both for those that want jam and those that don't. ie. we'll be subsidisiing those with a sweet tooth.

I know what you mean, but it's a bit over-simplistic. Most shops/teashops/etc have two or three different kinds of customers; regulars, occasional, and one-offs. No harm looking after the regulars. I'm a regular at my LBS, and have experienced the occasional freebie that the one-off and occasional customers don't. It might only be dustcaps, a BB lock ring, a few dozen bearings etc to go with the stuff I've bought. I don't think anyone is subsidising me, and I don't suppose anyone's subsidising the tuppenny plastic pot of jam, either. But I don't expect freebies any more than people should expect freebie pots of jam all the time. Those that expect freebies are probably the same customers that complain about anything and everything and are a bit of a PITA

Graham, wot snot a PITA customer, just a normal PITA

[reohn2]

i get all that and agree, both about the tap washer & R2. but the pot of jam isn't going to get him booking a wedding at the tea shop is it? no, it'll just lead everyone to expect free jam and make teacakes go up in price, both for those that want jam and those that don't. ie. we'll be subsidisiing those with a sweet tooth.

OK then if they don't give free jam out,what about if they promise it tomorrow

John
(wot as an award for not being a PITA )

PS Hubbers,you'd have been proud of me today was in Frodsham and bought a danish pastry from an independent bakers then went round to Costa,got a decent coffee then sat outside and scoffed the lot

[reohn2]

I'm sure my Mum wouldn't be using trailer type thingys, John.
She only frequents tea shoppe type thingys.

I passed that Garden centre today and there is a mobile sandwich/tea thingy,but its not part of the G/Centre,I saw the sign for the cafe in the G/centre too

[fausto copy]

Please accept my 'virtual' award for being a thoroughly good egg

Oh God, don't get him started on eggs.

[fausto copy]

I'm sure my Mum wouldn't be using trailer type thingys, John.
She only frequents tea shoppe type thingys.

I passed that Garden centre today and there is a mobile sandwich/tea thingy,but its not part of the G/Centre,I saw the sign for the cafe in the G/centre too

So, you passed up on a bit of research?
You could have told us if they served decent tea and also free jam with the teacakes and scones.

[reohn2]

I'm sure my Mum wouldn't be using trailer type thingys, John.
She only frequents tea shoppe type thingys.

I passed that Garden centre today and there is a mobile sandwich/tea thingy,but its not part of the G/Centre,I saw the sign for the cafe in the G/centre too

So, you passed up on a bit of research?
You could have told us if they served decent tea and also free jam with the teacakes and scones.

'fraid so

PS, I think eggs should be paid for,after all theres a lot of pain producing them

[reohn2]

Hubbers
Heres a classic,the group that I attend on a Wednesdays meet at a different venue each week,today they met at a pub.This group has met there for atleast forty years and maybe longer.
The landlord(who is new in the last two years) provides a huge teapot full of tea,milk,sugar and cups to drink it out of,the charge is £1 from every cyclist who uses the facility which is put into a collection dish.
Theres usually about 20to25 cyclists on a good day and roughly 15to20 eat in the pub and a couple or three will have a pint (though I don't ride with those ).
Today the landlord was complaining that he'd put out 17cups and a pot of tea,but there was only £13 in the dish No one, not even the landlord has an acurate number of cyclists that attended today.
I have a problem with such people .

[whoops]

The last time I asked for jam on my bun, I was told it's usually an extra charge, but no charge this time, with the proviso that I didn't spread it around!
Obviously, she liked me and was trying to butter me up!

[Guy951]

The last time I asked for jam on my bun, I was told it's usually an extra charge, but no charge this time, with the proviso that I didn't spread it around!

So now the whole world knows about it

[gaz]

the other examples you've given are like buying a car, to find that the seatbelts and tyres came free. ie. it's to be expected.

I often take my tea black but I'm always expected to pay for the milk I don't put in it.

This expectation is universal, tea shoppe to transport cafe, private enterprise to multi-national. It doesn't differ whether the milk is fresh or in one of those tiny plastic UHT pots.

It makes my blood boil.

[Anura]

fancied some jam with it,went back to the counter only to be told it would be an extra 30pence, I declined on principle.

it annoys me that folk think food should come with free stuff. if you go to a bike shop and buy a bike, you don't then ask for a free trailer. if you went to an offy for a bottle of scotch, would you expect free fags with it? perhaps when you're in B&Q for paint, you request a brush but refuse to pay for it? why should an egg be free in a bacon butty, or jam free on a teacake? what's the principle of getting more than you pay for?

OK,
I frequent a Tearoom at Dunham village called Dog Lavender,I decent coffee with an extra shot and two slices of toast cost £2.10p and she always give me jam with it.
If I have a veggie breakfast at Rose Farm cafe at Utkinton she always gives a slice of toast with it.
If I have a scone at High Legh Garden centre the ladies there always give me jam with it.
If Mrs R2 asks for hot milk with her morning coffee at Costa (any branch) they don't bat an eye and give her some.
If I get get a cup of tea they always give me milk with it,even though I don't drink milk.
If I order a bowl of soup I get a crusty roll with it.


I love the cafe Lavender Barn at Dog Farm, Dunham and go every few Fridays. It is frequented regularly by cyclists and former cyclists. Beans on toast cost about £1.60 - a bargain if you ask me. The staff are nice and save the people I know a regular table. Like the Stammtisch in Germany!
Now tell me Hubbers what does a spoonful of jam cost these days,and what constitutes good service?
You throw it out,it comes back.A bit like a boomerang

[horizon]

I want to go back to the OP. Basically Costa and the others do have a well packaged formula that gets it right; open on Sundays, comfy chairs, sit as long as you like, good drinks, choice of snacks, good locations etc. You cannot help but frequent them as they are placed strategically in your face - they are planned that way. And all the others - MacDonalds, Travelodge, Shell etc - also have well packaged formulas: that's how they are replicated successfully from town to town around the world. The problem for touring cyclists is that we want the real thing - we want what Lavenham or Ludlow has to offer, not the same experience from Los Angeles everytime, everywhere. A cyclist over the age of say 40 will have a reasonable memory of all sorts of places, companies, shops etc. But a young person will now be hemmed in by Orange, Microsoft, Tesco, KFC, H&M etc etc wherever they go or whatever they do (I'm trying to remember whether Malaga airport differed in any way from Gatwick...) I choose not to go to Costa now, but it won't be long before there is no choice. But that will be our choice.

[rjb]

Please accept my 'virtual' award for being a thoroughly good egg

Oh God, don't get him started on eggs.

Plenty of free eggs around here - frequent signs say "free" range eggs - does this mean you can collect them while they take pop shots at you

[reohn2]

I want to go back to the OP. Basically Costa and the others do have a well packaged formula that gets it right; open on Sundays, comfy chairs, sit as long as you like, good drinks, choice of snacks, good locations etc. You cannot help but frequent them as they are placed strategically in your face - they are planned that way. And all the others - MacDonalds, Travelodge, Shell etc - also have well packaged formulas: that's how they are replicated successfully from town to town around the world. The problem for touring cyclists is that we want the real thing - we want what Lavenham or Ludlow has to offer, not the same experience from Los Angeles everytime, everywhere. A cyclist over the age of say 40 will have a reasonable memory of all sorts of places, companies, shops etc. But a young person will now be hemmed in by Orange, Microsoft, Tesco, KFC, H&M etc etc wherever they go or whatever they do (I'm trying to remember whether Malaga airport differed in any way from Gatwick...) I choose not to go to Costa now, but it won't be long before there is no choice. But that will be our choice.

I agree with you completely,but the problem is AFAIC is that if want a decent coffee I'll go where they serve decent coffee,when I want a coffee.
The problem with some establishments is that they want to serve customers coffee when it suits them not when it suits their customers.
I'm all for independent shops/cafes and when I find good ones I use them and the world gets to know about too,but whether they're serving coffee or cloth they have to be customer oriented,I don't like staff texting whilst I'm being served or gormless airbrained staff who couldn't care less if they serve me or pick their nose.

[fausto copy]

Dangerous missiles eggs.
My mate was riding our tandem, with Mrs. Copy on the back (don't ask!)
and they were hit by a couple thrown from a tranny van.
One hit my mate, on the side of the head, just missing his eye.
They reported the incident to the police and they traced the van from CC TV footage over the tollbridge.
Apparently other people had reported them too.
I know that the police traced the owners, but don't know if any further action was taken.
They should have got community service at least, as in: cleaning our tandem.
It took me weeks to finally get ride of the dried yolk from all the crevices.

And back to tea shoppes: our favourite caff has started giving 3 butter portions with the toasted teacakes.
Maybe I should just ask for a little thingy of jam in lieu of the butter.