Beer/lager now costs upwards of £3 per pint in pubs. Why does anyone pay such horrendous prices for a commodity which retails at about 50p. per pint in the local supermarket ? Beer at home tastes the same.
Similarly all drinks in pubs are overpriced, alcoholic or otherwise. No wonder pubs are closing every week, though I blame the Exciseman, not the publican.
The seating accommodation and tending service are part of the exorbitant price. Some pubs have to pay a rent amongst other fees, taxes, surcharges etc. Nothing is for free you know...
I do take your point but the truth is society has allowed pubs to the the focal point for nights out. Nothing wrong with that but the publican has to make a living and pay a huge amount of overheads, as mentioned above.
I also believe that good draught beer is better than what you get at home. However, what I can't get my head around (agreeing with you here) is people who insist on bottled beer and pay 6-7 times the price in pubs than they do in shops.
I was slightly shocked when I saw this headline in the news last week.... Beer has been over £3 a pint for years and years in Reading, so how come the rest of you have only just caught up?!
People who don't see many other people in their working day like going to the pub for a pint just to be able to chat sometimes - besides, draught tastes better.