Motorway shop prices

[Carol Anne]

Had no time to prepare my own yesterday and had to buy packets of sandwiches (�3.70 each) two pints of milk (.80p each) and two small apples (.60p each) on the M6 services at Southwaite. Total �10.20

The same lot in Marks & Spencer, (and with far better sandwiches) is �5.44. What puzzles me is the service station is on cheap land and paying only basic wages to the shop staff, whereas M&S have prime sites and pay good wages, yet they can obviously turn a profit on the prices they charge. How do these service station operators justify charging a 100% more than the dearest grocer on the high street and why are they allowed to get away with it?? Im still stinging from the experience!

[andy hughes]

Two reasons - one is that the operators have to pay pretty high taxes to the government. The second is that it's a seller's market - without leaving the motorway and driving into a strange town which may be miles away, this is the only place you are going to be able to buy your supplies, and remember, they are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and a service like that costs.

I dso sympathise though - and i don't expect my explanation has made you feel any better!

[coyn]

I don't mean to offend you Carol but they get away with it because chumps pay it.

[Alibobs]

I abhor motorways services - overpriced, overcrowded and dirty. Even the franchises such as Starbucks and Burger King charge more than on the High Street. The reason they can get away with it is they have a captive audience!

[Carol Anne]

you don't offend coyn, I always fill up at the supermarket and take packed lunches and hot water to make my own coffee. It was either pay up or go hungry on this occasion! It amazes me though just how many people are willing to shop there. I think the only thing you can actually buy that is not double the normal price is a paper or a magazine as the price is already printed on. That must stick in their craw.

[brachiopod]

Two words...."Captive Audience".

You pays your money and takes your choice.

I have got a new book that I haven't tried out yet, but it's called "Breaks Off The Motorway" or something like that - (I'll find it in a minute, but I have grizzly son on one knee and am typing this one fingered, listening to the Balamory theme) - it's about decent shops, pubs (for a decent lunch, of course), and other places that are no further from the motorway than pulling into a Service Station, or are cheaper / better quality than said places.

ISBN to follow.....

[Narolines]

Not quite 24/7/365, Andy - I had to travel on Christmas Day last year, and though I could get fuel on the M5 nothing else at all was available. Not that I wanted anything - we were on our way to a major Christmas feed with friends in Plymouth, and I resent paying motorway services prices anyway; I have to be DESPERATE to stop and eat at one.

[SteveD]

Useful site:

http://www.5minutesaway.co.uk/

[ursula62]

Carol Anne, many motorway service stations have a M&S food store now. The prices are the same as at other M&S foodstore outlets.

[funnywebsite]

The prices are disgusting but it is a case of take it or leave it. We only use them to use the loo and eat our own lunch in their car park. A good tip is if you do not have fresh bread to prepare sandwiches is cut some cheese, salad or take some ham and salad in a lunch box. Quickly pick up some bread from you local shop that you are passing and make the sandwiches when you get there. I have done that before.

[BenDToy]

It's very easy to be critical, but there is another side to the story (I don't have a vested interest by the way).

The operators are obliged, as a condition of the "franchise" to provide services that normal shops and restaurants wouldn't. For example, 24 hour opening, extensive toilet facilities, hot food available 24 hours a day regardless of the demand. In addition, I expect the fixed costs are astronomical. Just imagine how much it costs to build one, with motorway junctions, car parking, bridges, roundabouts etc. As a result I don't imagine that the margins would be far out of proportion with other retail businesses, because the laws of economics would soon address that.

Other factors include convenience and time saving - many people don't have time to go looking for the same facilities elsewhere (I can vouch that it takes significantly longer), and expense accounts. Often it doesn't matter the price, as long as they get a receipt! (I can vouch for that as well)

I do tend to avoid them if possible, especially for fuel, but you can waste an awful lot of time looking for an alternative. And with the amount of travelling I do, sometimes I have to bow to the inevitable.

[Carol Anne]

Someone told me today that the French services in particular are reasonably priced and have high standards of excellence all round, and are very popular with travellers. If so then would that not rule out any 'reason' why they are the way they are in the UK.

If I could find a service station with an M&S with regular prices I'd never make another packed lunch.... but I've yet to come across one.

Good link Steve, thanks

[gary baldy]

There was fantastic book published a couple of years ago called Always a welcome by David Lawrence and it was the history of the service station. Apparently up until the 80's they never made any money- mainly due to the high surcharges they had to pay to HM Govt.. Then - as was her way- Thatcher deregulated the industry and market forces took over. They are now an astonishing rip off but at 3 in the morning and you really need a Ginsters what you gonna do? Anyhow whoever decided to put M&S in some service stations (much better quality and much cheaper) is an effing genius. I'm surprised Tesco havent muscled in (oh no - i might have given them an idea!).