h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ah... I bet you wondered what nonsense I have up my sleeve for you today. Nothing very important as per usual, but just a moan in general
My girlfriends father has had a triple-bypass operation recently done in Glasgow's Western Infirmary. Things are not going to well as he has developed a blood infection which they can't seem to shift. Anyway hopefully things will pick up and he will get out soon.
Today while I was visiting the man asked if I'd buy him a bottle of Irn-bru. No problem says me and I made my way to the hospital shop.
Shock horror..what? £1.99 for a 2 litre bottle of pop you have to be kidding! In any shop, in fact the most expensive of shops, the most you would generally have to pay is in the region of say £1.30, Asda sell 4 bloody bottles for 3 quid for god sake(75p)...what a rip-off! I'm honestly disgusted by this, these people should be wearing masks as it's daylight robbery!
But needless to say, there were no shops nearby where I could have got it cheaper. There should be a law against these rogues who are taking advantage of the general public.

So it's the same in Scotland as it is here ? I'm sorry to hear that - thought it was only greedy Germans doing that. The only things they can't sell for more money are the newspapers and magazines - atleast, that's something

It's downright extortion B'el, they know you don't have any choice! Don't get me wrong that hospital is just one of many as they all seem to be the same...so it's the same in Germany
What gives them the right to do that?
That's what I can't get my head round.
Is there no body of people within the hospital who can say..'hey wait a minute that's a bit pricey' if there's not..there should be!
I'll just have to remember to buy things prior to the visit in future

That's the best way - just call before you go there and ask what is needed/wanted, and then buy it at your usual store. It's just the poor patients who can't avoid the horrendous prices of the hospital shops.What's extremely expensive here,are things you want to buy at an exhibition - a simple cup of is 5 € - that's ripping people off, especially as you've paid quite a high entrance fee to start with

Aw well, these places will only survive if your daft enough to entertain them

There excuse is, because they are not a 'chain' of shops, they cannot buy the quantities to allow a bigger discount from wholesalers, this is reflected in the price to customers.

Yes, this is certainly true, and yet, you get the impression that they're just being greedy

Hi Venus, what a load of nonsense that is.I'm sure you don't agree with that excuse and were just relating it to us. I could maybe see their point about being a smaller concern and not having the power to buy if they weren't getting the custom or they were not busy. Their profit margin is phenomenal so I tend to agree with B'Elana... they are just greedy b*******.

I did'nt say i agreed with it. I was the manager of and independent retailer for a while. A small independent shop cannot compete with the supermarkets, the over heads are higher, the stock costs more to buy in, so its reflected in the price of goods. Most small shops charge somewhere in the region of 10% more for goods, which is why most small shops go out of buisness. Which is why i shop at the supermarket, its cheaper.

I know all those problems, we have them, too, but we do try to keep the prices reasonable, and in those hospital shops, the don't seem to be reasonable