‘Morally wrong’ as pubs start charging more for a pint when they’re busy

The UK’s largest Pub Company is starting to charge drinkers more for a pint when their venues are busy.

Stonegate owns 4,800 pubs across the UK and are introducing ‘dynamic pricing’ – charging customers around 20p more when their venues are busy.

Talking to BBC Berkshire’s Sarah Walker yesterday, Landlady of The Red Lion in Overton said, “It’s morally wrong” to charge customers more at busy times.

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“To suggest to customers that they will be penalised for making the pub busy seems the wrong thing to do, when you should be encouraging people into your pub”, says Victoria.

Dynamic pricing is seen in other areas, trains charge more at peak times and you’re now expected to pay more for an Uber ‘taxi’ if it’s raining. However, Victoria says the ethics of the concept doesn’t sit right with her: “Customers are getting more price conscious, but people are feeling the pinch; mortgage rates are going up and they are having to spend more on essentials.”

Pub sector website Morning Advertiser says, “It’s a negative story the industry could do without right now, at a time when consumer purses are being squeezed and the prices of pints in pubs is under intense scrutiny.”

According research from FinderUK, the average price of a pint of lager in the UK is £5.90, which is 127% higher than the global average of £2.60.

Fortunately, there are no Stonegate pubs in Overton, but there are plenty in the Basingstoke and Andover areas.