A thought has just occurred..
I believe that Humphrey Smith has stated on more than one occasion - how he dislikes the supermarkets, from selling cheap beer. Well come to think about it - the one brewery who is more like a supermarket that any other is the Sam Smiths Brewery!!
Let's look at the comparisons..
1. A supermarket is just charging you for the beer - and not expecting you to enjoy their surroundings to drink the beers in.
Well in a Sams pub - although you can drink on the premises, it's less likely that you will enjoy the ambiance / surroundings, than say of another pub - or a Sams pub some time ago. And you're stuffed if you like music, or live entertainment (at least you get music in a supermarket!).
If you smoke - HS has recently told venues to make no outdoor shelter provisions for smokers - just lie a supermarket.
You may have to wait much longer at some times to get served - as HS reduces staff hours to a ridiculous amount. I actually witness very 'stressed' staff (due to shortages) on a weekend, and potential customers giving up on waiting to get served - happy to pay more elsewhere - just to get served!!
2. Compared to the local corner shop we once had - the supermarket has relatively miserable staff.
But now at the local supermarket - they look like they've all won the lottery, compared to the over-worked stressed out bar staff and management.
3. Supermarkets have had problems with serving alcohol to the under aged - although they seem to be getting to grips with it.
Meanwhile - there are Sams pubs, that are getting an increase in the under-aged, and the too intoxicated - on account that with reduced staff hours, there's much less opportunities to police venues.
4. Supermarkets can get a little messy at the busy weekends - what with lose cardboard and carrier bags.
But nowadays, with insufficient staff to collect and wash glasses, a number of Sams venues (fortunate enough to still have some trade) have empty glasses, all over the place - a really inviting ambiance - not!
5. In supermarkets, you can buy frozen food.
In a Sams venue, they do the same - then heat it in a microwave, then serve it to you as 'fresh' - according to some very confused / on another planet, person. The local supermarkets cafe, is where I now go for a snack lunch - as my Sam's local, no longer do the variety of tasty snacks that were previously available. I've been told, that the lunchtime food turnover / GP at my local Sam's, has been substantially killed.
Now I wonder why the Sam's subsidiary no longer have the airline contract? Still, I suppose dishing it to all the pubs, was a way of saving their catering branch - very foolish indeed!
Let's face it, people are going to supermarkets to buy cheap booze to drink at home - because the pub environment has been killed by the smoking regime, and now further killed by the Sam's regime.
So not only is HS driving his client base to other venues, AND the supermarkets - but he's also making his venues operate more like a supermarket (or worse) that any other pub chain - because at a Sam's venue..
You can buy cheap beer - but don't expect much else!!
From (sometimes) miserable staff / management
Sometimes - in an untidy establishment
Sometimes - having to queue for a while
Sometimes - more likely to cater for the under-aged, over intoxicated
I suppose it's as well it's cheap - because the only reward for making a purchase, is their brewed merchandise - just like a supermarket!!!
