Jun 29

Jun 29 Costa Packet

Breakfast, Breakfast Brunch Lunch, Robert Jones, Musings, Cornwall

Big news today how holiday prices abroad have been hiked this year - not just the cost of getting there but also the hit in your pocket when you get there, sometimes as much as 25% higher than last year.

And not just abroad …

I’ve been travelling round Cornwall this week …. and have to admit my spending habits have certainly been affected. And I’m not alone.

I wandered up and down the high street in Falmouth - and actually it was great to see things so busy. Last time I was here, Covid restrictions of sorts were still in place, or just kicking in…. the streets were deserted, shops closed up, it was a sorry sight.

Now the streets are full and it really feels quite affluent. A far cry from when I first lived here in 1984. It feels buzzing, especially in comparison to the high street at home in Bangor.

But … people were certainly window shopping, however not everyone was buying.

My thought process was this … oh that looks nice … ah, but not at that price.

Eventually, I thought I’d sit on a terrace and watch people go by, and they did. Overheard comments went as follows…

‘Fancy a crab sandwich - yes, but not at that price.’ (£10 for a sandwich, albeit filled with freshly caught crab prepped before you very eyes.)

‘There’s nothing under £15 per person, walk on.’

I opted for a pint of ice cold cider and packet of crisps - £7.50.

It struck me that it was all a vicious cycle… prices are hiked, customers walk away, profits go down.

Of course … it’s all about opportunity cost … what would you pay… if you really wanted something. As happened to me after an early walk today - two hours - 6 Miles … emerging onto the beach to see a horsebox - a Hungry Horsebox - serving nectar and manna - complete with a colony of what appeared to be stray dogs … bussing the tables hopefully waiting for scraps.

And of course … as is the way … not a bacon sandwich and coffee but a Bacon Ciabatta, toasted on a hot plate with olive oil, and a decaf flat white. Would I even have understood what that was 50 years ago?

Did I care about the cost - No. It reminded me of the scene in ‘Ice Cold In Alex’ when they all finally reach the bar in Alexandria after their wartime trek through the Egyptian desert, and taste that glorious cold beer.