Greggs at Leeds station - premium prices

[Tetchytyke]

My point is in response to "setting a price the market will bear" said earlier - the price is not freely set as in a true market and not benefiting from competitors.

There is still a level of competition- you can walk into the city centre, or you can bring your own food from home, or you can go without. The railway station market is less competitive because there are more obstacles in using the competition but that's reflected in the price. Same reason why Wetherspoons at airports are significantly more expensive than Wetherspoons on the high street.

But the pricing is still based on market forces. Wetherspoons could charge £50 for a breakfast at the airport but the vast majority of their customers would tell them where to stick it. Same with SSP, they can charge £1 more for a steak bake because I will pay it, it would cost me more than £1 in time to walk somewhere else to buy that steak bake. But if they started trying to charge £20 for a steak bake then the dial shifts.

 

[MalaiseForever]

I must admit, I've found greggs a bit uninspiring for a few years ago. Giving up meat hasn't helped tbh (although the veggie sausage roll is decent).

But it's not particularly good value nowadays (nothing seems to be).

A meal deal with a pastry and sandwich might be good, but they never do that.

You can get a sandwich and a sausage roll in the Greggs meal deal.

 

[Kite159]

You can get a sandwich and a sausage roll in the Greggs meal deal.

Is that the meal deal I see advertised for £5+?

 

[yorksrob]

You can get a sandwich and a sausage roll in the Greggs meal deal.

That must be a new one !

 

[MalaiseForever]

Is that the meal deal I see advertised for £5+?

I think it’s £5.25 in non station locations

 

[Iskra]

I suppose the biggest competition is McDonalds. I got a coffee there for £1.79 yesterday, which is pretty good at a station.

 

[dgl]

Related, I understand that the reason why you don't see many McDonald's at stations and motorway services is that unlike other retailers they don't allow franchises to increase the food prices as much as others and as such makes them less attractive.

 

[317 forever]

It's not just at Leeds station where the Greggs franchise charges a premium, it's most stations which have a Greggs franchise. See also Boots (they used to charge the same for a meal deal as they did on the high street outside London, but they changed it a while back so the station outlets charge more)

At least Leeds has the Sainsbury's Local on the station with a Tesco Express & Co-op reasonably close by

Manchester Victoria is another case in point.

At Leeds I was willing to use Leon as I like their coffee and they have fewer branches now.

 

[xotGD]

So does anyone know the price of a steak bake at the Gregg's on the station, and the price of a steak bake at a branch elsewhere in the city centre?

We need data!

 

[styles]

I suppose the biggest competition is McDonalds. I got a coffee there for £1.79 yesterday, which is pretty good at a station.

Bit of an aside, but McDonalds are offering free coffee every week in September: https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/newsroom/article/free-mccafe-coffee.html

From Tuesday, 8th September until Wednesday, 30th September, enjoy one FREE McCafé® coffee EVERY week, exclusivley via the McDonald’s App.

I don't eat takeaway food often enough to have the apps installed, but I hear the Greggs one is pretty good for offers as well.

 

[Iskra]

Bit of an aside, but McDonalds are offering free coffee every week in September: https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/newsroom/article/free-mccafe-coffee.html

I don't eat takeaway food often enough to have the apps installed, but I hear the Greggs one is pretty good for offers as well.

That’s worth knowing, thanks.

I’m also adverse to having multitudes of apps, but if might be worth doing it on this occasion.

 

[308165]

See also Boots (they used to charge the same for a meal deal as they did on the high street outside London, but they changed it a while back so the station outlets charge more)

When they raised the meal deal from £4.49 ti £4.99 at Leeds station, Boots emptied more or less overnight, with Sainsbury's picking up more trade (pre Greggs)

 

[Howardh]

Weatherspoon's have opened up (or are about to?) in Terminal 2 Manchester. I doubt their prices will be anything like those in the town centre pubs (although a pint for just a fiver would be a plus); as alluded to there are "premium taxes" for stations and airports - mainly due to rent/captive audience?

But a 20% uplift on Greggs seems decent value, there is a Greggs on Bolton Interchange (near the station) where a cuppa is £1.20 (£1 across the way in Piggys!) whereas on the station (not Greggs) it's nearly £3. There's usually a bit of a queue at Greggs though!!

Difference between stations/trains and airports is you can take your own solid food and drink and not be subjected to 100ml limits - once that's lifted I bet airports will ban bringing your own booze just because!!

 

[Kite159]

I had to laugh earlier at Nottingham when I saw the Cafe Local (SSP?) were advertising a regular meal deal for a mere £6,49!

In a station where outside is a Tesco Express, One Stop (P7 exit) & a Co-Op so it's not like one of those stations which doesn't have much close by.

 

[styles]

I had to laugh earlier at Nottingham when I saw the Cafe Local (SSP?) were advertising a regular meal deal for a mere £6,49!

In a station where outside is a Tesco Express, One Stop (P7 exit) & a Co-Op so it's not like one of those stations which doesn't have much close by.

Thing is, Nottingham station also has a Starbucks next to that Tesco Express, and a Costa, yet people are always buying coffee from the platform cafes, so there's clearly a market for passengers who want even marginally more convenient food and drink!

 

[HBP]

Weatherspoon's have opened up (or are about to?) in Terminal 2 Manchester. I doubt their prices will be anything like those in the town centre pubs (although a pint for just a fiver would be a plus);

I think it opened on Tuesday this week. Ale from £5.15, Lager from £5.20 and Cider £6.55. Much cheaper than the rest of the airport.

 

[speedy1]

£3.85 with a Coop card is mint. Huel black edition, 2 boiled eggs and a skinny iced coffee nom nom. Or a breakfast sandwich, Portuguese custard tart and iced coffee...

Staying vaguely on topic: shame the Coop is a trek from the station.

 

[teaspoon]

So does anyone know the price of a steak bake at the Gregg's on the station, and the price of a steak bake at a branch elsewhere in the city centre?

We need data!

Using the Click + Collect feature on the Greggs website, it seems it's £2.70 at the station branch compared to £2.25 on Boar Lane.

(It was the same for all the major stations I checked compared to their nearest high street branch. It was £2.85 for one in the branch in Glasgow Airport)

 

[xotGD]

Using the Click + Collect feature on the Greggs website, it seems it's £2.70 at the station branch compared to £2.25 on Boar Lane.

(It was the same for all the major stations I checked compared to their nearest high street branch. It was £2.85 for one in the branch in Glasgow Airport)

Thanks.

That then gets me wondering why on earth anyone would use click & collect for a steak bake.

 

[DH1Commuter]

It's the convenience
I've had Greggs in Leeds a couple times, depending on how long my connection is decides which I'll use (obviously wanting to use the cheaper on if I have the time)

It's also notable that station outlets are usually open later, while most street Greggs close in the early evening, station ones usually close closer to 9pm.

Not Newcastle! The station one is expensive, limited stock and shuts early.

Over the road we have cheaper, late-opening and full range.

SSP can do one.

 

[zero]

Thanks.

That then gets me wondering why on earth anyone would use click & collect for a steak bake.

Might make sense if you were ordering for a large group.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Related, I understand that the reason why you don't see many McDonald's at stations and motorway services is that unlike other retailers they don't allow franchises to increase the food prices as much as others and as such makes them less attractive.

This is no longer true so you do see them at all Roadchef services. It was true though.

 

[saismee]

Over the road we have cheaper, late-opening and full range.

To be fair I don't think you would have much trouble finding a Greggs in Newcastle

 

[xotGD]

To be fair I don't think you would have much trouble finding a Greggs in Newcastle

Nor in Leeds. I've found two vantage points in the city centre from which you can see two branches of Greggs. Perhaps I should organise a walking tour?

 

[Bill57p9]

Difference between stations/trains and airports is you can take your own solid food and drink and not be subjected to 100ml limits - once that's lifted I bet airports will ban bringing your own booze just because!!

Some UK airports are slowly lifting the 100ml limit to something like 2 litres, certainly Edinburgh and Gatwick North Terminal. Check before travel!

Airlines however typically ban consumption of alcohol purchased elsewhere onboard.

 

[dgl]

This is no longer true so you do see them at all Roadchef services. It was true though.

They didn't seem to be as higher priced as other outlets when we went to the Road chef near Southampton.

 

[Grumpy Git]

The Greggs in St Pancras (opposite the Barrel Vault 'Spoons) charges regular prices, i.e. £3.85 for a bacon cob + regular drink). Amazingly, its about 10p cheaper than the one just outside Crewe station!

 

[styles]

Some UK airports are slowly lifting the 100ml limit to something like 2 litres, certainly Edinburgh and Gatwick North Terminal. Check before travel!

Airlines however typically ban consumption of alcohol purchased elsewhere onboard.

It's the case in most airports now, but still not all. You also don't need to put them in plastic bags and they can stay in your bag while it's scanned (along with electronics).

The main issue at the moment is that most airports abroad still have the smaller limits, so you can take as much shampoo as you want heading out, but only 100ml bottles of it coming back still.

This is however one benefit of taking the Eurostar.

Except the Eurostar terminal doesn't have a Greggs, unless you consider the rest of St Pancras station to be part of it then you can head upstairs to the Midland mainline area for one.

 

[Gloster]

It's the case in most airports now, but still not all. You also don't need to put them in plastic bags and they can stay in your bag while it's scanned (along with electronics).

The main issue at the moment is that most airports abroad still have the smaller limits, so you can take as much shampoo as you want heading out, but only 100ml bottles of it coming back still.

This is however one benefit of taking the Eurostar.

Except the Eurostar terminal doesn't have a Greggs, unless you consider the rest of St Pancras station to be part of it then you can head upstairs to the Midland mainline area for one.

Why on earth would you want to fill yourself up with something from Greggs when in a couple of hours you will be in France or even Belgium, where you can find some quite good food.

As far as shampoo is concerned, I always ran the bottles down until there was just enough for a couple of washes, put it aside and then took it when I went abroad. Use it over there and then dump the bottle before you return. However, I stopped using shampoo years ago, even though I still have a reasonable amount of hair.

 

[styles]

Why on earth would you want to fill yourself up with something from Greggs when in a couple of hours you will be in France or even Belgium, where you can find some quite good food.

I agree, but I was trying to keep it somewhat on topic

There are a lot of people who do go abroad and just eat what they would in the UK mind.