Another West Yorkshire Pubfest (long)

The use of tokens is a different issue to the one of charging the same price for a beer. Or to put it another way, you can use tokens at a festival regardless of whether you charge the same price or do not.

Still doesn't address previously raised issues

How does single pricing help the customer then?

As I said before this is not so much of an issue for a small festival and/or one that serves beers from a limited range of ABVs.

This is exactly the point! Most people go to beer festivals not to get drunk, but to sample beers they enjoy, or want to try.

Brett's argument is fine if you presuppose that the attendees at festivals are simply out to get as ratted as possible for the smallest amount of money. Perhaps I am naive in assuming that people who go to festivals do so to sample a few different beers, irrespective of price.

Such people know full well that in the 'real world' they will pay more for higher strength beers and less for lowers strength ones.

And yes I agree with Chris - in festivals with unitary pricing you will usually find that the beers that are left are the heavy , richer, stronger barley wine types rather than the lighter paler beers. That says a lot.

Not long until Ulverston beerfest, by the way.

Simple. One ticket = one half pint. No fumbling for the extra 20p for a stronger beer, and finding that you don't have it, having to proffer a twenty pound note, with the problems that entails. No waiting for the bar staff to reimburse you 20p for the lower gravity beers. You get served faster as a result. Less queueing. Less stressed, and therefore more genial, bar staff. No sheets of monetary values that you either have to try and tear off, or that the bar staff have to mark off with felt pens, invariably leaving you with an amount that won't quite buy you a pint, and which you're expected to leave in some sort of charity box. A feeling of mutual respect.The organisers respect you, and trust you will not make a bee-line for the stronger beers just because they represent better value. That generates goodwill.

It's a win win situation for everyone to have single ticket pricing.

Personally I prefer graded prices that everyone is familiar with but:

(1) How is it bad for the customer? How do they suffer? The miserable souls who 'only ever drink cheap beer' now have a chance to whoop it up at no extra charge!

(2) DO NOT FALL INTO THE TRAP that putting the price of beer up is good for health promotion. All it does is give the government an excuse to rack up the duty. At a recent CAMRA BF I asked why the cider was so overpriced and their answer was "to stop youfs getting ratarsed". Well here's a note to all BF organisers, if you can't manage your customers, of any age or inclination, then you shouldn't be in charge.

(3) How is it bad for campaigning?

Having both worked at festivals and attended as a customer, I much prefer the 'all one price token' approach for its convenience. The customers complain about the origami games they have to go through, as do the counter staff who often get given a page full of tokens and asked to tear off the required amount. The one-token approach is quicker and easier for both sides of the counter. There seems to be no rush to drink the high alcohol beers at the expense of the weaker ones. Most punters at beer festivals are keen to taste a range of beers, not get stoned as quickly as possible. If that's what people want to do, they're more likely to buy supermarket alcohol which is certainly cheaper and possibly more effective than queueing for beer at an overcrowded counter.

With each beer they buy they simply tear off another token and hand it in.

It helps by providing a much faster service: no messing about exchanging money, waiting for change etc.

Speaking also an attendee at other one-price token festivals, I agree with the above: both with the points pro the tokens systems, and especially with those against the ridiculous tear-off multi-price sheets, and the felt pen scribble sheets. Tedious, tiresome and time-consuming, and prone to error!

Again the pricing strategy is a red herring and is not the issue here. For example, festivals that use strike through cards don't suffer any of the issues raised above, plus in addition they can be far more secure that individual tokens. That however is a different subject.

Actually it can create a lot of bad will for those drinking cheaper beers at inflated prices .

Err...

Again this is a payment issue rather than a pricing issue but there is no need to have a complicated payment system if you want to use a fair pricing system. Price banding combined with strike through cards will solve that problem for you.

Definitely with you there

But only in terms of multi price sheets but definitely not strike through cards :-)

Generally the price of a cask is related to the ABV, therefore charging a flat fee is unfair to those who people who prefer to drink lower ABV drinks.

Agreed though I think it is best not to give the media ammunition. Lager cheaper than tap water?

You might chose to promote milds on the basis of lower ABVs, lower cost etc.

I always drink lower abv beers - I try to keep under 4%. And I don't mind a bit if others pay the same price and drink nothing but the strong beers!

What I DO mind is, when I go in with someone and they drink much faster than me!! Or a lot slower ....!!!

But a pricing structure for beer is a different kettle of fish to the payment mechanism!

You can have price banding AND "faster service: no messing about exchanging money, waiting for change etc."

But in your answer to Chris above you said you don't like strike through cards

She said ".... ridiculous tear-off multi-price sheets, and the felt pen scribble sheets. Tedious, tiresome and time-consuming, and prone to error!"

To which you replied "Definitely with you there"