Re: Garden Centres

I think these places often charge a lot because they know people are out for a trip and they can get away with it.

True Meg but this wet winter, people buying online and finances being a bit tight, I believe restaurants/coffee shops have kept them going.

Re: Garden Centres

I guess so Janela the one we went to is on the way to Birmingham and it is always busy. It sells gifts and many things and it is like a small town.

A lot of mums and children seem to go to look at the rabbits, guinea pigs and large aquariums.

Re: Garden Centres

We very often call in a garden centre for a look around and usually have tea or coffee, that's all as I refuse to buy stale buns, cake or overpriced fresh cream teas!
So unnecessary really, I'm sure they'd be busier if they lowered the prices a bit and improved the quality.

Re: Garden Centres

If we want a ride out somewhere but don't want to go into town shopping we go to Evesham Country Park.

We always have a coffee / tea there as I get tired so need a sit down (that is my excuse and I am sticking to it).

Don't usually buy the cakes if they have cream on them because I don't know how long they have been sat there for.

Sometimes though we treat ourselves to a carvery which they do very nicely and there are always queues as they are so popular and well known even the bus tours stop there for lunch.

Re: Garden Centres

I like having a treat such as lunch out or a cuppa and some cake when I go to the Garden Centres, but the prices are quite high. There is one nearby which does a very nice bowl of soup and a crusty roll for £3.50 which I think is good value, but others seem to charge a lot for food and drink. Mind you they are nearly always full so I suppose people pay it.

Re: Garden Centres

One near us seems full of business people having meetings while they eat asking for receipts for their expenses. Claiming it back I guess it doesn't matter to them how much it costs.

Re: Garden Centres

That's true Julie, they do that in Tesco's café as well. Now that's another dear place for a snack too. Over £5 for a toasted sarnie and a coffee.

Re: Garden Centres

Yes our sainsburys is like that too, I even had a job interview in their and it wasn't for sainsburys it was for a company several miles away and the interviewer didn't want to travel to the site !

Re: Garden Centres

I once heard garden centres being referred to a somewhere for a 'Tea and a pee'. The implication being that they focused more on catering and garden ornaments than gardening. I think that some places this description is justified.

Another thing that annoys me is places concentrating on serving full meals at lunchtime, with not much choice in snacks.

Re: Garden Centres

They are certainly a good stop over for a wee, supermarkets are pretty good too, so many public loos now shut and gone these businesses are a god send for those of us with weak bladders !