Im in shock, my other half took me into Waitrose when I came to Sheffield last weekend and on the fish counter they had these massive prawns for £27.99 OMG is that for real Im still recovering from seeing that.

Do people actually pay that kind of money for prawns?

Thats crazy.

Jo

Each of those prawns is hand reared and fed every 17 minutes. They are also educated to degree level and understand sign language. I think £27.99 is a small price to pay.
:rolleyes:

I imagine some people do. I shop at Waitrose sometimes and I'd never pay a price like that for prawns.

That's not a per prawn price, it is for a particular weight - perhaps 100g?

A large tub of their most expensive ones are usually no more than about £5 or £6 and well worth it!

I think you'll find that that isn't an exceptional price to pay for king size prawns (i assume its per kilo):

Prawns XL (http://www.martins-seafresh.co.uk/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=172)

Langoustines (Dublin Bay Prawns) (http://www.fishworks.co.uk/fish.asp?catnum=2)

Plus Waitrose is always expensive!

Yes it's per Kilo, and no-one's ever going to buy a whole kilo of prawns unless they're catering for a party or something! Steak is almost as expensive.

I was once in Waitrose, behind a guy at the checkout who had one of those small trollies, not particularly full of snacks. It came to £150 :o

Clearly he really needed to be able to do that, and it would be totally unreasonable that he should fork out a bit extra for tax so that we can have decent public services. Obviously.

I've had the uncooked Tiger Prawns from Waitrose - absolutely gorgeous. About £3 for 6 bigguns

Also for the next few days 1 Litre cartons of Innocent Smoothie only £2.19 each

I was once in Waitrose, behind a guy at the checkout who had one of those small trollies, not particularly full of snacks. It came to £150 :o

Clearly he really needed to be able to do that, and it would be totally unreasonable that he should fork out a bit extra for tax so that we can have decent public services. Obviously.
:lol: Maybe Sheffield City Council shouldn't've allowed a blantently capitalist organisation like Waitrose to sully it's environs and promote wicked luxuries to the middle classes.

:lol: Maybe Sheffield City Council shouldn't've allowed a blantently capitalist organisation like Waitrose to sully it's environs and promote wicked luxuries to the middle classes.

:wave: Who do you think they are, socialists? :)

Also for the next few days 1 Litre cartons of Innocent Smoothie only £2.19 each

Ahhh taxman.... but they're on offer in Tesco and Morrisons at the mo for £1.99.

I've bought loads, seen as our juicer has made it's way to the electrical graveyard under the stairs, along with the sandwich maker etc. etc.

:wave: Who do you think they are, socialists? :)
I'll give you that one Comrade ;)
Still think us Waitrose customers are misunderstood Champagne Philanthopists though.

I'll give you that one Comrade ;)
Still think us Waitrose customers are misunderstood Champagne Philanthopists though.

I'm a Cava misanthrope myself :wink:

I was once in Waitrose, behind a guy at the checkout who had one of those small trollies, not particularly full of snacks. It came to £150 :o

Clearly he really needed to be able to do that, and it would be totally unreasonable that he should fork out a bit extra for tax so that we can have decent public services. Obviously.

eh? what exactly does that mean?
Do you think he should be taxed more to the extent where he can't afford to spend that?
How can you say that with no knowledge of what he does, where his money comes from or how much tax he already pays?

eh? what exactly does that mean?
Do you think he should be taxed more to the extent where he can't afford to spend that?


Yes, I do. Possibly an unfashionable point of view, but I don't really care what he does for a living - if people can afford to fritter away that kind of cash on what amounts to little more than a basket of groceries without blanching, then they can afford to pay a bit more tax without blanching. I'm not saying it's his fault, just that it highlights the gross inequalities in our society.

What kind of attitude is that? How do you know he hasn't worked damn hard for that money? And who are you to dictate how he spends it? Perhaps he has no Sky TV, doesn't go on heavy drinking nights and prefers to spend his money on food?

Now, if he was unemployed and sitting at home all day on benefits and could afford to spend that much, THEN perhaps I would question the system.

Ahhh taxman.... but they're on offer in Tesco and Morrisons at the mo for £1.99.

I've bought loads, seen as our juicer has made it's way to the electrical graveyard under the stairs, along with the sandwich maker etc. etc.

Maybe there ought to be an Innocent bargain tour schedule because before the Waitrose offer they were two for the price of one in Sainsburys.

We could have tour t-shirts printed .......ok maybe not :P

What kind of attitude is that? How do you know he hasn't worked damn hard for that money? And who are you to dictate how he spends it? Perhaps he has no Sky TV, doesn't go on heavy drinking nights and prefers to spend his money on food?

Now, if he was unemployed and sitting at home all day on benefits and could afford to spend that much, THEN perhaps I would question the system.
Nail. Head.
Maybe he runs a small business that employs several Sheffield people and provides them with a wage which enables them to purchase one of those nice city centre flats that Saxton Mee seems so keen on building.

What kind of attitude is that? How do you know he hasn't worked damn hard for that money? And who are you to dictate how he spends it? Perhaps he has no Sky TV, doesn't go on heavy drinking nights and prefers to spend his money on food?

Now, if he was unemployed and sitting at home all day on benefits and could afford to spend that much, THEN perhaps I would question the system.

OK, I take the point that people have different priorities, so can appear wealthier than they are. For e.g., lots of people on lower incomes have quite nice cars, because that's what they spend most of their money on. I should have been a bit more sophisticated in my argument.

I do think that people on high incomes should pay more tax than at present, though. When people have 2 or 3 cars each, 2 or 3 homes even, then they can afford to share some of that wealth so that life is better for all of us. And before anyone says "well, if people want more money they should better themselves", yes it's true that potentially any of us could "make ourselves", but we can't all do it at the same time. People still need to work in shops, clean, deliver the post, empty our bins, etc. And we still need to pay for services like home care, schools, hospitals, which people seem to think will fund themselves.

By the way, cleaners and care workers work damn hard for their money. But it's **** money.

I do think that people on high incomes should pay more tax than at present, though. When people have 2 or 3 cars each, 2 or 3 homes even, then they can afford to share some of that wealth so that life is better for all of us.

Starting with the politicians!

Starting with the politicians!

Wouldn't disagree with that!!

There's a report out today that says 27% of nurses have been assaulted at work, and yet we still pay them quite low wages.

The Royal College of Nurses says "Added to these pressures, nurses are being threatened with yet more reforms, pay cuts and job losses. If we are going to bring more people into nursing and stop others leaving we have got to tackle these problems."


Quite - but who is going to pay for it? We could start with advertising execs...

I've had the uncooked Tiger Prawns from Waitrose - absolutely gorgeous. About £3 for 6 bigguns

Also for the next few days 1 Litre cartons of Innocent Smoothie only £2.19 each


innocent smoothie on offer at Morrisons for £1.99

Mind you in regards to the expensive prawns in Waitrose has anyone seen the lobster for sale in Marks & Sparks for £15.99.

Its not fair, all this lovely looking food and I cant afford it. :(

Yes, I do. Possibly an unfashionable point of view, but I don't really care what he does for a living - if people can afford to fritter away that kind of cash on what amounts to little more than a basket of groceries without blanching, then they can afford to pay a bit more tax without blanching. I'm not saying it's his fault, just that it highlights the gross inequalities in our society.

So if you taxed him to take away the 'excess' income that you seem convinced he has, why would he bother to work for it?

Have you considered that he might spend very little on other things and thus have the money to treat himself to those 'luxury groceries' once a month.
Maybe he has no car, and no family, maybe he won a little money on the lottery, maybe his parents just died and he inherited the house and sold it off.

What is an acceptable level of income in your opinion then, and how should it be taxed once an income goes above that level?

what level of tax would you be happy with then if 40% isn't enough?

So if you taxed him to take away the 'excess' income that you seem convinced he has, why would he bother to work for it?

Have you considered that he might spend very little on other things and thus have the money to treat himself to those 'luxury groceries' once a month.
Maybe he has no car, and no family, maybe he won a little money on the lottery, maybe his parents just died and he inherited the house and sold it off.

What is an acceptable level of income in your opinion then, and how should it be taxed once an income goes above that level?

I did acknowlege your second point earlier.

People work because they need to, and not everyone does their job for the money - doctors, for example. Countries like Denmark have high levels of tax, and I'm not aware that they have difficulties attracting people to train as doctors, dentists, etc. compared to lower tax economies like us.

To me, this is about the relative values we place on different jobs and roles. A hedge fund manager can "earn" up to £15m a year at the extreme end. Compare this with a care worker on £13k a year, a differential of 1,153. Does the hedge fund manager do work of 1,153 times the value of the care worker, or 1,153 times the work? If we would answer "no" to those questions, might we want to redistribute some of his wealth so we can pay local authority care workers a bit more?

People who give up work to care for relatives get £40 a week carer's allowance. Yup, a whopping £40 a week. Should they get more? I should bloody well think so! And should someone on £150k a year pay more tax to allow this to happen? At a guess, most people in this country would say "no", which would be a bit of a sad indictment in my view.

Tax bands? I'm not sure really, it depends how much revenue we need to raise. I would have thought a sliding scale up to about 50%, but like I say, it depends on what we want to fund, and how much that would cost.

Yeah, sorry, I wrote the post before reading page two, so didn't realise that other people had already made that point and you'd responded too it.

I can't find any definite figures for Denmark, but what I have found seems to suggest that it's taxation is at a level similar to our own.

Someone hardly needs to be earning £15m in order to spend £150 on groceries. So you are clearly talking about people on incomes far lower than that.
The average earnings for a GP in the UK are 80k/annum. More than enough to spend £150/week on grocercies if they wish, so you'd be all for extra taxes on them?

We used to have a higher tax ban, 90% I believe. It was scrapped because it simply forced very sucessfull people out of the country, thus denying the government any tax from them and also damaging the economy by removing the money from it and spending it elsewhere.

A 50% bracket is hardly that controversial though, it's only 10% up on 40%, do you really think that would hit someone hard enough to alter their shopping habits? It might, but only if they already spend the majority of their disposable income on luxury groceries, which I think is unlikely.

I really can't see any justification for a sliding scale of any sort. Tax is already assessed as a percentage, to make the percentage increase as earnings increase is a double wammy.

I think this is getting a little off topic - No matter how much people are taxed, there will always be some people who have a higher disposable income than others for whatever reason, and personally I don't think it is up to someone who sees them in the supermarket and knows absolutely nothing about them, their income or their spending habits to judge them.

At the end of the day, if you think Waitrose is too expensive, don't go there. I shop there regularly because I work and live very close by and have no car, so it is most convenient. Occasionally I do an online shop from tesco to stock up on stuff like washing powder, which generally is cheaper in shops other than Waitrose, but I do my everyday food shopping there. Partly through convenience, partly because I think the quality of the fresh produce is far better than, say, Morrisons, and partly becuase they stock a lot of products that are hard to find elsewhere. They are also one of the most ethical supermarket companies. I am willing to pay a premium to help them support local suppliers and to eat British produce whenever possible. If you look at their website here (http://www.waitrose.com/about/corporatesocialresponsibility/index.asp) and here (http://www.waitrose.com/about/index.asp), you will get an idea of some of the reasons I like to support them when I can.

Yes, I do. Possibly an unfashionable point of view, but I don't really care what he does for a living - if people can afford to fritter away that kind of cash on what amounts to little more than a basket of groceries without blanching, then they can afford to pay a bit more tax without blanching. I'm not saying it's his fault, just that it highlights the gross inequalities in our society.


society isn't meant to be equal.
i think people who pay £4.50 for cigarettes should be taxed into oblivion, but i don't flinch @ £100 in M&S food shop.my priority is what matters to me, expensive crisps,nibbles etc are a treat to me,so shy should i have to pay more tax than someone who shops @ Netto.??

If I had the money I would definetly shop at Waitrose I mean who wouldnt I have expensive taste mores the pity and I would definetly have brought them prawns thats for sure, they were bloody gigantic.

If you do shop at Waitrose and you happen to buy them prawns let me know if they tasted as good as they looked.

You lucky sods :)

Jo

I suppose it is all about priorities really, and how people chose to spend their money! I don't get payed a lot, but I don't have kids, or a car, and I don't smoke, so the money I have I am fairly free to choose how I spend. I'm sure one day that will change though!
Ps, I'm sure the prawns are overrated squashie!!

I think this is getting a little off topic - No matter how much people are taxed, there will always be some people who have a higher disposable income than others for whatever reason, and personally I don't think it is up to someone who sees them in the supermarket and knows absolutely nothing about them, their income or their spending habits to judge them.



OK, OK, I admit it, I have been a bad TeaFan :nono: Before anyone else makes the same point, I should say that I am now off to write out 500 times "I must not mix valid political arguments about taxation with ill-informed judgements about people whom I have never met". Which I think we can all agree on.

OK, OK, I admit it, I have been a bad TeaFan :nono: Before anyone else makes the same point, I should say that I am now off to write out 500 times "I must not mix valid political arguments about taxation with ill-informed judgements about people whom I have never met". Which I think we can all agree on.

It must be me .....I thought this thread was about the price of Prawns in Waitrose......it now seems to have developed into a critique of the Socio/Political aspect of those who sell them, and the "class" of people who purchase such items....I must be a proper Prawn..:confused:

I shop at waitrose every week and I'm a student! A Postgraduate student mind, although I still don't get a wage, I get a bursary, which isn't much! I CHOOSE to spend my money on wonderful food and wine from waitrose instead of on cigs, going out etc. As someone mentioned before, its a choice! Just because I spend average £80 a week there it doesn't mean I deserve to be taxed more! What a ridiculous suggestion.

I think the food is worth it because IMO it's much better quality and the values of the company are superior to most other supermarkets.

Go waitrose!
:smile:

I shop at waitrose every week and I'm a student! A Postgraduate student mind, although I still don't get a wage, I get a bursary, which isn't much! I CHOOSE to spend my money on wonderful food and wine from waitrose instead of on cigs, going out etc. As someone mentioned before, its a choice! Just because I spend average £80 a week there it doesn't mean I deserve to be taxed more! What a ridiculous suggestion.

I think the food is worth it because IMO it's much better quality and the values of the company are superior to most other supermarkets.

Go waitrose!
:smile:

I quite agree. Waitrose has just added to the choice of places to buy stuff. I buy my Steak from Waitrose because its gorgeous and better than Sainsburys and Tescos.

I buy bog roll from Sainsburys or Tescos because all I'm doing is wiping my ...well you catch my drift.

Sometimes I go in during my lunch hour just to browse the shelves in a relaxed atmosphere rather than go to Sainsburys on the Moor and be trampled underfoot.

It must be me .....I thought this thread was about the price of Prawns in Waitrose......it now seems to have developed into a critique of the Socio/Political aspect of those who sell them, and the "class" of people who purchase such items....I must be a proper Prawn..:confused:

No, I was the prawn :blush:

No, I was the prawn :blush:

I hope you have not taken offence at my posting here TeaFan.......I assure you none was intended.

Your postings are always very interesting and well received by me.

One thing though........there is only one prawn on SF .......THE KING PRAWN....
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.IT'S ME :hihi:

Sometimes threads on here cracks_me_up. :D
Was about to jump onto the political band wagon, but I better not.

Well, I cannot remember the cost of 1kg of king prawns, but I think it's about right, on a restauranteur level.

Hey, the next time someone go and buy a TA, which has king prawns in it. Count how many you get. Then divide that by the cost of that food item. It is about right....and I believe that, even though, not many of you buy prawns to cook yourself, you do go for a take-away every so often.... to me, it makes no difference, you're still eating King Prawns at 20-30 quid per kg.....

Everyone can choose where to buy their weekly shopping. For me, I go to places like Wilkinson (nr the market) to get my toiletries stuff. It's still cheaper than anywhere else for branded goods. i.e. Andrex paper, cos I'm worth it. :D If we have to get technical... 3 single sheets of tesco value toilet roll can equate to 1 single sheet of Andrex.... If you think on that level, it works out about the same.

Everyone can choose where to buy their weekly shopping. For me, I go to places like Wilkinson (nr the market) to get my toiletries stuff. It's still cheaper than anywhere else for branded goods. i.e. Andrex paper, cos I'm worth it. :D If we have to get technical... 3 single sheets of tesco value toilet roll can equate to 1 single sheet of Andrex.... If you think on that level, it works out about the same.

Or you can use the tesco value loo paper 3 times a day, and suffer the roughness, or the Andrex paper once every 3 days.........and enjoy the experience, whatever suits.......:hihi:

Yeh, but if you use the rough paper, it means you'll have to moisturise that bottie of yours. In other words, that's an extra 1.79 for a bottle of moisturiser... Whereas I'll just use it every 3 days, but I'll eat a banana which only costs me like 15p each pop. It all adds up, you know. :P

...hehe...but I digress.... :hihi:

Bago, I can see where you're coming from..:)

This thread is great because some of the links people have supplied I never knew existed.....I don't do a lot of internet surfing for prawns etc...... but I followed one or two links and I am amazed to find one can buy a wonderful array of maritime products on the internet, from trusted suppliers.

Does anyone on SF buy frozen products, for example, on the Internet?

How do they get to your door without defrosting on the way?:confused:

Call them Prawns??? This is a Prawn...

http://photobucket.com/albums/y48/trumpmuffin/?action=view&current=Prawn.jpg

I had the Red Snapper in the middle, Mark had the Prawns. :D

Call them Prawns??? This is a Prawn...

http://photobucket.com/albums/y48/trumpmuffin/?action=view&current=Prawn.jpg

I had the Red Snapper in the middle, Mark had the Prawns. :D
You chose very wisely neeeeeeeeeek..:thumbsup:

Call them Prawns??? This is a Prawn...

http://photobucket.com/albums/y48/trumpmuffin/?action=view&current=Prawn.jpg

I had the Red Snapper in the middle, Mark had the Prawns. :D

That is a prawn?! Bejeesus, it looks like something off Doctor Who! :o

I have to ask.... How can you use just one sheet of toilet paper? Do you have to wipe soldier style? :o

Does anyone on SF buy frozen products, for example, on the Internet?

How do they get to your door without defrosting on the way?:confused:
In a refrigerated lorry/van?

I shop in Waitrose occasionally, and justify some of their scrumptious pre-prepared joints by comparing them to eating out - no competition pricewise.

And did anybody stop to consider that the £150 trolley guy may not have been buying for himself? He may be a bar or restaurant owner, and they may merely be ingredients for his clientelle :P

Perhaps he has a relative who is suffering from some sort of aversion to food at the moment and he is hoping to tempt said person into eating?


Don't rush to judge people ;)

I have to ask.... How can you use just one sheet of toilet paper? Do you have to wipe soldier style?

Ooooohhhh... I hear that unavoidable debate coming up....
How many sheets *do* you use ? 1 or 2 ? Do you fold or clump ? LOL :D

Back on topic. Yeh, prawns come in a refridgerated fan, and they come in a block, frozen in ice. I once saw it on those foodie tv prog. Once they are fished out of the sea, they are sorted for size, and then quick frozen to keep them fresh. Even when u defrost it, it's still quite fresh, but if you leave it for too long, it starts to deteriorate. It why you get that 'fishy' smells in the fish markets.

Yes, I do. Possibly an unfashionable point of view, but I don't really care what he does for a living - if people can afford to fritter away that kind of cash on what amounts to little more than a basket of groceries without blanching, then they can afford to pay a bit more tax without blanching. I'm not saying it's his fault, just that it highlights the gross inequalities in our society.

You don't know his circumstances.
He might have saved his money for months to have a good meal for a special occassion.
There again he might have earned his money by going to college, working his balls off to get where he is so that he can afford to spend £150 on his groceries and will be be paying 40% tax.

But I suppose he might have just collected his dole.

That line was in the same vein as your post...


Waitrose is owned by its staff who share the profits...capitalism?sounds more like the old co-op ideal

You don't know his circumstances.
He might have saved his money for months to have a good meal for a special occassion.
There again he might have earned his money by going to college, working his balls off to get where he is so that he can afford to spend £150 on his groceries and will be be paying 40% tax.



yes, I know, and so have acknowledged this and admitted that I was wrong to do so 3 times (now 4).