Americans gouged for money in Europe

Marie Lewis wrote in message
...
In article , PJ
O'Donovan writes
During London layovers, it has taken me years to adjust to paying 3X+
as much
for a cup of coffee compared to what it would cost in a major US city.

This is merely the exchange rate and the weakness of the American
dollar.

Still
can't understand the big problem with getting orange juice with
breakfast, particularly when I see it in the food markets there.
Always buy it in the market and consume it in hotel room to avoid
international incident.

You must be staying in very downmarket hotels. I have never stayed in a
British hotel or B&B where orange juice (and usually a selection of
other juices) has not be provided.

A crappy chain hotel I stayed at near NEC in Birmingham has a set size of
orange juice. They would fill a glass to the brim with ice, and pour a
measured amount OJ into it. I asked for an orange juice without ice one day,
and it reached about a third of the way up the glass.

I then repeated that I wanted 2 more glasses of orange juice, and proceeded
to pour them all into one glass, and then showed the waiter, saying "that is
a GLASS of orange juice". That little excercise cost my company about £8.
---
DFM

PJ O'Donovan wrote in message
om...
In article ,
(PJ O'Donovan) wrote:

BUT YOU STILL WILL HAVE TO SHOW THEM THE MONEY.

The thrust of this thread is:

Are Americans welcome in Europe?

In the past Americans appeared to be welcomed in Europe as long as
they came up with the money.

Today Americans appear to be welcome in Europe as long as they come up
with the money.

It may only seem this way because most of a tourist's encounters with
natives are in the context of a commercial transaction.

Precisely my point.

As long as American have a negotiable credit card or a wallet full of
cash, they
do not have to worry about feeling welcome in Europe.

Why would a poorer tourist be any less welcome, and what does nationality
have to do with it?
---
DFM

Miguel Cruz wrote in message
...
Deep Freud Moors wrote:
I then repeated that I wanted 2 more glasses of orange juice, and
proceeded
to pour them all into one glass, and then showed the waiter, saying
"that is
a GLASS of orange juice". That little excercise cost my company about
£8.

Can anyone explain the hospitality industry's stinginess with orange juice
in particular?

A 1-liter box of generic orange juice costs about 30p at the Clapham
Junction LIDL, in London, one of the world's most expensive cities (and
I'm
sure restaurants can get it cheaper). That's enough for 4 real glasses,
which would therefore have cost them a whopping 8p apiece.

Ah, but these hotels have SPECIAL orange juice, which comes in pre-measured
amounts, and is of a sufficiently bland flavour for everyone's dislike.
Mediocrity doesn't come cheap you know.

On the far end of the scale, McDonalds OJ is simply a glass of water with a
vitamin C tablet dissolved in it.
---
DFM

In article ,
(PJ O'Donovan) wrote:

BUT YOU STILL WILL HAVE TO SHOW THEM THE MONEY.

The thrust of this thread is:

Are Americans welcome in Europe?

In the past Americans appeared to be welcomed in Europe as long as
they came up with the money.

Today Americans appear to be welcome in Europe as long as they come up
with the money.

It may only seem this way because most of a tourist's encounters with
natives are in the context of a commercial transaction.

Precisely my point.

As long as American have a negotiable credit card or a wallet full of
cash, they
do not have to worry about feeling welcome in Europe.

During London layovers, it has taken me years to adjust to paying 3X+
as much
for a cup of coffee compared to what it would cost in a major US city.
Still
can't understand the big problem with getting orange juice with
breakfast, particularly when I see it in the food markets there.
Always buy it in the market and consume it in hotel room to avoid
international incident.

On 27 Oct 2003 07:10:00 -0800, PJ O'Donovan wrote:

During London layovers, it has taken me years to adjust to paying 3X+
as much
for a cup of coffee compared to what it would cost in a major US city.

That's got nothing to do with being an American. That's what the Brits pay
as well.
--
Tim.

If the human brain were simple enough that we could understand it, we would
be so simple that we couldn't.

In article , PJ
O'Donovan writes
During London layovers, it has taken me years to adjust to paying 3X+
as much
for a cup of coffee compared to what it would cost in a major US city.

This is merely the exchange rate and the weakness of the American
dollar.

Still
can't understand the big problem with getting orange juice with
breakfast, particularly when I see it in the food markets there.
Always buy it in the market and consume it in hotel room to avoid
international incident.

You must be staying in very downmarket hotels. I have never stayed in a
British hotel or B&B where orange juice (and usually a selection of
other juices) has not be provided.

--
Marie Lewis

"PJ O'Donovan" wrote in message
om...
In article ,
(PJ O'Donovan) wrote:

BUT YOU STILL WILL HAVE TO SHOW THEM THE MONEY.

The thrust of this thread is:

Are Americans welcome in Europe?

In the past Americans appeared to be welcomed in Europe as long as
they came up with the money.

Today Americans appear to be welcome in Europe as long as they come up
with the money.

It may only seem this way because most of a tourist's encounters with
natives are in the context of a commercial transaction.

Precisely my point.

As long as American have a negotiable credit card or a wallet full of
cash, they
do not have to worry about feeling welcome in Europe.

During London layovers, it has taken me years to adjust to paying 3X+
as much
for a cup of coffee compared to what it would cost in a major US city.


But the difference is that in Europe a cup of coffee contains coffee.
Americans like it in the strength 1 coffee bean to 1 US gallon of water.
HTH.

JohnT

"Tim Challenger" "timothy(dot)challenger(at)apk(dot)at" wrote in message
s.com...
On 27 Oct 2003 07:10:00 -0800, PJ O'Donovan wrote:

During London layovers, it has taken me years to adjust to paying 3X+
as much
for a cup of coffee compared to what it would cost in a major US city.


Didn't notice coffee being particularly cheap in Washington or NY. Should
give up caffeine anyway. It's bad for you. Drink water instead.

In article ,
(Suz) wrote:


"Tim Challenger" "timothy(dot)challenger(at)apk(dot)at" wrote in
message
s.com...
On 27 Oct 2003 07:10:00 -0800, PJ O'Donovan wrote:

During London layovers, it has taken me years to adjust to paying
3X+
as much
for a cup of coffee compared to what it would cost in a major US
city.


Didn't notice coffee being particularly cheap in Washington or NY.
Should
give up caffeine anyway. It's bad for you. Drink water instead.

Yeah, but you need coffee with your morning cigarette. And even those
with a low IQ can always get more money from a nearby ATM anyway - press
the euro key and wait! Just watch out for lurking Arabs.

wrote ...

{ snip }

Didn't notice coffee being particularly cheap in Washington or NY.
Should
give up caffeine anyway. It's bad for you. Drink water instead.

Yeah, but you need coffee with your morning cigarette. And even those
with a low IQ can always get more money from a nearby ATM anyway - press
the euro key and wait! Just watch out for lurking Arabs.

Just be make sure to buy after 10 pm ... no chance of being mugged by a
woman, in that case ...

--
Desmond Coughlan |desmond [at] zeouane [dot] org
http://www.zeouane.org/