The leisure RAND - how do you spend it.

Dear clanners

what is affordable? What is fair? for a day out - some wine farms in the Cape charge R190 for a picnic basket for two, deli meats, breads and paté. Beautiful location.

Is R120 for 3 pieces of braai meat without drinks too much? (I think so, considering you could a) feed 3 people off that b) braai at home with your friends on a bring-and-braai day, which is what most young Saffas do).

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens charge R50 per person gate fee, bring your own picnic, wine allowed, glasses allowed. Well policed though.

Don wrote: Dear clanners

what is affordable? What is fair? for a day out - some wine farms in the Cape charge R190 for a picnic basket for two, deli meats, breads and paté. Beautiful location.

Is R120 for 3 pieces of braai meat without drinks too much? (I think so, considering you could a) feed 3 people off that b) braai at home with your friends on a bring-and-braai day, which is what most young Saffas do).

Let's face facts - Racing has a bad rep - Firstly many people think it's crook and only for those "in the know" - Charging a thieving price for food and drink sets the tone for a newbie - Secondly charging an excessive price for food and bev reinforces the notion that racing is really for the wealthy and the average person need not bother to be involved unless they want to punch above their weight(Not true as ownership is affordable with syndication) Gambling is based on turnover not beers and burgers so I do not understand why catering is seen as a way to milk the punters. It is far better to have a punter bet his stake than to use that stake to buy a STEAK!!

My opinion is if your worrying about the amount of Rands you are gonna spend on a day out then you shouldn`t be going.

Start budgeting R50 a race for gambling
Food
Travel
Outfit

eish you can feed a family for a week

Much rather go to the cinema or play park

Bob try getting a table for 4 at the MET,JULY or Summer Cup and that figure R is like going on a small holiday.

I know neigh, racing can never be affordable ,it`s a once in a blue moon luxury

I went to Musselburgh at new year a Bacon Roll and a glass of bubbly was R200,it was R350 for a cheap entrance ticket a coffee was R50,it was freezing and they still locked the doors..

But they only race 12 times a year

I heard the Beverley clerk say we are amazed at the track after 17 fixtures this season

Tracks are busy in the UK because there is loads of them and the tracks get the bums on the seat.

Tracks like wolves,South,Kempton,Ling are dead deserted smaller crowds than the Vaal but they race every week ,sometimes twice

Bob - what were your costs in £, taking into account you cannot really compare leisure Rand with leisure Pound.

Don you must know yourself, a day racing at Kenilworth would cost you a lot less than a days racing at Musselburgh

Just say a working man on the miniumum wage in the UK £250 per week

entry £20
food £10
Drink £10
travel £10
GAMBLING?

jeesh Bob!? £20 entry???? I never paid more than £6 entry and that was at Ascot? did you go through special gates?
the food is justified etc yes.
Bob what i'm meaning to say is that the leisure Rand is less liquid than the leisure £ - in terms of living costs. Let's say average worker earns R2000 per week - after car, rent, life insurance, medical aid, petrol, he has less left than said average worker in UK. I would say on a non-high profile day at the racecourse someone would not want an outlay more than R250 per person which would include something to eat and betting. Casual visitor, that is.

you reckon Don?

that is exactly what i`m meaning, stop chasing fantasy money.

The guys that are going to Musselburgh or Aintree once or twice a year are enticed on course.You reckon the next Saturday they are saying lets load up the tote and have a bet? naeway

I would say you guys can do more with your spare cash than i can,if i want to take someone out to dinner, bottle of wine,movies ,taxi home your talking about £80-£100 or nearly half the minimuim wage

Drink
Food
Medicine to fight above, high blood, high sugar and gout etc
Balance on first fav

ok, point taken. I think however part of the problem is the pricing on course, and the need of the operators to entice 'ordinary leisure visitors'. Ordinary leisure visitors are not going to pay R300 at a table for a sit-down meal upstairs somewhere. They want to be on the lawns, grab a decent quick meal for no more than R50, and spend about R150 on small bets. If they bring their families, the price per head expenditure needs to drop. Facilities and offer need to be made available for this so as to compete with where else they could spend their 'leisure Rand', or for that matter, staying in (home).