26 September 2023 , 08:23
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During the week many of us will head out to grab a quick sandwich for lunch, usually from somewhere like Costa or Pret A Manger, depending on your preference. But customers have been left gobsmacked after recently discovering the price of a cheese and pickle baguette at the latter.
Pret A Manger customers vented their fury on social media after spotting that the 'dine-in' price for the chain's 'posh' cheddar and pickle baguette at a London tube station branch is an eye-watering £7.15. The sandwich contains mature cheddar, chunky Pret pickle, roasted tomatoes, sliced red onion, free-range mayo, and mustard cress all served in a stone-baked baguette.
The pricey 'posh' baguette, which was spotted and shared online by journalist Sophie Gallagher, is reported to have been from the chain's branch at High Street Kensington, where prices are higher due to operational costs. From here, the price of the sandwich could be reduced to £5.72 for those signed up to the £30 a month Club Pret membership and dining in, or £5.95 if you wanted to take it away. Elsewhere the standard price of the baguette would be £4.99 to take away from a non-transport hub.
One branch of the chain is selling the Posh Cheddar and Pickle baguette for £7.15 (Pret A Manger)Sophie took to X, formerly Twitter, to share her outrage over the sandwich, uploading a video zooming in on the price and writing alongside it: "Sorry but £7.15 for a cheese sandwich. What the f**k is happening here. I am not in an airport or major travel hub. This has fully tipped me over the edge this afternoon."
Her post quickly went viral, garnering over one million impressions, over 5,000 likes, and hundreds of retweets and replies. One person said: "I used to absolutely love Pret but I agree the prices for their food now is wild and uline no other! You can spend at least £20 on one sandwich and a drink, it's actually outrageous." While someone else said they'd rather have a £3.40 Tesco Meal Deal or a £2 sandwich from M&S. Others urged people to simply make their own packed lunch.
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A different user commented: "I deliberately didn't buy this baguette yesterday when I seen the price... nearly fell over with shock! Opted for the cheaper sandwich but still felt mugged off." And another added: "I remember walking into a Pret near Piccadilly last week and instantly walking out. People must be mad for paying those prices for something that can easily be made home far superior for less."
A Pret A Manger spokesperson said: "In a typical London shop, the takeaway price for our Posh Cheddar Baguette is £4.99. Prices of our products are typically higher at train stations or transport hubs, due to higher operational costs, and like all food-to-go retailers, dine-in prices are subject to 20% VAT, as is the case with the price quoted here for our Posh Cheddar Baguette. The vast majority (87%) of our sales in the UK are for takeaway, so most customers are not subject to the additional 20% VAT.
"Like all businesses, we are facing intense cost pressures, which we are trying to absorb as much as possible. We continue to offer great value for high-quality, freshly made food and organic coffees, alongside a dedicated value range of sandwiches, Made Simple. We also recently doubled the Club Pret discount to help customers save even more, so subscribers now enjoy 20% off everything in shop and up to five barista-prepared drinks per day for £30 per month."
Would you pay £7.15 for a baguette? Let us know in the comments below.