Pricing in Dubai
A few days ago, I was with a man who wanted to buy some coffee. As a promotion, a jar of coffee with a free cup was €2; without the free cup, it was €2.25. The man paid the extra €0.25 so he wouldn't have to deal with the cup.
I have a problem with this: a) I can't stand to squander €0.25 unnecessarily; b) I can't stand to throw away a perfectly good cup; and c) I have no space for another cup in my flat. So I didn't get any coffee that day.
An even more extreme example involves a pitcher (six glasses) of freshly squeezed juice.
Having freshly squeezed fruit juice on almost every corner is one of the delights of Dubai. My favourite stand is in the Souk Al Kabeer (translation, Big Bazaar), where a paper cup, filled with juice squeezed before your eyes, is €0.60. Most cafeterias charge from €2 to €4 for various freshly squeezed juice cocktails.
Hotels can charge as much as €10 for a glass of freshly squeezed juice, a price which, I understand, seems perfectly normal to Europeans who have just landed in Dubai, but is a bit of a shock for me.
I was at a Spanish restaurant, and the pitcher of freshly squeezed juices was €30, but, as a promotion, a paella and pitcher was only €18.
My companion hates paella, and didn't want any, but that would have cost us €12, so I got the paella to take home with me. (The restaurant only requires that you order the paella to get the €12 discount on the pitcher, you don't actually have to eat it.)
I have a problem with this: a) I can't stand to squander €0.25 unnecessarily; b) I can't stand to throw away a perfectly good cup; and c) I have no space for another cup in my flat. So I didn't get any coffee that day.
An even more extreme example involves a pitcher (six glasses) of freshly squeezed juice.
Having freshly squeezed fruit juice on almost every corner is one of the delights of Dubai. My favourite stand is in the Souk Al Kabeer (translation, Big Bazaar), where a paper cup, filled with juice squeezed before your eyes, is €0.60. Most cafeterias charge from €2 to €4 for various freshly squeezed juice cocktails.
Hotels can charge as much as €10 for a glass of freshly squeezed juice, a price which, I understand, seems perfectly normal to Europeans who have just landed in Dubai, but is a bit of a shock for me.
I was at a Spanish restaurant, and the pitcher of freshly squeezed juices was €30, but, as a promotion, a paella and pitcher was only €18.
My companion hates paella, and didn't want any, but that would have cost us €12, so I got the paella to take home with me. (The restaurant only requires that you order the paella to get the €12 discount on the pitcher, you don't actually have to eat it.)
posted by Dubai@Random at 11:27 pm
1 Comments:
Yes - that is one of Dubai's major benefits. Try getting a fresh mango juice anywhere in the icy west.
Even in the warmer climes of the southern hemisphere, I have been staggered to see (often completely scentless) mangoes on sale for around Dh20 each.
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