Great Western Coffee Shop

A great idea from FGW:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=2146

With this and the annoucement in a further discount for season ticket holders FGW are having a good day

Not a good idea - they are pregnant not sick and it was their choice to get pregnant

Just like they dont need parent and child spaces or any other benefits

You choose to have brats, deal with it (and keep them out my way until they dont scream and wail constantly)

This scheme has existed for quite some time on SWT - so certainly nothing new.

As for Mookiemoo, I get the impression you're against anything that may help people in any way. In a roundabout way in this compensation culture that exists nowadays, if a train was cramped with standing room only, it could cause high levels of stress, which could cause a miscarriage or injury... and knowing people these days they'd likely sue as a result.

no, I'm against anything that helps people when IMHO they got themselves into that mess in the first place (especially when it inconveniences me)

Being pregnant is a choice you make (up to 22 weeks no one forces you) so you live with it and you certainly do not deserve any perks just because you managed to spread your legs and get knocked up and then you end up expecting the rest of the workforce to make allowances for you and your little brat - if little Johnny is sick, dont expect me to cover your work and dont expect me to cover your maternity leave

PS I run my own business am female and 31 but I certainly would never employ a woman of child bearing age

makes perfect sense to me.  Especially when you consider that the alternative might be that the journey isn't made or  that the woman chooses to drive.

Mookiemoo, of course pregnany is a matter of choice (although if you want to be looked after in your old age you should be greatful that some people are raisingteh tax-payers of tomorrow) for the parents, but it is not a matter of choice for the child.  Having a seat on a train is not only good for the mother it is good for teh child as well.

Oh dear oh dear, you seem to have a few issues there, and your only 31, your going to be a fun elderly person aren't you!!

My only issue is with parents getting preferential treatment for doing something that is merely a biological function and nothing to be proud of - made worse by the amount of money the government gives them in tax breaks and other crud.

IMHO if you want a child, its your choice, you pay for it and dont expect others to support it.  (and if you cant afford it, it should be taken away and given to someone who can).

Expectant mothers can sit in first class - if they pay the same price as I do for the seat.

Children who occupy seats on a train cost the TOC just as much to carry ... so are you suggesting that child fares should be done away with too?  There is a huge logic in the idea but it is so much against the way society is set up that even to suggest it would, I think, get me thoroughly flamed.

Actually yes I do - especially on aircraft

That's highly contraversial... so a child who gets nowhere near the possible wage of a working adult should be forced to pay the same fare?

For what it's worth, I have a medical illness which prevents me working for longer than about 10 hours a week and I am under 16 (shock horror! ;))... all of my potential working hours a week are taken working towards my GCSE grades...

On a vaguely related subject, let's assume that the happy event has happened, and mother now wishes to travel with her bundle(s) of joy, and enighten them to the pleasures of rail travel. I believe that under 5's travel for free, but I'm sure I remember reading somewhere that they should not occupy a seat if required by paying passengers (child therefore sits on the parent's lap). Is the case, and if so, would any guard attempt to enforce it on a busy train?

In past events, the likely situation that I have seen is that the parent is offered the option of paying the child fare for the under 5, or they can sit on the parents lap...

point is - u don't go to tesco and get milk for half price or pepsi for 5p just because u are a kid or poor

I think there is a fine line between the difference of paying for a product, rather than a service. A precedent was set many years ago where those under 16 receive a reduced fare, and as such it could cause uproar to remove that facility. There could be an alternative where a railcard is offered to get the child discount for those under 16, though...

I am actually extremely proud of my three children and what I think you don't realise is that many parents are not the benefit stealing low life you seem to think they all are.  I go to work, my wife stays at home, yes it's our choice, I accept that but I pay my taxes and we receive about ^44 a month of that tax back - hardly a fortune but we spend it wisely, generally on things that will make our children grow up into well adjusted adults that will be supporting you when you are a grumpy OAP.

To give you a specific example, I spend ^1052 a year on a season ticket to get to work, this entitled me to take my three children on the train to Dawlish for the day for a mere ^2.  They had a great time, I had a great time, do you really have a problem with that?

I'm with Mookiemoo here. It is a personal choice and I don't really see why the free upgrade is deserved as such.

That said, if the train were full and a pregnant woman boarded, I would more than willingly give up my seat for her.

If you actually read it, it's full of conditions - it's not just like every pregnant mother is going to be pilling into first class and stopping you from sitting in there drinking your lattes.  What a shame our society has become so uncaring and divisional that we have to worry about what other people might be getting for "free" or at "our own cost".  It's up to the more educated amongst us (and I assume you are as you run your own business) to show a bit of maturity.

Yes you do actually get a version of this in Tesco.  If you are poor Tesco targets their "value" range at you.  If you are rich, they target their "Finest" range at you.  This is not charity but the application of an economic theaory called "differentiation". Tescos makes much more profit from their Finest range (because it is four times the price but only twice as good) and ideally would like to sell that range to everyone but Tesco realises that poor people would not be able to afford it so they sell them the value range even though their mark-up is only a few pence because the alternative is not making any profit from that potential customer at all.   The economic theory behind this strategy is called product differentiation and if it makes good business sense for Tescos then it might also make sense for FGW.  They would rather expectant mothers travelled in a First class seat at waht is in effect a subsidised fare (and have a positive feeling about First of the type that is currently rare among customers) than didn't take the train at all.

I'm in two minds, I don't really agree with it but at the end of the day the TM can make a decision and use his/her disgression at any time and let a pregnant woman sit in first class and I think this decision should be left to the Train manager. I've seen it before on busy trains where the TM has allowed a pregnant woman into first class.

Not the same thing at all

The value product is a different product to the finest - they are charging different based n the product that is being purchased.

However, a seat in first is a seat in first - and FGW are differentiating based on the person renting it for the duration of their journey

And interestingly, it could be argued that the value of the differentiated 1st class service to the premium fare payer is eroded if they share an identical service with other users who are paying much less, and whom they might suspect value the service attributes rather less.

But how far do we take this - as a season ticket holder I pay far less per journey than a full-fare payer. Then again, many full fare payers are on expenses (often public sector, so taxpayer financed ;) -  do they value the service less than someone like me who pays out of their own pocket????

Not everybody who travels on trains are benefit cheats  :D

Personally I think its a good idea. Crowded trains aren't suitable for pregnant people!

Crowded trains aren't really suitable for anyone but they are a fact of life!

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The value product is a different product to the finest - they are charging different based n the product that is being purchased.

However, a seat in first is a seat in first - and FGW are differentiating based on the person renting it for the duration of their journey


[/quote]


I used to work in a Bakery, bread came out of the coolers, (it's cooled straight after baking, to prevent a Hard crust) onto a conveyor system which automatically diverted the Bread to any one of FOUR slicing and bagging machines.
First machine might be loaded with Vaule Bags,
The 2nd with Top of the range Bags,
The 3rd with the Mid range bags,
The 4th with a very well known National Brand of bread

ALL the same Bread but sold at that time for 16p Vaule up to about 54p for top of the range.
38pence for a colourful bag!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The same bread went into Various DIFFERENT supermarket branded bags, the only time it was a different bread was when it came to Marks & Sparks, it was a bread that had added MILK POWDER.

There's a lot of wool pulled over peoples eyes, there may be a big differerance between the Vaule and Finest range in some cases but some times NONE at all.

Ps Thin slice bread is 1/2 the thickness of Thick sliced, simply take one of the two knife cartridges out of the slicer.
Likewise Extra thick sliced bread is twice as thick as normal sliced bread.

The value product is a different product to the finest - they are charging different based n the product that is being purchased.

However, a seat in first is a seat in first - and FGW are differentiating based on the person renting it for the duration of their journey


[/quote]


I used to work in a Bakery, bread came out of the coolers, (it's cooled straight after baking, to prevent a Hard crust) onto a conveyor system which automatically diverted the Bread to any one of FOUR slicing and bagging machines.
First machine might be loaded with Vaule Bags,
The 2nd with Top of the range Bags,
The 3rd with the Mid range bags,
The 4th with a very well known National Brand of bread

ALL the same Bread but sold at that time for 16p Vaule up to about 54p for top of the range.
38pence for a colourful bag!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The same bread went into Various DIFFERENT supermarket branded bags, the only time it was a different bread was when it came to Marks & Sparks, it was a bread that had added MILK POWDER.

There's a lot of wool pulled over peoples eyes, there may be a big differerance between the Vaule and Finest range in some cases but some times NONE at all.

Ps Thin slice bread is 1/2 the thickness of Thick sliced, simply take one of the two knife cartridges out of the slicer.
Likewise Extra thick sliced bread is twice as thick as normal sliced bread.
[/quote]

That may be true - put the customer is paying for different products - even if the difference is only in the packaging - hence the pricing differential

A first class seat is a first class seat regardless of who sits in it - the service being provided is Identical

... and it's because of the facts of life that some people are pregnant?  ;D

Oh i cant wait for the day when someone sues you for discrimination when they apply for a job  ::)

You can come up with any number of legitimate reasons for not giving someone a job - Proving a non-internal applicant did not get the job because of discrimination is almost impossible - unless you are stupid enough to document it.

Erm ...


 ::)

\
Most of you dont know who I am (staff may do if they work my line ) you certainly dont know the name of my company

So its not documented anywhere they could find out

Is this a challenge?  :P

Actually, I could hazard a guess at the name of your company, it didn't take that long to come up with one contender.....although this is going off topic now.....

I think it's a good thing that FGW are doing, as everyone needs help at some point in their lives and as it's not actually causing anyone any problems.  You'll probably want to scrap the NHS next, as, horror, all those people who've got knocked up having their babies in hospitals that YOU'VE paid for!!!!

But there are plenty of examples of where exactly the same product is offered at different prices to different people.  Airlines charge businesspeople more for a return flight than a family who is able to stay away for a Friday night.  FGW charges less for book ahead fares than for walk on fares.  Season tickets are cheaper per day than buying individual tickets.   The business sense behind this is all the same and based on the company's acceptance that whilst some passengers are more profitabel than others, it is in their interests to try and make at least a little money from as many people as possible. 

Bottom line is if FGW want to do this, it is there business decison to make and if it wins them a few more customers or brownie points then it will be a sound business decision