{"id":1789,"date":"2025-08-01T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/?p=1789"},"modified":"2025-08-05T00:14:01","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T00:14:01","slug":"the-nightmare-pub-punter-habit-with-a-125000000-industry-cost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/01\/the-nightmare-pub-punter-habit-with-a-125000000-industry-cost\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u2018nightmare\u2019 pub punter habit with a \u00a3125,000,000 industry cost"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t\t\"riotous\t<\/div>
It’s not a victimless crime (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next time you’re in your kitchen, go to the cupboard and look through your drinking glasses. Between the branded beer tankards and comically large gin<\/a> goblets, how many of them did you actually buy?<\/p>\n

Like an estimated 37 million Brits, you’ve probably got one or two pilfered pub glasses<\/a> \u2014 but for 3 million people, stolen goods make up their entire collection. <\/p>\n

While 27% of respondents to a recent Nisbet’s survey<\/a> admit they’ve robbed restaurant or pub tableware at some point, the fact that 77% of pubs have experienced this type of theft suggests the actual total is likely far higher.<\/p>\n

The price of a pint now averages \u00a35.17 across the country (or more than \u00a37<\/a> in some parts of the capital) so you may feel like you’re owed<\/a> a freebie. And sneaking the odd glass into your bag is very<\/em> unlikely to land you in trouble with the law.<\/p>\n

But it’s not a victimless crime, especially in the current economic climate, where one UK pub permanently shuts<\/a> its doors every day.<\/p>\n

The cost to establishment can vary massively, although some have reported spending upwards of \u00a32,000 a year on replacing stolen glassware. Considering the price of each one can range from \u00a31 to \u00a36, at \u00a33.50 a pop, the 37 million figure above equates to a massive industry-wide loss of nearly \u00a3130 million. <\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
@marquisarmsswansea<\/a> <\/p>\n

we would like our glasses back please x #hospitality<\/a> #pubs<\/a> #swansea<\/a> #marquismassive<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u266c original sound – Keiran Evans<\/a> <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Jeremy Clarkson weighed in on the issue<\/a> last year, after a single day at his Oxfordshire pub, The Farmer\u2019s Dog, saw the bar with 104 fewer glasses by last orders.<\/p>\n

Listing the mounting costs of keeping the business going, the former Top Gear presenter described the situation<\/a> as ‘worse than galling’, adding: ‘People seem to have it in their heads that if they come in for a pint they are entitled to go home with the glass in which it was served’.<\/p>\n

And while they don’t have to deal with anywhere near the same scale of thefts, many other publicans agree with him.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Cheers\t<\/div>
Each glass can cost up to \u00a36 to replace (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Odette Gibson, co-owner of the Angel of Bow<\/a> in East London, tells Metro<\/strong>: ‘I\u2019ve been a publican for many years and the situation with light fingered Larrys and the disappearance – euphemistically put – of glassware and tableware makes me just incredulous.’<\/p>\n

Aside from finding it ‘incredibly annoying’ when they run out in busy periods, she has less ire for those who rob branded glasses, since they’re often given to them free by the breweries. <\/p>\n

But when it comes to replacing their own, Odette says ‘the financial implications can be extremely high,’ and ‘it\u2019s quite easy to lose \u00a3500 worth of glasses in a little over six weeks.’<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Odette\t<\/div>
Odette co-owns the Angel of Bow in East London (Picture: Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once, she was forced to roll her wheelchair out into the street to chase a group of women who confidently walked out with their goblets \u2014 and even more brazenly, refused to give them back until Odette suggested they buy them. Punters have also made off with a number of more valuable items, from handpainted ashtrays to a memorial plaque.<\/p>\n

‘Economically, it\u2019s a nightmare,’ she adds. ‘Glasses and tableware are expensive and constantly having to replace them is a drain on our resources. It also leads to having to increase your prices to cover these losses… People will take anything, but someone has to pay.’<\/p>\n

For Callum Murphy, founder of the Newman Arms<\/a> in Fitzrovia and the Bull and Egret i<\/a>n Covent Garden, it’s an ongoing problem, to the point they factor in the cost of theft when purchasing cutlery, crockery and glassware.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Newman\t<\/div>
The Black Velvet tankard is the Newman Arms’ most commonly-robbed item (Picture: Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the Newman Arms, the Black Velvet is a best-selling cocktail \u2014 and the traditional metal receptacles they’re served in are a particular ‘favourite’ for light-fingered drinkers.<\/p>\n

‘I really think people just don\u2019t understand the cost implications to a business,’ Callum tells Metro<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

‘Customers may love the novelty and taste of drinking a Black Velvet from a tankard \u2014 but it\u2019s a jet\u2011black hole in the profit-and-loss ledger. Many simply don\u2019t realise the hidden cost for a small business.’<\/p>\n

Some owners have taken more drastic steps to try to deter thieves, including the Griet pub in Ghent, Belgium, which takes one shoe from each customer when they purchase a pint as a ‘deposit’.<\/p>\n

Others have resigned themselves to eating the cost, with one landlord on Reddit<\/a> joking: ‘Suppose it goes death, taxes, customers stealing glassware.’<\/p>\n

Ultimately, it comes down to pub-goers’ behaviour. It’s easy to forget the industry-wide impact with a ‘one won’t matter’ mentality. But if people want to ensure their local stays open – and don’t want to pay more for their pints – leaving that glass at the bar is one small step.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story to share?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Comment now<\/title><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"comment-now__label\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It’s not a victimless crime (Picture: Getty Images) Next time you’re in your kitchen, go to the cupboard and look through your drinking glasses. Between the branded beer tankards and comically large gin goblets, how many of them did you actually buy? Like an estimated 37 million Brits, you’ve probably got one or two pilfered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1789"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1796,"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789\/revisions\/1796"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}