Monday, June 14, 2010

FIFA World Cup sponsors fleece their fans

If you believe the official FIFA Fan Guide, Cokes cost R8 and Budweiser beers cost R10-R20. Only this doesn't apply at the Royal BAFOKeng Stadium, where the "sponsors" choose to engage in price gouging by charging R15 for a Coke and R30 for a beer. They are sold opened, so by the end of the match there isn't much fizz left. And the beer should be called BADweiser because the only way they can get the fans to drink it is to ban all other competing products.
I took this picture of the price list with my phone, and so the R15 label under the Coke is a bit blurry. Click on the picture for a bigger view.
Do the sponsors really think they can insult their customers by charging double or triple the normal price? Does Budweiser think I will ever voluntarily buy a Bud when they left me with such a bad taste in my mouth during the FIFA World Cup? The only good thing about their beer is that it is mostly water.
I have written to the sponsors but I doubt I'll get a reply. And in case why you are wondering about my capitalisation of the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, it's because the two large screens didn't work. Befok is the Afrikaans equivalent of FUBAR and since the screens were broken the stadium deserves its BAFOKeng status.

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