What do we do when the tube’s on strike, and why are stag dos so expensive? – Chiswick’s Angsty Aunt
Our Angsty Aunt is back this week to take aim at the rising cost of stag dos in the middle of a cost of living crisis, after taking a look at the chaos of tube strikes. If you’ve got a gripe of your own, be it London-based or further afield, send it in by clicking here.
“What should I do with work when the tube strikes mean my journey is over twice as long?”
Tube or not to tube, that is the question.
Oh no, it’s not, because thanks to the latest round of strikes, that decision has been taken out of our hands. The strikes are set to impact millions of workers and thousands of companies who rely on it for travel and business.
In replacement, people must now spend a week finding alternative means of travel, using systems that will see a burgeoning reliance on their services at a time when public spending is under incredible scrutiny.
I’m not here to discuss the politics of it. Reading between the lines of the question, I think we all just want to have a bit of a moan.
The 4-5 million people who use the tube every day, it seems, would probably like a moan. The data on this next point is sketchy, but as far as I can research, those 4-5 million people account for between 40-50% of daily journeys between inner and outer London that use public transport.
That number will now be dispersed among the remaining services. Despite having one of the most established and celebrated public transport networks, when a strike of this magnitude happens, it shows just how fragile the whole system is.
For some, the impact is geographical. What usually might have been a straight shot has become a convoluted mess of walking, busing and overgrounding.
For others, including myself, it’s a logistic nightmare. What usually might have been a regimented mix of services has become… a convoluted mess of walking, busing and overgrounding.
And, even if you are reading this from the comfort of your car, I suggest you look up at the congestion in front of you. I wonder what Just Stop Oil are doing these days.
For most, it hurts our watches and wallets. Time and money, plain and simple.
Will employers care or offer alternative solutions? Unlikely. If your employer has then good for you, because I’m coming for your job.
The only half-decent suggestions I have are to a) beg your employer to let you work from home this week or b) fake the bubonic plague. Don’t say you have the Spanish Flu, they’ll see right through that one.
Failing that, if you need a relatively affordable, known quantity that takes you from door to door, you can always rely on Lime Bikes…
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
“Why do people insist on having very expensive stags in a cost of living crisis?”
It’s a tricky thing, stag dos. On one hand, they’re a time honoured tradition and a way for the “to be” to get out that last bit of energy before settling down for good. It’s also just a fantastic excuse to have a few shandies with your nearest and dearest.
On the other hand, I doubt you are alone in your concerns. The problem with stags is that most people only have one, many within a relatively short space of time in their lives. And they place a great deal of importance on it.
Who remembers that iconic daytime show, Don’t Tell The Bride? I think that show said it all.
If you have, say, a friendship group of ten lads, all around the same age, chances are you’ll be forking out for several such events in just a few short years.
Increasingly, it seems, people are being forced to go for a simple night on the lash and be done with it, to save everyone the trouble. This was always an option, of course, but lately it feels like more of a strategic decision than an honest preference.
Money is tight for most. At the age where stags make a regular appearance on the social calendar, you may be thinking longer term, whether it’s trying to save up for a house, starting a family. Or – ironically – you may have to think about paying for a wedding.
So, when your oldest mate comes calling and tells you to pack your bags for Ibiza, or the dreaded trip to Vegas, it’s only too natural to get tetchy.
Even the more reasonable weekends pile up during the years when people are getting hitched left and right. Add to that the expectation of some for the groom’s stag to be paid for, and you are staring down the barrel.
I generally like to avoid anything with my friends that involves serious money unless it’s an even split. People should have the right to spend theirs how they choose.
Unfortunately, a stag is more of an obligatory holiday, mired in obligation. The dumb pranks. The perfunctory excess. Plus the social pressure to buy rounds of shots for fun. Have you checked your electricity bills lately?
Worst of all, you’re spending hundreds of pounds for the privilege of meeting a bunch of people, many of whom you won’t know, and you’re hungover for almost all of it, meaning you have to pep yourself up for every event.
It’ll be interesting to see how the stag do evolves during a cost of living crisis. And, in all likelihood, it’ll have a fair few teething problems to boot.
Shots, shots, shots!
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