Members and Non Members pricing ?

It’s only a few bucks, and means that visitors subsidise members (if only a little). Membership to these clubs is typically pretty cheap, so its worth joining if you are going to go there regularly.

This is not just a common practice in Canberra, it’s a common practice in clubs all around Australia.

A local north Canberra football club that I’ve been known to frequent has $12 members meal (lunch and dinner) specials Sunday – Wednesday inclusive. Just your basic stuff, Chicken Schnitzel, Battered Fish & Chips, Sausages and Mash, Rump Steak and a couple of others.

The RUC in Barton has member/non-member pricing on its menu. I can’t remember what the difference was, but I remember thinking it was quite steep. I do have Scottish ancestry.

Whatever the price, member or non-member, it’s not worth the bits of melted plastic in your steak; thanks a lot RUC. And where have my $8 jugs of Coopers gone?

Without a skerrick of a doubt, the club in question reserves its tenderest steaks, crispest chips and freshest salads for the non-members, and that is why you pay more. It’s not fair on the members, who have to make do with the re-heated microwaved pizza slices, but once they’ve got your membership money, you’re no longer an attractive target.

With most clubs around Canberra I think the most you will pay for membership is $7 a year, if you buy two meals you’ve nearly saved that much already.

One of the clubs I goto has Members specials, which are the same as whats on the Menu only cheaper, and I think I paid $7 for a 5 year membership there…

Workers clubs in the newcastle area do it. Havne’t been to enough clubs in the ACT to have noticed it here.

I’ve seen it at a couple of clubs, but can’t remember which ones.

On a similar note, many of the better pubs in Canberra have VIP cards [for want of a better name] that give regular customers a discount. A couple of the pubs I frequent give about 20% off regular prices [food and drink] and have special card holder deals, such as $3 schooners during lunch time. They don’t advertise these cards, but they have them.

It encourages you to join up – and if it’s more than 10 bucks a year I’d be astounded.

AND (and this is the big and) the more members on its books, the stronger the argument the club has when it applies for more pokies.

Either way it’s a very common thing – even the Coogee Bay Hotel does it – so it’s not restricted to clubs…

Why wouldn’t it be? It’s a private members’ club so if you’re not a member, then how will you be funding the amenity otherwise?

(And can I just say that I have no idea of what the point of these “private” clubs actually is. For people who like to say, “Let’s go to MY CLUB for a slab of crappy meat, sauce out of a tin and everything fried on the side”? Any pub can supply the same thing.)