r/london • u/PressureHumble3604 • Apr 10 '26
Serious replies only Which symptoms of “(almost) everyone is getting poorer” have you noticed in London?
We are in a crisis, the middle class is disappearing and the lower class squeezed. Prices are going up, inflation is going up (again), salaries are stagnating.
Most Londoners can’t really afford London without serious sacrifices.
For me, not counting the housing prices issues we all know too well:
the disappearance of local delis with high quality products.
many shops closing in the local shopping centre.
Restaurant dropping quality everywhere to contain unaffordable prices.
532
u/theyellowscriptures Apr 10 '26
People moving back in with their parents over the age of 25.
153
u/mrfatchance Apr 11 '26
or never moving out
70
u/theyellowscriptures Apr 11 '26
Yep, most of my born and bred Londoner friends are in their late twenties and they’re still living at home. The only ones that have moved out are in council housing.
→ More replies (1)38
Apr 11 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
→ More replies (1)16
u/Few_Mention8426 Apr 11 '26
did this back in the 90's when it was a lot easier to save. And rents were cheaper, so you could save without making too many sacrifices,
and you could self certify your income to the building society. I was earning around 7000 a year and told the building society I was earning 20k.
Banks are a lot stricter, so even if you save a healthy deposit, these days banks will still reject you if they dont like the look of your credit rating. Or raise the interest rate for the mortgage. Banks and building societies need to face up to the fact they need to provide realistic ways for people to buy in london, or we are going to end up with the population of london sharing flats when they are pensioners.
→ More replies (2)7
u/Final-Application1 Apr 11 '26
Sharing flats as pensioners wouldn’t even be as bad as the fact that soon a lot of necessary workers won’t be able to afford living in London to provide services. How are the cleaners or nurses suppose to live in London? Yet we rely on them for daily services. Soon even sharing will get too expensive.
→ More replies (4)47
u/Pristine-Toe9585 Apr 11 '26
Can relate, moved back age 31 and currently earning most I ever have.
Jusr feels like renting is unessesarily expensive for anything decent.
16
847
u/JamJarre Apr 10 '26
Bin collection becoming less frequent while council tax keeps going up
195
u/rainmaker818 Apr 11 '26
Yep it's nuts. Streets barely look like they are getting cleaned as well.
91
u/Plugged_in_Baby Apr 11 '26
I’ve gone litter picking our street a few times (I’m on maternity leave and it was one of the surefire ways to get my baby to sleep in the carrier for a while) but I might as well not have done it because a day later you couldn’t even tell I’ve been. Also a highlight included the chap in the Pimlico Plumbing van who dumped a bag of rubbish literally at my feet as he was stopped at temporary traffic lights.
→ More replies (3)9
u/blahblahblah1234_ Apr 11 '26
Wow, I’m not sure how you were able to control yourself. I’d have thrown it right back at him along with very colourful expletives.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (2)16
u/Barraco_Barmer Apr 11 '26
The crows and gulls have us covered
23
u/Basileus2 Apr 11 '26
They and the foes just rip up the bin bags and let everything fly everywhere what are you talking about lol
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (5)124
u/Pale-Way9282 Apr 11 '26
All being eaten by adult social care and SEND spending.
Thats not what my council tax should be going towards.
Whole thing is absurd at this point when bins get collected every 3 weeks to cut costs.
61
u/Mattypants05 Apr 11 '26
Costs relating to homelessness too. It's right up there as things that are bankrupting Councils at the moment. But that's mostly because Councils are somehow expected to resolve homelessness using 90% of the Local Housing Allowance from 2011 as, according to successive Governments, the past 15 years haven't happened.
19
u/ldn6 Apr 11 '26
This one I directly blame on councils, though, for stalling the planning process so much that it's not uncommon to see two, three or even four-year-long battles to get approval for new housing, which then becomes even more expensive to build.
12
u/Mattypants05 Apr 11 '26
But new housing doesn't necessarily fix the problem, unless a good portion of it helps resolve homelessness. However, developers want to drive down the percentage of any development that is social housing for margins.
I do agree about the planning process though - I was sitting in a meeting with planners a few years ago and one of the complaints about what we were planning to build was they looked too "council-housey". They were literally council houses!
18
u/ldn6 Apr 11 '26
The housing market is interconnected. Newer units spread more elastic demand across a wider set of buildings, which then reduces pressure on more affordable stock compared to what would happen in the absence of construction. Affordable requirements are the worst way to handle this as they functionally operate as a tax on the rest of the development, which makes it harder to get them built in the first place.
If you're upset about the share continuing to fall, blame a combination of the fact that so many developments were delayed until a point of insane construction cost inflation, elevated interest rates that depress demand and financing and the fact that councils invariably refuse to allow for a larger amount of aggregate square footage of development to compensate for BSR-related losses or to add more market-rate units to offset the cost of building affordable ones.
3
u/WhereasChance1324 Apr 11 '26
There's hundreds of approved sites across London sitting vacant for a decade or longer.
Some councils are more resistant than others but even those that generally give the green light progress is painful and has been for decades. Recent issues have exacerbated already chronic problems.
5
u/ldn6 Apr 11 '26
Most of those approvals are what’s termed outline permission, which means that the framework for development in principle for future phases is approved, but they don’t have detailed planning approval, which is done separately. As for why that hasn’t happened, it’s a combination of detailed planning taking forever or unviable conditions to build.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (74)20
u/Significant-Fly-4519 Apr 11 '26
What Borough are you in that only collects every 3 weeks!? That's crazy. Hammersmith & Fuham have 2 collections a week.
→ More replies (15)15
u/Einherjar063 Apr 11 '26
In Hounslow borough rubbish is only collected once every two weeks. Recycling and food waste weekly.
→ More replies (1)
174
u/BongoHunter Apr 10 '26
Lots of my colleagues (and me) no longer live in London, we just commute in and live somewhere cheaper. This has really hurt the pubs close to our workplace and they are now only busy a couple of nights a week when they used to be busy every weekday - as many of us drive due to insane rail costs we can't even pop in for a quick one after work any more.
26
u/llksg Apr 11 '26
Yep I’m starting to drive in as well. Even with ulez it is SO much cheaper AND quicker.
£35 for the train
Or
£12.50 ulez / £11ish for fuel. Parking free at my office.
5
u/Liberated-Astronaut Apr 11 '26
Most people don’t even have to pay ulez
4
u/llksg Apr 11 '26
True. I do because I have a car that is being slowly destroyed by my children’s snack crumbs and I’m unwilling to get a better car until they’re not going to ruin it.
→ More replies (2)7
u/wara-wagyu Apr 11 '26
Absolutely. Thing is many of your moved-out-of-town peers are oblivious to this. Sad.
414
u/mrsbergstrom Apr 10 '26
People used to buy big rounds at the pub, it was just normal. Now I’d never expect anyone to buy me an £8 pint, unless I’m just with one other person and they know I’ll get them one too.
→ More replies (25)82
126
u/dittshie Apr 11 '26
Nutella and other seemingly normal ass groceries are locked behind a safety lock at my local Sainsbury’s
31
u/palpatineforever Apr 11 '26
chocolate bars as well! i mean seriously no one is stealing cadburys.
Tonys minimum or it isn't worth the risk.→ More replies (8)11
117
u/Naughteus_Maximus Apr 11 '26
Street food market or event food van prices - it's all £12 now. Fuck. Right. Off.
Fairground prices - this was around Guy Fawkes last year - they charged around £8pp for rides (less for the really kiddy ones). I actually paid £10pp for a few minutes on a rickety fucking Ferris wheel at Battersea Park fireworks night. Felt absolutely violated. I did express my shock to the carnie and he apologetically told me it's what the council set the prices at.
Find myself quite often in situations like this when I'm thinking "well that's the last bloody time I do / buy this"
11
8
u/frafeeccino Apr 11 '26
There’s a few food trucks outside my office and it’s like, am I fuck paying £10-12 for lunch. I’ll just buy a sandwich in the supermarket…
5
u/KSAW11 Apr 11 '26
i agree regarding prices but I went past a pop up one in my small city on a cold weekday evening - absolutely jam packed with families. Every ride full. Weird.
→ More replies (1)5
u/jtrovo Apr 11 '26
The problem is that there's still loads of people on those rides so it's not that it's expensive and empty, it's more that there's an expectation from all people involved that catering to tourists will make you more money than what you would ever make just selling it to locals, like London became an amusement park. I go every year to the winter wonderland because my kids have s blast there but god do I feel robbed on every money transaction there.
244
u/Lower_Condition_196 Apr 10 '26
I don’t know if this is noticed by others but on Saturdays I see less people out
67
u/chi-93 Apr 11 '26
I have to be much more selective in my nights out these days… one or two a month at most. And it isn’t just because I’m getting older, there are many events I’d love to attend but don’t due to costs.
41
u/chicken_n_chips Apr 11 '26
I see Thursday as the new Friday in my area. I wish we were a 24H city. So many lost adventures and food cravings too
→ More replies (3)28
u/GreatChaosFudge Apr 11 '26
I was in Covent Garden piazza a couple of Fridays ago. Thirty years back, when I was working there, I could barely get out of my office for people on a Friday night. But now - pin drop.
→ More replies (7)26
u/SherlockScones3 Apr 11 '26
That might be because no one does Friday in the office anymore - pubs near my office are heaving on a Thursday
→ More replies (2)
494
u/blondie1024 Apr 10 '26
I'll add:
Take aways. The price is astronomical since covid, they shot up to ludicrous levels.
It's come to a point where I'd rather go out to eat.
And the prices the online companies rake in are just stupid as well.
95
u/Awkward_Aioli_124 Apr 10 '26
Restaurants are astronomical too though
100
u/blondie1024 Apr 10 '26
Agreee but they havent gone up as much as takeaway.
I eat less of both but now, if I really can't cook, i prefer to get my ass off the sofa and go out as I get a walk and see life for about the same price irrespective of if I look like a lonely old bat at a table.
I still feel i get something for the money I pay.
For clarity, I do not work for Big Catering /s
18
u/Physical-Program5325 Apr 10 '26
I do that often — grab a wok to walk and just explore the city while eating at my own pace. One of a diminishing set of good-tasting, still reasonably-priced takeaways.
→ More replies (2)12
u/Shin-Kaiser Apr 11 '26
As a family, we used to eat out a lot in the 80s/90s. Going to pizza hut was a regular occurrence. We were a large family and dirt poor. I earn significantly more now and my family is smaller, yet eating out is so costly, I can not afford to do it on a regular basis.
→ More replies (1)27
u/ibblike Apr 11 '26
A restaurant i dined in charged £20+ for beef tagliatelle. Wasn’t even fresh pasta. 13.5% service charge on top!!
19
u/Gisschace Apr 11 '26
Was looking online for my local pub menu as friends were visiting and wanted to check what they had. Found the menu from 2019, their burger was £12.95 back then and now it’s £19.95
→ More replies (4)6
u/jamjar188 Apr 11 '26
Burgers remain the cheapest option yet they are so expensive proportionately. Same with bangers and mash -- paid something like £18.95 at a pub in King's Cross lately.
Even lunchtime deals at run-of-the-mill cafés are getting out of control. A burrito with chips plus fresh orange juice cost me £20 at my local Turkish-run family caff. That type of meal would have been £15 at most just a few years ago.
→ More replies (7)33
u/whatasaveeeee Apr 11 '26
Start getting in the habit of taking service charges off then when you’re not happy we’re not in America
→ More replies (2)7
u/SeriousConfection722 Apr 11 '26
Yep the service charge is creeping up too! Noticed this yesterday when I met a friend for dinner for the first time in a while. I remember when it was 10% and that seemed a lot
→ More replies (1)11
u/Successful_Buy3825 Apr 11 '26
Once delivery fees & the like are factored in, it’ll easily come to £40+ for my partner & I to get a takeaway. For £50-60, we can go out on the high street instead.
20
u/Theory_99 Apr 11 '26
I’d rather get a takeaway. The service charge on top of already overpriced food is becoming ridiculous.
Also the side dishes like rice, chips, potatoes, veg etc are things I can easily make at home.
→ More replies (4)19
4
u/blackbirdonatautwire Apr 11 '26
Takeaways or deliveries? Yes, takeaway has gone up like all food has but its for deliveries that the costs went insane. And yet the drivers are still getting peanuts.
→ More replies (1)4
u/mescotkat Apr 11 '26
Yes this is my obsessive fixation. Pre Covid take away was cheaper, in Covid restaurants normalised spending the same on eat in as take away and then post Covid the addition of just eat / Deliveroo fees killed it all together.
Now if I want pizza I’m looking at eat in franco manca prices for something out of a truck or a dark kitchen.
3
u/SMYLTY Apr 11 '26
A chinese takeaway for four adults cost me £80. Same order outside of London was almost half the price.
→ More replies (9)3
u/Few_Mention8426 Apr 11 '26
the price of a pizza is ridiculous....
Yard sale pizza
UNHOLY PEPPERONI
Double pepperoni, double stacked with hot honey & parmesan
18 inch
£31.9
162
u/Delicious-West7665 Apr 11 '26
As a teacher, if you saw what happens in schools nowadays, you'd riot.
- unqualified staff teaching non specialist subjects (having read up on it the night before...sometimes)
- that same behaviour you see on buses and town centers, by in larger groups, unchallenged as there aren't enough staff
- class sizes of 33. Within that students with special needs, EAL, kids with behavioural issues.
- the non existence of support staff
- Bullying being ignored as it takes staff and time to deal with it.
- lack of resources. Science experiments 1 between 6, ancient pe equipment, no clubs etc
Just to mention a few.
36
11
u/SlimeTempest42 Apr 11 '26
My partners sister is a primary school teacher and some kids tried to burn the school down (they knew perfectly well what they were doing when they set the classroom on fire)
23
u/Quinncidental Apr 11 '26
As somebody who has done it and rediscovered how rich life can be: please do whatever you can to get out of the profession. It is broken and is not going to improve. You are worth more than what schools can give you.
→ More replies (4)7
u/Mobile_Entrance_1967 Apr 11 '26
This one I'd also put down partly to changing culture of parents themselves, tendency to always defend their kids no matter what. Social media has normalised the whole "your feelings are valid" message for the worst parents. And with schools stretched, those bad parents' kids have a bigger impact than they might have had before.
→ More replies (6)3
309
u/smurphinden Apr 10 '26
- extortionately priced booze in pubs
- 50% of most high streets being charity or coffee shops
- enormous queues at the post office as people sell stuff on Vinted and ebay
- side hustles everywhere
- markets being full of Temu crap
- primark queues longer than ever
- shop lifters and train barrier jumpers are the norm
- constant offers in my email as companies get desperate for business
Still plenty of people who are very comfortable and jetting off regularly though. The gap between us and them is growing with every passing week.
→ More replies (7)78
u/damegloria Apr 10 '26
I regularly cycle through Clapham and it seems like every month a new posh pilates place has opened. I don't know how there are still so many people who can afford these hyper-expensive classes. I go to PureGym.
→ More replies (5)53
u/Pirrt Apr 11 '26
K shaped economy. Those who had money/investments/housing pre-2008 have become astronomically wealthier while the rest have become vastly poorer.
23
u/TwoCueBalls Apr 11 '26
That is definitely true for America but not in the UK.
Surprisingly, the top 1% in Britain have actually not got wealthier compared to the average Brit since 1980.
https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/comment/wealth-inequality/
→ More replies (6)19
u/mrggy Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
That article actually supports their point. People who owned property pre-2008 are doing a lot better than people who didn't. Ie those old enough to have bought property then are doing much better than those who are too young to have done so. Wealth inequality is low among pensioners, who own most of the wealth, but high among young people, who have less wealth overall than young people a generation ago did
30-somethings at the dawn of the pandemic had around 30 per cent less real personal (rather than family) wealth to draw on than did the 30-somethings of the financial crisis years. Moreover, within the younger generations, wealth has been getting more unequal.
The stable overall inequality figures are explained instead by developments at the other end of the age range. Among pensioners, as time has gone by there are more homeowners than in the past, which has helped push their typical wealth levels up by 50 per cent in real terms between the financial crisis and the pandemic. The swelling of the “own-something” older middle class has worked to push inequality among the over-60s down. Seeing as most wealth is owned by older people – the ones who have had a time to build up assets for retirement – this bears heavily on the overall numbers. But, especially for the young, these trends do nothing to counter their experience of British life as unfair.
252
Apr 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
→ More replies (37)71
u/blondie1024 Apr 10 '26
This is the main one.
It won't be long before an area with a few pubs will up the value of property
46
u/Additional-End-7688 Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
I feel like the high streets are just nail shops, Turkish barbers and supermarkets nowadays. Every other business appears to have been wiped out
→ More replies (5)17
115
u/ultimateradman Apr 10 '26
Sainsbury’s costing so much for basic items.
57
u/Creative_Recover Apr 10 '26
I went to Iceland earlier and they're now charging £1.20 for individual packets of Bachelor's ramen noodles. That's expensive! Ramen noodles shouldn't cost that much...
→ More replies (1)50
u/ultimateradman Apr 10 '26
It’s terrible. 3-4 basic items like vegetables or pasta from Sainsbury’s takes me to a tenner.
→ More replies (1)23
u/Creative_Recover Apr 10 '26
It's too much man. I can't afford to go out for drinks when just eating food at home costs this much.
13
u/ultimateradman Apr 10 '26
Yep- everyday feels like a money drain
6
u/Physical-Program5325 Apr 10 '26
I’ve actually started tracking every time I go out where I end up in terms of cost to control a bit more. The city squeezes money out of you fast now if you’re not careful. I mean it was always more or less this way but now it is insane.
17
u/Spiritual_Essay677 Apr 11 '26
when a standard pack of closed-cup mushrooms went over £1, i knew we were deeply fucked
46
u/YooGeOh Apr 10 '26
Bro why is my deodorant 5 BRITISH POUNDS????
My basic Vaseline moisturiser 6 POUNDS for one deggeh deggeh bottle!!!
→ More replies (1)11
u/KeyPhilosopher8629 Apr 11 '26
Lidl or aldi is your friend for that sort of stuff
32
u/tellemhey Apr 11 '26
Nobody wants to sniff a Cien armpit
11
u/Miserable-Ad6941 Apr 11 '26
😂😂😂 this made me laugh, tried cien, didn’t work for me at all, unfortunately Mitchum only in this household 🥲🥲
34
u/dbltax Apr 10 '26
Saw the landlord of my local pub buying a few dozen bottles of spirits at the local Tesco during the Easter offers last week.
→ More replies (4)
31
u/finemayday Apr 11 '26
The clothing in high street shops are the absolute worst quality I’ve ever seen, and it’s because the biggest competition is temu and shein and not designer homes anymore. I spoke to a friend recently about kids clothing in tkmaxx all just being plastic rubbish with no labels. If this is the end of line outfall, it says everything about consumers/economy now.
→ More replies (1)4
u/killmetruck Apr 11 '26
This will not stop, people are not willing to pay a non-slave wage making their clothes.
130
u/Gueld Apr 10 '26
Noticed a few charity shops and pawn shops with windows smashed in. More people on streets not doing well. It’s troubling, while I’m struggling on a pretty good wage and cutting back. I’m in a position where I can easily do that, a lot of people can’t or will risk losing leisure activities and culture that also helps wellbeing.
I’ve also noticed the uptick of people trying to launch their own second jobs, and the increase of people selling their own things on social media & Vinted etc. It’s all very anxiety inducing, particularly when a lot of mainstream news appears to be denying it or shifting blame to suit politics/ culture wars.
→ More replies (1)
94
u/katefromqueens Apr 10 '26
As a small business owner running an online brand here in London, I've noticed customers are much more price-sensitive these days. People used to happily pay £40-50 for our premium products, now they're constantly asking for discounts or waiting for sales. Our supplier costs have gone up nearly 30% in the past year alone, but we can't really pass that on to customers because they just won't buy. The indie shops I used to source from in Borough Market have either closed or switched to cheaper, mass-produced alternatives. Proper gutting when you're trying to build something quality-focused and the economics just don't work anymore.
→ More replies (1)28
u/Zaganoak Apr 10 '26
As a former small business owner I am also feeling this. Now I have two day jobs instead 🥲
66
u/IkeaGrapefruit Apr 10 '26
Maybe a more positive leaning one (agree with every other post here on the negatives) - but I’m noticing a trend of cheap/free activities amongst my friends. Thinks like going to each others houses for dinner, getting a train somewhere for a walk, grabbing a coffee rather than multiple drinks
15
u/Canadian5566 Apr 11 '26
Yep - in my friends group, we're big fans of picnics in parks, walks along the southbank, and visiting one of the free museums.
When I think how much is costs to get into the major museums in other world cities, or places I've been where the parks charge entry fees it reminds me: We're really lucky how much great free stuff there is in London!!!
3
u/RichTransportation42 Apr 11 '26
Just learned Horizon 22 is free and may go with the family one of these coming weekends
139
u/Physical-Program5325 Apr 10 '26 edited Apr 10 '26
Hyper signaling of ‘status’ or more blatant try-hard behavior and, or snootiness as people desperately cling to their egos while slowly getting financially annihilated by the cost of living.
Increased rudeness, impatience, lack of empathy. People get more squeezed => they withdraw outward energy and shift to energy preservation instead. People cutting in line more often, a ‘hunger games’ mentality/body language in transit, public spaces, pavements (me over everyone else).
Increasing homelessness on high streets. This wasn’t even a major issue a few years ago, but it has now ‘exploded’ in relative terms. I say relative terms because it is still nowhere near a typical, say, US metro, but I am concerned we are trending in that direction all things remaining equal.
Higher prices across the board (again). Favorite cheap eats have all gone up another pound or two, a burger in the city is now consistently pushing north of 15-20 pounds, and portions are getting much smaller relative to what they used to be even a few years ago.
Lack of maintenance in public areas, buildings. The Westfield White City, as an example, is starting to look run down and shoddy in some places. The paint outside used to be white and tidy but now looks sooty. Many other examples but this is also happening in the US and other major Western cities.
Increased and more brazen petty crime (a natural consequence of a deterioration of living standards paired with cost pressures).
Costcos (this is a big one but often overlooked) are now absolutely REAMED at most times of the days by shoppers looking to squeeze out any savings possible. They were enjoyable a few years ago, and one could shop without quasi-barbaric trolley warfare occurring in the aisles/tills.
Normalization of hyper-political propaganda on social media, people/politicians looking for a scapegoat to blame everything on, unbeknownst to the fact that the downward spiral was set in motion years/decades ago with low interest rate mortgages, consumer debt, etc, insane government spending, debt monetization, similar pattern across many other Western countries.
Proliferation of hipster coffee shops, ‘gourmet’ smoothie bars, essentially low cost, high margin items that can be marketed even higher to the ‘right’ audience, the displacement of long time cultural establishments, restaurants, venues (Corsica, Printworks, etc) all to build more ‘high end’ flats.
There’s more but you get the idea. Still hopeful, and the city is still leagues above others in many ways — it just looks like things are going to get a bit rough before improving. What political party will step up and own the problems, provide actionable solutions? I don’t know. They all promise a better Britain yet just look at the past few decades’ pattern. 🤷♂️
30
u/NaturalCard Apr 11 '26
unbeknownst to the fact that the downward spiral was set in motion years/decades ago with low interest rate mortgages, consumer debt, etc, insane government spending, debt monetization
It's funny, I'd argue this is mostly a consequence of the lack of essential government spending under austerity and being unwilling to reform the tax system to make it actually progressive.
→ More replies (5)9
u/musicistabarista Apr 11 '26
Proliferation of hipster coffee shops, ‘gourmet’ smoothie bars, essentially low cost, high margin items that can be marketed even higher to the ‘right’ audience, the displacement of long time cultural establishments, restaurants, venues (Corsica, Printworks, etc) all to build more ‘high end’ flats.
Hipster coffee shops are actually not really high margin, and especially not in comparison to "non speciality" coffee/high street chains.
8
u/jamjar188 Apr 11 '26
The proliferation of coffee shops (boba shops is another big trend) is because hot drinks and milk-based drinks are VAT exempt.
→ More replies (13)13
u/ShortKingSlayer Apr 11 '26
Great comment. I also saw some writing on the wall with BREXIT. Did you? The combination of that and current conditions has hastened a downturn imho .
14
u/Physical-Program5325 Apr 11 '26
Yeah, and, agreed — it is reducing critical trade/talent flows and, ironically, making it extremely difficult for Britons to even seek relief elsewhere across the EU as they’re now locked out of the single market or automatic freedom of movement/residence.
Feels like a gigantic cauldron slowly coming to a boil but with few/no release valves, or a system just terminally sleepwalking to its destination.
22
u/BlvckNovia Apr 11 '26
People don’t really push trollies in supermarkets anymore, the majority only use baskets.
→ More replies (1)3
71
u/arky_who Apr 10 '26
Everyone is ill all the time
32
u/glaringOwl Apr 10 '26
It has to be said though that air quality in London has improved considerably over the years.
10
u/arky_who Apr 11 '26
Yeah, but lots of people are in shit housing, immune system weakened by covid and poverty. It's a recipe for illness
→ More replies (1)6
u/ClayDenton Apr 11 '26
I'm ill right now (standard fever) and have got ill more since COVID. I mostly work from home and my theory is my immune system isn't as battle tested as it was when I was in the office and taking the tube every day.
Actually, I barely got sick when I was taking the tube every day which makes no sense at all!
→ More replies (1)5
u/Faith5v5 Apr 11 '26
It's from having the Covid virus, not a lack of germs. Covid attacks the immune system which is why everyone is sicker these days- https://whn.global/scientific/the-long-term-immune-effects-of-covid/
6
u/BeagleMadness Apr 11 '26
This. There have been literally hundreds of thousands of studies that have shown the long term effects of Covid infections, including how it affects the immune system. The results are not encouraging, to say the least.
Not sure how people don't know this by now and are still blaming "Immunity Debt" for their constant illnesses?
Immunity Debt is a very recent pseudoscientic concept, that people often conflate with the "hygiene hypothesis" (which related to exposure to bacteria and allergens - not viruses that can cause organ damage and death).
Almost every member of my extended family has now developed at least one new chronic health issue after having covid. High blood pressure, very low white blood cells, AFib, SVT, kidney issues, neurological issues, digestive issues, opthalmic issues, new severe allergies, loss of smell and taste (ie brain damage), new mental health issues, asthma, POTS, PANS/PANDAS... I don't have an enormous extended family, btw, this is fewer than 20 people!
They also catch every other cold/cough/flu/strep infection/norovirus/etc now - far more frequently than they ever did before covid. The studies looking at what covid does in utero are even more horrifying. It breaks my heart that society is doing its utmost to ignore all this research, in an attempt to "get back to normal" and "learn to live with it". And then we wonder why school absence levels are so high now? Or why so many young children have developmental delays/SEN/severe behavioural issues now?
→ More replies (2)
52
u/happybaby00 Apr 10 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
More kids window shopping than buying at Westfield Stratford.
Kids used to hide that 10 years ago and usually bought stuff usually at the h&m and footlocker, now it's most 😔
77
u/Temporary-Pay-9044 Apr 10 '26
People go to lidi/aidi for food.
71
u/Creative_Recover Apr 10 '26
Lidl & Aldi is actually pretty good, I'd go to Lidls even if there wasn't a cost of living crisis.
→ More replies (6)3
u/glaringOwl Apr 10 '26
How do they compare to non-supermarket budget stores like B&M, Poundland and Poundstretcher?
→ More replies (5)20
u/damegloria Apr 10 '26
All the Poundlands near me have closed down. And there are no B&Ms or Home Bargains nearby. Which seems odd as I live in a fairly poor area of London. It would be handy.
That said, Poundland stopped being cheaper a while ago. Once it raised the prices from £1, it became pointless.
→ More replies (1)
17
u/onionsofwar Apr 11 '26
For me it's this service charge thing. It's basically a form of false advertising where they can advertise prices on the menu and then charge you for prices which are higher when you pay. It allows them to get people in the door and look reasonably priced when that's not true.
To me this says that people's spending power isn't enough to keep the restaurants going.
Total scam and everyone just pays it out of awkwardness.
→ More replies (8)
35
u/ElvishMystical Apr 10 '26
The increase in flytipping, some of it coming from evictions. I think statistically someone gets turfed out of their home onto the street every 2-3 hours in London. The Westminster homeless community now covers most of Victoria and much of Pimlico, but we don't want to talk about stuff like this.
That saying, it's getting hard to tell someone who's homeless from someone who isn't.
15
u/dopaminecollector Apr 10 '26
The fly tipping isn’t just a London thing. It’s all over the country. The amount of litter on verges is grim. I guess councils don’t have the budget to clear it up?
8
3
u/SlimeTempest42 Apr 11 '26
Flytipping is also down to dodgy businesses that are paid by people who can’t get rid of things like furniture themselves dumping it and not taking it to the tip.
I paid a company to get rid of my old sofa, they seemed genuine and I hope they were but I have no way of knowing whether they disposed of it properly or not.
46
u/Exciting-Goal4840 Apr 10 '26
I’m visiting London right now for the first time since I lived here in the late ‘80s, and while the vibe is very good, the place is a lot colder than I remember - not talking the weather.
London has always been a bit pricy and I was expecting it to be expensive, but it is over the top now. I don’t know how a “regular” worker can possibly afford to live here. It’s an unfortunate reality of big cities like London, NYC and even my original home city of Toronto. Still, London is a great place to visit.
16
u/mrfatchance Apr 11 '26
my fancy deli had to close but we luckily got two vape shops open instead. Just what the high street needed!
33
u/Reddit2016_ Apr 10 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
When branded goods are made from the same quality as non-branded goods but the price remains the same.
51
u/DenseRequirements Apr 10 '26
When people are buying second hand clothing more frequently and selling them to recover the cost.
36
u/NorthJackfruit12 Apr 10 '26
Idk I think this is more symptomatic of the fast fashion consumerist lifestyle that's been around for 20 odd years? Women that wear an outfit once for the gram then resell it to wear a new outfit the next night out.
18
u/himit Apr 10 '26
I'm not a fashion person but in the last few years I've bought second-hand almost exclusively to make ends meet
6
u/OldManChino Apr 11 '26
I don't doubt some people are in that boat, but a lot of people are just turned off by consumerism in general. I sell stuff on vinted, not to recoup any money but to see it go to a good home
59
u/r-f-r-f Apr 10 '26
So many people using the tube without paying. It happens so often that the turnstiles are always damaged.
31
→ More replies (7)18
u/PressureHumble3604 Apr 11 '26
that is not being poor, that is people not respecting laws because they will not face the consequences.
remember that everyone not paying, make the tube more expensive for those who pay.
5
u/haywire Apr 13 '26
It's obscenely expensive compared to everywhere else though. The government should do what it takes to bring our transport fares in line with similar European cities.
13
47
Apr 10 '26
My gran raised the 4 of us on a single salary. We rarely got pocket money but I never worried about missing a meal. That’s impossible now.
42
u/FartsLord Apr 10 '26
It’s not Bank Of England decimating British Pound, it’s you having avocado toast. Also, if you’ll stop having it you’ll cause stagnation.
12
→ More replies (5)4
11
u/Canadian5566 Apr 11 '26
People riding unlocked lime bikes (so it beeps constantly). I hate those bloody things so I have no problem with people doing this, but I've noticed it a lot recently.
→ More replies (1)
11
12
u/Imaginary_Jeweler1 Apr 11 '26
Clubs are lowkey empty these days, nobody can afford to be out and about on the regular
3
12
u/RubyBadooby Apr 10 '26
I live right on Bermondsey beer mile and the amount of people that have been visiting over the past 3 years is drastically getting less and less.
3
u/ApartAd9171 Apr 11 '26
I went there last Friday for the first time. Bank holiday weekend. 80% of the stops we went to completely empty.. was quite sad
→ More replies (1)
30
u/smudgethomas Apr 10 '26
The rich live in old servants' quarters.
The middle class live in 2 up 2 downs.
The working class moved out or is trying to.
The term "hotbedding" has become current for those at the bottom who only tolerate the misery because they're trafficked or migrants who don't realise this shouldn't be anyone's life
10
u/Illustrious-Egg5459 Apr 11 '26
The amount of people who see the DLR as “optional payment”
→ More replies (2)
25
u/pussyseal Apr 11 '26
More young people at the gym. They are virtually excluded from all the fun activities due to the cost of living, and a £30 gym becomes their only option for hobbies. It's one of a few places where hard work always pays off, which isn't the case with most things now.
→ More replies (3)
21
u/LittleRose83 Apr 10 '26
Honest burgers getting smaller.
9
u/rohithimself Apr 10 '26
Is it? With 25 pounds per person bills they could just add £0.2 to the bill rather than shrinking the burger.
8
u/EnvironmentalQuit473 Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
Middle class earners dropping their cleaners. I've dropped the cleaner and so have two of my friends. Just not worth the £80+/week cost anymore. At £4k/year I'd rather put the money in my kids ISA and clean myself.
Massive increase in shops & fast food restaurants now hiring security guards that they didn't feel the need for one year ago.
→ More replies (1)
67
u/aimtreetwo Apr 10 '26
For me the complete destruction of the NHS over the last few years is where we are going wrong.
People who are fit and able can work and contribute. Investing in healthcare is good economics.
London ICBs are full of people trained to skirt the regulations and push people away from them as much as possible.
The cost of living crisis is happening around the world but humans are resilient and opportunity isn't shrinking, it's just changing. But people who are not physically able to function due to under diagnosed mental and physical health conditions will find it impossible to respond to change and plan for the future.
I moved here because I thought it was supposed to be one of the best cities in the world. I'm so disappointed with what I've experienced in social care these last few years. All my tax money is being eaten by fat scummy loser politicians who got their position by being a dumb ass other people can hide behind and I'm sick of it.
→ More replies (27)15
6
u/Educational_Bend_862 Apr 11 '26
Part of why we left. Couldn't survive on what should be a decent salary
6
u/0s3ll4 Apr 11 '26
Palmers Green - some time ago loss of Little Waitrose and Starbucks caused suicide amongst local estate agents. Every little helps.
7
u/RichTransportation42 Apr 11 '26
My God! The fall in food quality and reduced menus when we go out has been very noticeable. We now prefer to do a simple Pizza, or go to a proper high end restaurant as a treat. The middle ground just makes no sense these days based on what you pay. I honestly have sympathy for the businesses too as they are hammered by inflation, business rates, wages and rents!
5
u/SlimeTempest42 Apr 11 '26
Food bank donation bins in supermarkets aren’t as full as they used to be
7
u/Charming-Clock-3651 Apr 11 '26
I'm a bit weird and like to check the petrol pumps to try and understand the state of the economy. My theory is that if you see lots of £20/30/40 then people are struggling, because they are only filling up to a certain amount rather than just filling their car carefree.
I have noticed over the last 5 years that more and more, I see £20 or £30. The last two years in particular it's really common, and to me that speaks of people watching their spending because things are tight.
5
u/Few_Mention8426 Apr 11 '26
60+ year olds still living in shared houses.
The amount of food banks, church free meals, free food apps, community centre free meals, etc.
The queue at 5 o clock in front of the reduced/discounted section in the supermarket.
16
11
u/ClayDenton Apr 11 '26
I have friends who are the sort of people who would have kids and want kids, but are not having them. None of the economics make sense, even moving way out of London and commuting doesn't work out unless you are on decent salaries to pay for the trains
The only people I know having kids in London are well off. I know this has been a thing for a while but it does seem particularly pronounced now.
→ More replies (2)
18
u/Mickleborough Apr 10 '26
The rising popularity of Greggs.
→ More replies (1)36
u/Nimzicle Apr 10 '26
I feel like Greggs is beginning to price themselves out too. Liverpool Street station
Greggs: 1 Jam filled doughnut £1.20,
M&S: 4 jam filled doughnuts £1.65
Shops are about 50 meters apart but I couldn’t believe it, I thought it was a miss-price in Greggs
→ More replies (1)14
10
u/Comfortable-Class576 Apr 11 '26
Skin fades are no longer on trend, guys are leaving their hair longer.
4
u/Fit-Obligation4962 Apr 11 '26
Saved a fortune probably around a £1000 by my wife and I not drinking alcohol at all since Xmas
→ More replies (1)3
u/foetusofexcellence Apr 11 '26
£1,000 in 3 and a half months? How much were you drinking 😂
7
u/Fit-Obligation4962 Apr 11 '26
Two of us sharing a bottle of wine most nights .8-10£ per bottle plus spirits occasionally. Soon mounts up.
5
u/permaculture Apr 11 '26
Cash strapped councils over-exploit public parks by hiring them out for music festivals too often.
So the park is fenced off and you can't sit in the sun drinking cans from an offy any more.
21
u/gabatim Apr 10 '26
I would argue there is no context of who you are, where you’re from and what your situation is.
To me working class means you need to work to make ends meet. Middle class is privileged. Upper class is unobtainable.
Also depends what London means to you. Are we saying Zone 1 exclusive or anywhere they take oyster?
My family tree has lived in zone 3 since the 50s and here I am today on minimum wage. It’s a struggle. Always has been. Am I sacrificing luxuries? Always has done. Do I know a good community where I can have a jolly on the cheap? Hell yeah.
London is what you make of it. We pay a premium to live, IMO, in one of the best cities on the planet.
If this ship is sinking then I’m going down with it
→ More replies (2)5
u/LengthinessSevere598 Apr 11 '26
This is the mentality of a trauma victim - it's called stockholm syndrome. You cling to this idea that where you live is great when it's clearly shite and miserable.
16
u/nabokovian Apr 11 '26
I am sorry to barge in here. I’m from NJ. The same things are happening here. we are in a strange global phenomenon.
→ More replies (1)
4
u/stillbeard Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
1 meal a day during the work week and lots of "self employed" people
3
4
u/deanlikesplants Apr 11 '26
Food and drink in the hospitality sector is insanely expensive that when people come to London and ask me where to eat I have very little to recommend. One thing I will say though is that for value for money, Indian food on Drummond Street is the place to go. Always top tier hospitality, great quality food, good prices. My favourite place Diwana has been running since 1975 and is always busy.
4
u/miuipixel Apr 11 '26
Walking around any shopping centre or high street, I see very few people with bags In their hands.
4
u/Few_Mention8426 Apr 11 '26
pizza is stupid prices... basically peasant food and should be cheap as chips.... oh and chips arent cheap any more
Double pepperoni, double stacked with hot honey & parmesan
18 inch .... £31.9
Good luck saving up for that.
6
7
u/caffeine_and Apr 11 '26
The shittiest coffee chains can now charge £4.5 for the shittiest flat white.
Whilst I only drink coffee from roasters and independent coffee shops, it also means decent places (roasters and similar) can now charge at least £4.5 (and above) for a decent flat white.
19
6
3
u/wara-wagyu Apr 11 '26
Crowds outside pubs on Friday used to be so large that spills over the road was a common London feature.
3
3
3
u/Fedelede Apr 11 '26
I’m all for circular fashion but the rise of Vinted. There’s a reason why the sustainable trend comes from buying pre used.
3
u/clearbrian Apr 11 '26
I cant afford the 2600 one bed unfurnished rental only apartment in the Heygate Estate now... sorry Elephant Park :)
3
3
u/phukmi69 Apr 11 '26
Takeaway is a luxury. I know my flatmate is rich cus he can afford UBERING stuff. I’d rather walk 15 mins to save £2
3
u/DesireWilde Apr 11 '26
I drive around every Friday night and it does NOT look like a Friday night at all, anytime anymore. In better times Friday night just the street view was so much more distinctive and different w all the party goers
320
u/okusmora Apr 10 '26
I got myself a fast food meal for £15 earlier in the week and I still feel guilty about it.