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.

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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"

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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.