Finance & economics | Free exchange

Why Oasis fans should welcome price-gouging

There are worse things in life than paying a fair price

Illustration of a black credit card with the 'oasis' logo in white, a gold chip on the left, and the Mastercard logo on the bottom right
Illustration: Álvaro Bernis

The hotly anticipated comeback of a 1990s British legend sold out fast. Fans took to social media to complain. “Poor effort and a load of hype,” wrote one. “What a shitshow,” added another. “Anyone else loving the chaos?” asked an amused onlooker. To celebrate its 30th birthday, St. John, a restaurant that pioneered modern British cooking, brought back its menu from 1994, along with prices from 1994. As punters rushed to take advantage, tables were booked up in seconds—leaving most empty-handed.

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This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Stop crying your heart out”

From the September 7th 2024 edition

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