Regarding the shop analogy, if I go into a shop and ask specifically for Heinz baked beans, then I want Heinz baked beans and will pay for Heinz baked beans. If I ask for some baked beans, and I am sold Heinz baked beans when the own brand are 50p cheaper, I will be annoyed.
When I go to Boots to buy sleep aid tablets, they'll go for Nytol over the Boots branded (and identical ingredients, at least the active ingredient) unless I ask for the own brand.
I assume there's a lot more profit on Nytol given the price difference, just as I'm sure they'd prefer to sell branded Aspirin even if the active ingredient that is all that really matters is the same as the 20p pack.
Of course they can do what they like, but it's somewhat cheeky. But no worse than promoting deals on just certain sizes of a product, such that people buy without doing basic checks to see if other sizes are still actually cheaper if bought in multiple (or vice versa).
I guess the argument is that it's up to the customer to be on constant guard and make sure that what they're being sold is actually what they want (or would buy if they were fully aware of all the facts).
Personally, I dislike feeling like someone is always trying to con or trick me. It's why I don't shop at certain retailers whenever possible, and prefer shopping online where I can do research at a more leisurely pace. Then I only have myself to blame if I get tricked.
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If the TOCs and DaFT don't like it, frankly they should fix the bloody pricing structure.
It will happen one day. The current system is just too complicated and whether we go with the recent idea of buying online and just having our tickets 'attached' to a card that we use as a virtual smartcard, or indeed just go with smartcards (and price paper tickets at a premium to discourage usage until they eventually go), the current system can't remain.
I have absolutely no sodding clue how to fix a number of obvious issues, and am sure there will be many winners and losers - perhaps more of the latter. But that won't stop progress, whether it takes 1, 5 or 10 years.
London and other cities, or indeed other countries are all moving in that direction if they haven't already. There's nothing to say split ticketing can't still exist, but whether there will be any benefit in doing so remains to be seen.
Those hoping for no change should just hope that given how slow the railway industry works, they'll be safe for some time.