Two ice-creams for $15-20, while they normally cost $2, one juice for $16 (instead of just $2) — that’s what visitors to some popular places in St. Petersburg pay when unscrupulous vendors take advantage of the unawareness of tourists of real prices in the city, professional guides shared stories about their clients in a professional group in a social network.
It seems that the cheap ruble plays dirty tricks to many tourists who think they pay little (if calculated in their currencies), while they could have paid ten times less. We told you the story of a very naive Irishman who hailed a taxi for $267 to get to his hotel, though it really cost $10 when booking via a taxi company or even less via Uber.
The money fall for local businesses seems to continue as tourists are ready to pay. If some inflated prices are normal in many destinations across the world, there still must exist limits to it, and it’s obviously very often they don’t.
Two ice-creams for $16, the case which was told by one guide and confirmed by another who had the same situation with her clients who had paid $20, happened in the Lower Park of the Peterhof museum complex where many hawker stands are scattered across the area. Many other guides joined the conversation and added their own stories with $45 (!) for three ice-creams and four espressos for nearly $33.
And that’s not a scam or any type of fraud at all. It’s just the vendors’ rat-like cunning. Only companies authorized by the museum can operate in the Lower Park of Peterhof, no any illegal business can be conducted here so their price policy is legal.
But how come a juice costs 16$ (1000 rubles) then, while it’s price cannot be more than $2?
In case of the juice it’s simple, as the guide explained. You see a glass drawn in a menu of a hawker stand with the price indicated: 250 rubles. You buy it and are being asked to pay 1000 rubles. Why? Just because the price indicated is for 100 ml, but the glass is four times larger. Not that a trick unseen before, but it works.
In case of coffee and burgers and whatever is traded at the Lower Park, similar situations happen. You see a «basic» price without being aware of ingredients that can be added to the product you buy. And your burger with all additional ingredients added for flavour ends up a few times more expensive than you originally expected.
If you read this news, you’re likely to want to visit the Peterhof fountains. Read our post about how to get to Peterhof.