OSLO SPEKTRUM (Nettavisen): The last Friday in January, in sleet and blowing snow, is the premiere of “Disney on ice”.
The contrast is stark to the fairytale world that awaits inside, where cotton candy for NOK 190 can easily make your bank card spin.
Already in the queue for the traditional ice show, we hear a mother say: “You get one thing each. Only one!”
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“Card only”
That was a bit strict, you might think – but a few minutes later the price tags flash at you: “250”, “460”, “190”, “350”, “280”, “400” …
Here, all you have to do is fish out the bank card, because “cash is not king” here.
“Mommy, I MUST have…” This is the place for young and old alike to test their negotiation skills, we hear.
“Yes, but it’s expensive: NOK 400, then you can’t buy anything else.”
For parents in “animal time”, this is an arena where the pressure to buy explodes. You can shop before the performance, during the break after 45 minutes and after the show.
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– Extremely expensive
In the queue we meet Anna, who has her own daughter Helle (3) and nieces Alma (11) and Nor (8) with her.
– It is very expensive here! And the more children, the more expensive it gets, of course.
She says that the nieces have received NOK 300 each:
– But that is not enough.
No – for example, you have to fork out NOK 400 for a popcorn and a slush (which is almost just ice cubes).
Not only does Anna react to the “high price level”, but that there is no match between price and quality:
– If you had got back what you paid, it would have been something, says Anna – and points to examples such as the picture below:
Here there is not only price pressure, but to the highest degree plastic pressure:
– My one niece only wants the slushie, not a special plastic cup, and she therefore has to pay NOK 200 for that, says the aunt, somewhat disappointed.
Nettavisen has tried to get in touch with the organisers, but has so far received no reply.
– If it makes the children happy, then …
The popular lightsabers cost NOK 350 per piece.
Bahtiyar has her two children, aged three and seven, with her and has just bought popcorn.
– I think it’s very expensive, but if it makes the children happy, then…
For families with children, this can be an expensive affair, but we also observe some who have chosen their own solutions – bringing popcorn in small bags. The guards probably didn’t catch that.
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Popcorn: 72 percent more expensive
In various online parenting forums, the stiff prices are discussed. In 2015, popcorn cost DKK 110slush NOK 150 and cotton candy: NOK 160.
In nine years, popcorn has thus risen by NOK 80 – that is, 72 per cent.