Yay Delay

YAY DELAY

The weekend is here which means lots of people will be travelling around the country for their weekend plans… seeing family, friends – having a weekend away.

For lots of us that means jumping in our car and hitting the road, however for others, it means using the Great British public transport…! And for about 95% of that time it is pretty great… however for that 5% when it isn’t, to put it politely – it can really screw you over. The worst thing is getting to the train station and looking up the screens to see that your train has been delayed – nightmare!

And one brand has jumped on this disappointing 5%, and yes, of course in this day and age, it’s a gin brand that’s done the jumping.

Gordon’s Gin has set up camp in Waterloo station in London today and is potentially offering free or half priced G&Ts between 5pm-6pm, if the brands ‘delay algorithm’ works out that enough trains are delayed, the price will fall until they become free. Winning, right? Well, you still have a delayed train and are subsequently going to be late to your destination, but a free gin and tonic on Friday night is sure to sweeten a somewhat disappointing deal. Gordon’s is spreading the word on Twitter with the hashtag #YayDelay, all you need to do is get on Twitter with the relevant hashtag and then you get your free G&T at Waterloo station…provided trains are delayed of course.

There could be a slight problem with the idea, as what happens if tonight between 5pm and 6pm, there are no delays at Waterloo station?! Surely that pops Gordon’s stunt balloon? To give you an idea about the amount of trains that will be departing, between 11am and 12pm today, there are a total of 42 trains scheduled to leave Waterloo Station, which is approximately one every 90 seconds. Of course, rush hour strikes at 5pm, so likelihood is that there will be a load more trains…meaning chances of no delays are slim, especially given Britain’s stereotypically delayed train network. There is always a first for everything though!

Would this mean the stunt was kaput? Of course not! Interest has been spreading far and wide with plenty of press coverage and I for one, if I was at Waterloo station this evening and my train got delayed, would definitely get on Twitter to claim my free beverage and likely, would go onto have more than one. One gin and tonic never seems to be quite enough. And that’s probably Gordon’s thinking, you have one free one, and then perhaps you’ll purchase another at full-price…you may even double-up!

And if there are no delays? Well, they’re not giving away anything for free then are they?

So if you’re at Waterloo this evening and your train gets the ever so slightest delay, head to the bar and start your weekend with long cold G&T.