We do not sell pies

@Asylum (47893)

Manchester, England

October 15, 2015 6:25am CST

While shopping at the local precinct, I called into Greggs for my usual cup of coffee. As I was waiting for the coffee to be dispensed, a man walked up to the counter and asked “What type of pies do you have?” To my amazement the answer that he got was “We do not sell pies”. He was totally taken aback by this reply, as was I. Greggs is the largest bakery chain in the United Kingdom and has several local branches in almost every town or city. The business is geared to snacks and drinks, so naturally the display cabinets are packed with a wide variety of cakes and pasties, but not a pie to be seen anywhere. Despite being a regular customer at several branches of Greggs, I had never noticed the lack of pies on display before. I can clearly remember the days when pies were by far the most abundant sales for such establishments, so this is definitely a sign of the times.

14 people like this

14 responses

@LadyDuck (502528)

• Italy

15 Oct 15

I have noticed that pies are less popular than in the past, but I still like a good apple pie.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

15 Oct 15

I have not bought pies from a baker for quite a while, but assumed that they would be a standard item on sale.

2 people like this

@LadyDuck (502528)

• Italy

15 Oct 15

@Asylum I still see pies for sale here, usually with fruits or jam.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

15 Oct 15

@LadyDuck It is the meat, potato and cheese types that they do not sell nowadays, which is such a strange thing to stop selling.

2 people like this

Show more comments

Happy Homestead

@destry (2567)

• Kirkwall, Scotland

15 Oct 15

I always thought that they did pies! I had pie and chips for dinner last night

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

15 Oct 15

If anyone had asked me before today where the nearest place is that they could buy a pie, I would have definitely said Greggs.

2 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

16 Oct 15

@destry It would be very inconvenient if all the Greggs close to Universities did not sell pies. With out a pie the students would be unable to calculate the circumference of a circle.

1 person likes this

Happy Homestead

@destry (2567)

• Kirkwall, Scotland

15 Oct 15

@Asylum I would have thought that it was the obvious place for pies too. . They do pasties and bakes - but why not pies? Do they have an issue with the shape of a pie?

Show more comments

@Rollo1 (16676)

• Boston, Massachusetts

15 Oct 15

I wonder why a bakery wouldn't sell pies. The local bakery inside my supermarket makes pies every day, but I don't know if the bakery downtown does. Maybe people don't go to bakeries for pies anymore.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

15 Oct 15

These shops are generally extremely busy with shoppers calling for something to eat, so the available trade certainly exists.

1 person likes this

@thea09 (18305)

• Greece

16 Oct 15

I recall a big tax fuss over pies at Greggs, perhaps it put them off making them. Fancy them selling coffee though.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

16 Oct 15

The tax scenario is across the board because they have to charge 20% on any item consumed on the premises.

1 person likes this

Arthur Chappell

@arthurchappell (44941)

• Preston, England

15 Oct 15

pasties are just pies without a crust

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

16 Oct 15

Very true, but then a potato hash is a pie without pastry.

2 people like this

Arthur Chappell

@arthurchappell (44941)

• Preston, England

16 Oct 15

@Asylum not a great fan of hashes, stews, etc.

1 person likes this

@garymarsh6 (24026)

• United Kingdom

17 Oct 15

Good grief I never realised that Barry. I assumed quite wrongly so it seems that Greggs would sell pies.

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

17 Oct 15

That was precisely my attitude as well, so I was absolutely stunned to hear such a reply. Had the girl said that they had none left I would have thought nothing about it, but to say that they do not sell them was surreal.

Belle Starr (Iz)

@BelleStarr (61463)

• United States

16 Oct 15

Well that is quite disappointing. Though coffee cake is by far my favorite tea or coffee snack. I was able to find some while I was in Northern Ireland but none in the Republic.

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

16 Oct 15

Cake if not quite as substantial as a pie.

@valmnz (17095)

• New Zealand

17 Oct 15

Pies are still fairly popular here in New Zealand, especially those from bakeries as opposed to supermarkets. My local bakery makes an awesome curried chicken pie!

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

31 Oct 15

It seems the other way around here now. They are sl readily available in supermarkets but not in small bakeries.

1 person likes this

@marlina (154103)

• Canada

16 Oct 15

Shame that they don't sell pies.

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

16 Oct 15

I thought that it was absolutely absurd.

1 person likes this

@Marilynda1225 (91116)

• United States

15 Oct 15

Our local bakeries still sell pies and soon the supermarkets will be overloaded with Thanksgiving coming up next month

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

15 Oct 15

Then your local baker should open branch in England so that we can buy some too.

@Fleura (35049)

• United Kingdom

16 Oct 15

That is a bit strange. I immediately thought of meat pies; 'proper' butchers and delis still sell plenty of those.

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

16 Oct 15

Yes they do, but I would aldo expect them to be staple product for establishments such as Greggs.

1 person likes this

@troyburns (1405)

• New Zealand

16 Oct 15

What's the world coming to? Pies are still hugely popular in NZ and Australia. Most bakeries have about 20 different types to choose from.

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

17 Oct 15

They are still extremely popular in England, but apparently not at Greggs.

1 person likes this

@JamesHxstatic (29410)

• Eugene, Oregon

15 Oct 15

That is odd, a bakery with no pies. I prefer pies to cake really.

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

15 Oct 15

I would have that it was unknown until I encountered the situation today.

1 person likes this

ElizabethWallace

@ElizabethWallace (12069)

• United States

15 Oct 15

Are the pies to which you refer dessert items, like in the U.S., or are they folded over pastry with savoury fillings inside, like I saw while living in South Africa?

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

15 Oct 15

The folded over pastry items that you refer to are known as pasties here. These are pies, but instead of the fruit or sweet variety that you refer to I am talking about a savoury filling.