Bar-staff / club-staff..... Do they hate us all?

Stimpyone

Whist in college another life time ago I worked in a very famous city centre pub. The regular cliental were absolute arseholes… To gain my attention most of them thought it was acceptable to snap their fingers or whistle at me. The one that really ground my gears though was when certain individuals would shout boy at me, and this was at lunch time!!. The amount of times I heard “do you know who I am!!”.

On Rugby weekends when the place was heaving they used to tap the Guinness taps with Murphy’s……. zero complaints… Fact.

God I still shudder when I think of that place, although the bar card came in useful.

Special Agent Oso

Every bar has regulars who are just assholes, it seems to be a way of life. I worked as a barman for around a year and i could handle that, you got to know who the assholes were and how to treat them. The one i had the problem with were the ones that wouldn't say boo! to you during the week out of fear but at the weekend when they have drunk 3 pints of Magners or a couple of bottles of WKD they turn into these mouth piece twats and when you tell them to settle down they want to argue or fight with you then? but not all drunks are as*holes, some are just eejets and are easy enough to deal with and women are worse drunks than men - sorry ladies....

ash23

I worked in a few different pubs and clubs.
The clubs I didn't mind because the music plus the earplugs mean I can pretend not to hear the innane ramblings of the customer and ignore them when they try to chat to me. Cue lots of pointing at ears mouthing "I can't hear you" and the drunk not realising it's strange I can hear his order but not his "witty banter".
I always got a buzz out of being in the bar of a busy club and had great craic with the other staff so I didn't hate it.

The pubs were a bit more trying because you'd get the maudlin drunk at the bar telling his life story. Or the muppets who didn't think a woman knew anything about serving drink. One such chap asked me to ask one of the barmen for a cure for heartburn. I said "peppermint cordial or a glass of milk". He laughed and asked me to get one of the barMEN who would know. I pointed out I was 6 months pregnant and of everyone in that bar I would know the most about heartburn but he was welcome to go to another bar and ask one of the men.
I saw him return later with a glass of peppermint cordial :rolleyes: (I had antacids behind the bar for myself but he was a c*nt so I didn't share)

The worst though was in relation to food or coffee. I hated dealing with that.


2002 - World cup. Spain vs Ireland. We were open early and serving food and coffee. Penalty time and we're all glued to the screen and in walk two Americans and are standing at the front bar while hundreds of silent people stand down the back around the tv, hands clasped over their mouths in nervous anticipation. It would be obvious to the town simpleton that something BIG was happening. We ignored them. Then "excuse me, excuuuuuuuuuuse meeeeeeeee, EXCUUUUUUUUUUUSE ME......."
"WHAT????"
"Can I order a latte and a mocha. If you could make it quick 'cos we've a train to catch that would be awwwesooome"


Those were the only people I ever truly wished dead in all my days behind the bar.
:mad:

charlietheminxx

ash23 wrote: »

2002 - World cup. Spain vs Ireland. We were open early and serving food and coffee. Penalty time and we're all glued to the screen and in walk two Americans and are standing at the front bar while hundreds of silent people stand down the back around the tv, hands clasped over their mouths in nervous anticipation. It would be obvious to the town simpleton that something BIG was happening. We ignored them. Then "excuse me, excuuuuuuuuuuse meeeeeeeee, EXCUUUUUUUUUUUSE ME......."
"WHAT????"
"Can I order a latte and a mocha. If you could make it quick 'cos we've a train to catch that would be awwwesooome"


Those were the only people I ever truly wished dead in all my days behind the bar.
:mad:

Not to be bad.... but to someone who probably doesn't understand what the World Cup is or its significance, they probably didn't care. To them you were just a staff member ignoring customers to watch sport on TV while you were working.

sheindlin

Deus Ex Machina wrote: »

I'm the worst type of customer and thus me and my ilk are in no small way responsible for the negative assumptions that staff make about customers on occasion. I have a god complex. If you don't follow my condescendingly spoken instructions to the letter (often uttered during intermittent breaks in an ongoing phone call) then I will shout and complain, often offering an unsolicited review of their competence. I will then stand there goading them as they attempt to complete the task, adding patronising remarks along the way and finishing up with the finger and a big "fuçk you" as I don my sunglasses and walk on.

Sounds like you know the person I am talking about. He got a membership card by annoying the bejesus out of an assistant manager, much to the annoyance of the manager, staff and bouncers.

When he got the card his card (not only was he told that he had to produce the card, it was also clearly stated on the card that he would have to produce the card at the door). When I asked him for his card he started waving his hands in the air shouting "do you not know who I am, just look up my name on your little computer thing there". Then he told me his card was in his wallet but that I had my little computer thing in front of me and his details would be on that, all the time waving his hand at me. This happenend every single time he came to the club.

I have to say apart from this guy, I loved the job, I met loads of lovely and funny people.

ash23

charlietheminxx wrote: »

Not to be bad.... but to someone who probably doesn't understand what the World Cup is or its significance, they probably didn't care. To them you were just a staff member ignoring customers to watch sport on TV while you were working.

And? I'm not saying they were wrong. I'm just saying I hated their guts for choosing that exact moment to come in and start ordering stupid coffees.
We thought if we ignored them then they'd (rightly) think the service was sh*te and they'd leave but they didn't get the hint.

OldGoat

I hate myself on behalf of the barstaff just to make their nights a bit more bareable.

charlietheminxx

ash23 wrote: »

And? I'm not saying they were wrong. I'm just saying I hated their guts for choosing that exact moment to come in and start ordering stupid coffees.
We thought if we ignored them then they'd (rightly) think the service was sh*te and they'd leave but they didn't get the hint.

Fair enough

Cokeistan

Let's not forget bouncers for these pubs and clubs, they hate everyone...unless you're a young good looking girl wearing a short skirt or low top!

ash23

charlietheminxx wrote: »

Fair enough

Customer service was key

Kev_2012

I say hats off to bar/club staff that can put up with people on student nights without killing them!

chimmy chonga

ArtyC wrote: »

Oh ffs

---

This is what makes life so difficult!!!!!!!!! We just want to get through our shift. I have no need to rob your stupid change- also nightclubs are so heavily CCTV-ed it would be impossible even if someone wanted to. Please, thank you and common courtesy for staff and other customers make working in a nightclub good Craic but that's becoming less and less common.

Sure you're all a bunch of angels - give me a break ffs! Many times I had to call a barman over because he gave me the wrong change and always in his favour - never too much change! curious that!:mad:

preddy

C'mon isnt the vodka watered down everywhere?

mongdesade

Cokeistan wrote: »

Let's not forget bouncers for these pubs and clubs, they hate everyone...unless you're a young good looking girl wearing a short skirt or low top!

No, we actually hate all of you

ArtyC

chimmy chonga wrote: »

Sure you're all a bunch of angels - give me a break ffs! Many times I had to call a barman over because he gave me the wrong change and always in his favour - never too much change! curious that!:mad:

I have given people too little and too much at one time or another and apologised accordingly when it's happened. Everyone can make a mistake but that's not where you were going with that comment...... How is it everyone dealing with a till has made a mistake at one time or another but how come it's always bar staff late at night who always get a mention.... Enough to be dealing with without being accused with theft! Last sat night some guy paid me 50 euro notes every time he bought a drink according to him..... Was incredulous he said it a third time

Blitzkrieger

Mickey Dazzler wrote: »

Fucking Cork people.

You punched several people in the face but they're the problem?



Oh, and the staff in the take away hate drunks too......

whirlpool

But still, barmen and barwomen, where would you be with us drunks?!

At the same time, I do make an effort to be an exceptionally pleasant customer. I always get smiles. I'm just awesome like that.

Calibos

There is a reason Barmen either become alchoholics themselves or leave the trade after a few years.....

Adyx

preddy wrote: »

C'mon isnt the vodka watered down everywhere?

I estimate the number of pubs and clubs I've worked in over the years as at least 7 or 8. Not one of those places watered down any of their drinks.

Calibos wrote: »

There is a reason Barmen either become alchoholics themselves or leave the trade after a few years.....

I've actually been drinking less and less as the years go by. I get your point though.

fullstop

ArtyC wrote: »

Oh ffs

---

This is what makes life so difficult!!!!!!!!! We just want to get through our shift. I have no need to rob your stupid change- also nightclubs are so heavily CCTV-ed it would be impossible even if someone wanted to. Please, thank you and common courtesy for staff and other customers make working in a nightclub good Craic but that's becoming less and less common.

CCTV can tell the difference between say a €1 and €2 coin? I've been short changed on occasion, and one Dublin pub very popular with American tourists took the piss...the barman tried it 2 rounds in a row and tried to argue his case before grudgingly admitting he was wrong. This was at 5.00 on a Saturday afternoon, not like the place was full of drunks.

Mickey Dazzler wrote: »

I used to work in Havanas Browns in Cork as a young man and actually punched a customer in the face at closing time who was wrecking my head.

The second it happened I roared over to a bouncer to tell them said customer had hit me first and he got hauled out screaming that I had hit him, whilst I just stood there shaking my head trying to look traumatised. Fucking Cork people.

You sound like a nice sort :rolleyes: Hope you're as smart when you get a punch in the face.

ash23

fullstop wrote: »

CCTV can tell the difference between say a €1 and €2 coin? I've been short changed on occasion, and one Dublin pub very popular with American tourists took the piss...the barman tried it 2 rounds in a row and tried to argue his case before grudgingly admitting he was wrong. This was at 5.00 on a Saturday afternoon, not like the place was full of drunks.

No, but the cctv can see someone putting money from the till into their pockets. And the amount in the till must = the amount on the till report at the end of every night. Much the same as in any other business where cash is exchanged for goods/services.
:rolleyes:

fullstop

ash23 wrote: »

No, but the cctv can see someone putting money from the till into their pockets. And the amount in the till must = the amount on the till report at the end of every night. Much the same as in any other business where cash is exchanged for goods/services.
:rolleyes:

Nothing to stop them putting it in a tip jar and splitting at the end of the night is there? :rolleyes::rolleyes:

ash23

fullstop wrote: »

Nothing to stop them putting it in a tip jar and splitting at the end of the night is there? :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Except their job. Do you really think a few measly coppers at the end of the night is worth being dismissed from a reasonably well paying job?
Get over it.

Red_Wake

ash23 wrote: »

Except their job. Do you really think a few measly coppers at the end of the night is worth being dismissed from a reasonably well paying job?
Get over it.

How much do bar staff make?

I would have thought it'd be min wage.

ash23

Red_Wake wrote: »

How much do bar staff make?

I would have thought it'd be min wage.

Depends on where you work, experience, hours etc etc.
For the sake of pocketing a few euro from a drunk customer even a minimum wage is worth more than that.
You're no more likely to be ripped off in a bar than in a supermarket. People just don't like to admit who much they've actually spent on drink in my experience. They forget about that round they bought and think they should have more money and they blame the bartender.

Martyn1989

Lia_lia wrote: »

Maybe you're just shit at pulling pints.

Theres very little a barman can do to change the taste of a beer, he can pour it badly so it goes flat quicker but thats about it

calfmuscle

I hate anyone that asks me for a cocktail, decaf skinny anything or an Irish coffee when its busy! :mad::mad::mad:

In the time it take's to make any of those things I could have served the 10
people standing behind you!

Do not click your fingers at me, do not whistle at me, do not think its acceptable to raise your voice at me because I forgot your glass of water/wine/whatever, I will not find your sexist jokes amusing and do not turn back to chat with your friends and ignore me as I try to get payment out of you!

Service work involves long hours, its physically demanding and the pay is poor. Throw dealing with drunks and snobs on top of all that and you will see why bar staff get annoyed.

Believe it or not I do actually like working with people

U_Fig

this is how I feel most of the time in work...there are a good few videos.

mikemac1

The uncomfortable issue of cleaning toliets

Ladies of Ireland, you are a disgrace. Yeah I said it

I would rather clean ten gents then clean a ladies

Toilitries on the floor, out come my rubber gloves so, ewwwwwww
Lipstick on the mirror, grrrrrrrrrr. That is a nightmare to get off and get the mirror polished again
And just more rubbish on the floor

Some nights you open the door to the ladies and it's like opening the gates of hell

In contrast, the gents is pretty damn clean. Sweep and a mop and a few bits and pieces and I'm in and out in minutes.

I'm confident any barman or hotel porter would back me up the ladies is far far worse then the gents

minidazzler

Lia_lia wrote: »

^ I was joking. My Father has a bar and I've worked in one for years.

Lia_lia wrote: »

Or if the kegs are miles away from the bar!

Ah, I realised you were joking, just dispelling the myth that people who drink Guinness one in a while seem to be sure is true. People who always drink stout usually know it's not true and just like it to look nice


Also, can I have a job, damn it, I wanna work in a bar! :pac: Damn people not hiring inexperienced people

fullstop

ash23 wrote: »

Do you really think a few measly coppers at the end of the night is worth being dismissed from a reasonably well paying job?
Get over it.

calfmuscle wrote: »

Service work involves long hours, its physically demanding and the pay is poor.

Hmm...

ArtyC

Ash23 makes my point- nightclub staff get paid more than minimum wage because of the anti social hours- but saying that supermarket workers for example are often in minimum wage for a time at least and don't get accused if being thieves. Drink is very expensive in this country/ many of us spend a hundred or so on a big nights sometimes it's hard to admit that if you've spent too much the night before its not the bar staffs fault but your own

U_Fig

calfmuscle wrote: »

I hate anyone that asks me for a cocktail, decaf skinny anything or an Irish coffee when its busy! :mad::mad::mad:

In the time it take's to make any of those things I could have served the 10
people standing behind you!

Do not click your fingers at me, do not whistle at me, do not think its acceptable to raise your voice at me because I forgot your glass of water/wine/whatever, I will not find your sexist jokes amusing and do not turn back to chat with your friends and ignore me as I try to get payment out of you!

Service work involves long hours, its physically demanding and the pay is poor. Throw dealing with drunks and snobs on top of all that and you will see why bar staff get annoyed.

Believe it or not I do actually like working with people

Cocktails and latte's and cappuccinos are OK. Working in a hotel I've got to deal these mostly especially when out of like 8 staff including my boss I'm the only one able to make the cocktails the correct way.

But my level of giving a **** had lessened because of all the **** I have to deal with and now I don't serve people who whistle and click their fingers at me..just serve everyone around them and when they ask I tell them I know you are there you click n shout you won't get served.

Also if someone orders a drink and tuns and walks away without telling me or starts conversing with someone with their back to me if they are not looking my way when I get back I put the drink to one side and serve other people and make them wait till I finish serving them. I've even Taken drinks off the bar of people that do this.

Drunks are ok you just ignore them snobs are the worse.

I hate string orders and if people do them i serve other people in the middle of the order and make them wait..

I do these things in the hope the people will learn but most never do..people are stupid.

Martyn1989

I certainly dont hate all customers and tend to be quite forgiving, the majority of the time would rather opt for the quiet life.

Customers I find most difficult are middle aged, they tend to be very obnoxious and just treat you like a vending machine and people who have a few drinks and want to tell you they are or used to be bartenders. I really dont care.

Had one fella in telling me he used to be a great barman and used to work all these fancy functions alone until one of his mates asked him how he went from that to cleaning Dublin buses

calfmuscle

U_Fig wrote: »

Cocktails and latte's and cappuccinos are OK. Working in a hotel I've got to deal these mostly especially when out of like 8 staff including my boss I'm the only one able to make the cocktails the correct way.

But my level of giving a **** had lessened because of all the **** I have to deal with and now I don't serve people who whistle and click their fingers at me..just serve everyone around them and when they ask I tell them I know you are there you click n shout you won't get served.

Also if someone orders a drink and tuns and walks away without telling me or starts conversing with someone with their back to me if they are not looking my way when I get back I put the drink to one side and serve other people and make them wait till I finish serving them. I've even Taken drinks off the bar of people that do this.

Drunks are ok you just ignore them snobs are the worse.

I hate string orders and if people do them i serve other people in the middle of the order and make them wait..

I do these things in the hope the people will learn but most never do..people are stupid.

Normal cappachino's etc are fine when Im busy but not speciality things, they take too much time and therefore reduce the level of service other guests receive.

Snobs are the absolute worst to deal with. They want everything catered specifically to them and some of them dont even tip. grumble

minidazzler

mikemac1 wrote: »

Used to pile on weight every college year with far too much booze and junk

Work as a barman over the summer and it was weight loss central.
Handling kegs, bringing up stock up the cellar, mopping, sweeping and lots more

Would be fit as a fiddle after two months behind the bar

And you're not gonna be drinking quite as much if you are working 5 nights a week. I know very few fat young bartenders...plenty of their supervisors are big lads though :pac:

U_Fig

minidazzler wrote: »

And you're not gonna be drinking quite as much if you are working 5 nights a week. I know very few fat young bartenders...plenty of their supervisors are big lads though :pac:

i used a pedometer one day in my 14 hour shift and it was higher than a 5 mile run I took later that week..can't remember the exact figure.

ash23

fullstop wrote: »

Hmm...

Reasonably well paid in comparison to other retail/service jobs.
Waitressing for example is usually less well paid than bar work. Club work is higher paid than bar work because of the hours.
If you're in college and need a job, bar work is probably one of the better paid options.

But it's not too much above minimum wage.

When I was 19/20 compared to what I could have been earning, bar work was probably the best paid option.
Now I'm nearly 30 and I guess I'd consider bar work to be badly paid for the work involved. It's all relative.

But point still stands, even on minimum wage a barpersons job is worth more to them that a few euro they might be tempted to cream off the top. You wouldn't assume someone working in the local shop was stealing from you so I don't see why you have it pegged that bar staff are thieves.

Thefirestarter

preddy wrote: »

C'mon isnt the vodka watered down everywhere?

I know you're probably joking, but this is the consistent hoop talk of the highest order you get from customers.

Customer :"You gave her more vodka than me!!"
Me :"No, she asked for ice in her vodka, it only looks like she has more because the ice has displaced the vo-"
Customer :"enough, where is your manager? I want a full refund! This is water! I can smell it.

Yeah, fierce smell from water.

naasface

I'd say it depends on where you work.
Where I work it's about 60/40 bad to good customers. Tell you something it teaches you patience.
My favourite line is;

'Do you know how much money we've/I've spent here tonight?'
(in accusative or condescending tone)

IDGAF. Treat me with some respect.
it makes no difference to me if you spend €4 or €400 I will treat all the customers equally nice. But if you start throwing out these lines you can jog on!!

Also if you see me coming towards you with both my hands full of empty glasses be nice and let me through please.

U_Fig

the best line is "do you know who i am?" usually in a real smug voice. This somewhat famous opera singer did this when I refused to serve him after we'd closed the residence bar one night

To which I stopped; there was only a handful of people in the place maybe 2 tables.. I got all their attention and announced "Does anyone know who this man is he seems to have forgotten" everyone pissed themselves laughing and the man was mortified didn't know what to say. He walked out disgusted and reported me to the duty manager the next morning. The duty manager just said fair play and gave me a high 5.

billox

think the worst line for someone to say is 'I pay your wages' think people only say that to barstaff

ShooterSF

"How much? You robbing bast..."

Yeah fair play for seeing through my disguise as an ordinary employee working his shift, I'm actually the owner of the place and just do this for ****s and giggles... :rolleyes:

I do love the job (for the most part, toilet cleaning aside)but only because I now work in a local pub where I'm afforded the authority to deal with customers more as I see fit than back in the hotel bar days (Yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir).

mikemac1

You drop a glass

Waaaaaaaaaahehhh
Clap clap clap
"Do ya want a hammer?" shouts the smartass
"Oh we're having a smashing time" shouts his buddy

Do you think you are original and we haven't heard this before?


"Pint of bud bud" is not witty either

ShooterSF

ShooterSF wrote: »

"How much? You robbing bast..."

Yeah fair play for seeing through my disguise as an ordinary employee working his shift, I'm actually the owner of the place and just do this for ****s and giggles... :rolleyes:.

i think this is the biggest issue with all retail i can never understand the logic behind it

ya your right im a bottom rung employee in a large multinational corporation i do apologise for the prices what was i thinking let me get my buddy bill gates on the phone and il have a chat to him about our pricing

Shryke

Wynter Fit Thriller wrote: »

i think this is the biggest issue with all retail i can never understand the logic behind it

ya your right im a bottom rung employee in a large multinational corporation i do apologise for the prices what was i thinking let me get my buddy bill gates on the phone and il have a chat to him about our pricing

It's just a really obtuse way that some Irish try to haggle in my experience. 5 years in retail. Any young people saying the like tend to just be pricks that picked the attitude up wrong off their elders, elders who would have dealt with small shops who generally set there own prices.

token101

'Well my neighbour said......'

'Well f*** your neighbour he doesn't work here and is clearly a f***ing lying wanker. Now move house and stop f***ing annoying me'

Junco Partner

working in fast food is the same we hate you all come two am when the disco crowd arrives.

"How much?, thats ****ing robbery." yes sir scream at me, it is I the lowly staff member who sets the prices

"I'll have a salad burger with no salad hyuck hyuck" oh sir/madam you are sooooo funny i have never heard that one before. You should do comedy, you know that?

"And a cheeseburger no cheese" it's just non stop hilarity with you isn't it?

hey!? oii!! hey serve me! serve me ya ****!" one you are shouting abuse it aint gonna make me serve you faster in fact everytime you serve i move you further down my to-serve list , respect didn't your mom teach that to you when she wasn't sucking cawk?. two you are standing two tills down, do you want me to just forget about the twenty people standing in front of my till? wait yes thats exactly what you want cause you're a ****

"This is ridiculous I've been standing here for twenty minutes" You've arrived at the counter twenty seconds ago you fool, the drink must have addled your inner clock. and anyway i've been standing here for the last nine hours and will be for 3 more so don't think i have a drop of sympathy

"Hey man can i just have like a small cup of tapwater, don't want a full drink or anything just my throats a little dry" seriously man I can see the pill in your hand go do your drugs somewhere else




just some of the many reasons why, yes we do hate drunk customers

token101

billox wrote: »

think the worst line for someone to say is 'I pay your wages' think people only say that to barstaff

No they say it to everyone. I used to work in customer service in college in different companies and it's always the same old wanker talk.

'You wouldn't have a job without people like me'
'I would. I'd have a better job, not listening to self important f***wits like you all day.'

'My kids ate cold beans on crackers last night because your charges are so high'
'No, they didn't. They ate cold beans on crackers because you haven't paid a bill in nearly a year.'

voz es

Behind the bar many of the worst customers were actually ex bar staff themselves.