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

Kev_2012 · 02-05-2012 10:47AM

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

chimmy chonga · 02-05-2012 11:14AM

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 · 02-05-2012 11:28AM

C'mon isnt the vodka watered down everywhere?

mongdesade · 02-05-2012 11:38AM

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 · 02-05-2012 11:58AM

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 · 02-05-2012 02:08PM

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 · 02-05-2012 02:13PM

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 · 02-05-2012 03:50PM

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

Adyx · 02-05-2012 04:10PM

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 · 02-05-2012 04:36PM

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 · 02-05-2012 04:45PM

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 · 02-05-2012 04:46PM

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 · 02-05-2012 04:48PM

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 · 02-05-2012 04:49PM

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 · 02-05-2012 04:54PM

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 · 02-05-2012 04:54PM

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 · 02-05-2012 05:36PM

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 · 02-05-2012 05:39PM

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

mikemac1 · 02-05-2012 05:46PM

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 · 02-05-2012 05:49PM

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 · 02-05-2012 06:19PM

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 · 02-05-2012 06:27PM

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 · 02-05-2012 06:40PM

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 · 02-05-2012 06:47PM

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 · 02-05-2012 06:54PM

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 · 02-05-2012 07:01PM

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 · 02-05-2012 07:25PM

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 · 02-05-2012 09:10PM

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 · 03-05-2012 04:32AM

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 · 03-05-2012 05:07AM

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.

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

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