Entertainment For Lively Minds
Isn't it nice in these hard times when a venue so clearly values its customers…
Posted by David Rothon on 16 October 2010 - 5:38pm.
http://www.camdenenterprise.com/
And yes, I'm sure many have you have worked in bars and that's *exactly* what it's like for the poor staff, but does that justify this?
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Very strange
There are lots of things on that list that annoy me as a customer. I can understand how as barstaff you'd find that sort of behaviour annoying.
However I don't think if they want to continue in business they should not be putting that up on their website. Maybe it's a younger persons' pub and that is how they behave these days. I don't know. But the behaviour described is that of a minority in pubs I frequent.
I also find the suggestion that they would never make mistakes with £20 notes risible. It happens. Don't try and suggest you're infallible.
Thanks for posting that Dave. I know if I'm over in Haverstock Hill that's one pub I'll make sure I avoid.
A simple sign
Why not just have one of the signs displayed by a few places I have been to. It just reads 'Be nice or leave'. These people expect too much of their crowd or are in the wrong business, and come across as self important twonks.
On the subject of the £10-20 mistake, a tip of the hat to the Landor in Stockwell, even though this happened about ten years ago. My wife (then girlfriend) was given a tenner's change for a twenty - and this was back in the days when we did not have a lot of disposable income. Almost in tears, she remonstrated with the immovable barman, who hadn't put the bill on the till as is the norm.
John the manager (God rest him) overheard this, and explained that nothing could be done after the event, but if there was a discrepancy when they counted up, he would let her know, and took a phone number.
The next day, he called and said there had been exactly ten pounds too much in the tills, invited her in and offered her a drink to say sorry.
Oh dear
The person who wrote that is approximately 1% as funny as they think they are.
I particularly liked
"If paying on a debit or credit card, when it comes to putting your pin number in, ignore us and finish that conversation with the stranger next to you"
Pot, kettle. This is precisely what annoys me about certain (no names) bar staff, though shop staff are just as prone : bored uninterest in the transaction so their attention is already somewhere else, usually back to yacking to their pals behind the counter when they are handing over the change/card/receipt. I don't expect obsequiousness and forelock tugging but is a civil transaction out of the question ?
To be honest,
as the owner of a small retail establishment I sort of feel their pain. Because I know what their talking about I always try my very best not to be a **** when i'm on the other side of the counter/bar. Unless I'm in Tesco's!
having worked
in many a bar, this sort of stuff happens all the time. I also think the list on the website is meant to be taken with a pinch of salt.
The 10/20 pound thing, you can usually tell by the reaction of the Customer,if they use the F word then they are usually trying it on and you'd be amazed at how many people try this during a night.
The ones that made me want to jump the bar are
1) Blokes who drink 80%/90% of a pint and then say "It's off,I want a fresh one"
2) Blokes who give you a quarter-full pint glass and say "Stick a half in there" or "A Sussex/Hampshire half" I always used to Measure it out. Cheap gits.
3)"Oi You,Smile"
4)When they hand over the money and say "That's a twenty/Fifty".I'm not Blind,stupid or illiterate and i'm good at my job.
Working behind a bar can be hard work. Most punters are really sound but how would you like it if i came to your place of work and started questioning your honesty,insulting you or messing you around. Ordering a drink isn't exactly rocket science,but for some people you'd be better off asking them to explain Quantum Physics in Albanian,unless it was an Albanian Quantum Physicist.
Well, as I said…
… no doubt all that stuff happens. And I'm equally sure that anyone who has to deal with 'the public' in their job soon concludes that a significant proportion of said public (especially when drunk) act like tossers. So that's not the point at issue. But is such open contempt really the way to endear yourself to your potential clientele?
On behalf of the customer (in the same unfunny style)
1. Standing at the bar unacknowledged for 20 minutes is exactly why we go the pub. Keep it up!
2. It is up to us to work out between us "who's next". After all we all know each other really well, so disagreements are rare.
3. Bar staff are absolutely right to roll their eyes and sigh heavily at the sight of a rarely-seen twenty quid note. By using them, we are trying to be flash. Impressing bar staff with our wealth is why we get up in the morning.
4. Refusing Scottish money is fine. We are definitely trying to pass off forgeries and we know it isn't legal tender south of the border.
5. Most of the time, pints are filled to roughly the correct level. This means that the occasional pint which is half-beer, half-froth should be accepted with a good-natured chuckle.
6. Pub customers are notoriously fickle when it comes to their drink of choice. Customer choices cannot be predicted or planned for, ever. This is why having to "go downstairs to change the barrel" is perfectly OK at 10pm on a busy Saturday.
Can't think of any more just now - but you get the drift.
When a pint is off
giving the customer a replacement pint, less the mouthful already drunk and 'enjoyed'.
Its ok as The Enterprise is
a) in Camden where there a plenty of other pubs and b) a shithole
so print off that list and hold the next Massive meetup there?
This grace less list does seem
to distil venues' attitudes towards the people who pay their wages though. Without getting into management speak they do seem to pass up opportunities to listen to their customers and you know earn more money.
Most of the problems here is because venues haven't bothered to tackle the issues around serving a large volume of drinks in a short period of time. The bars are rarely purpose built so don't have enough space, beer pumps, fridges etc. The staff are never trained or proactively and positively managed. At many festival etc they have pumps that dispense multiple pints at once never seen one in an equally busy permanent venue. Many places still hide the price list away so punters only find they have to shell out 15 quid for 3 drinks when they get served. I know punters can be obnoxious so why not reduce their reasons to justifiable whinge?
Of course venues can get away with all this because we've all bought into the whole sticky carpet stinky toilet rock and roll hell "romantic" view of rock venues. The only solution to this and the other joys of live gigs: rip of booking fees, crap food, insulting and officious security staff, bad sight lines, cramped seats etc is for us the punters to vote with our feet. Until we do (and it's not going to happen soon) all these petty annoyances will still be with us for years to come.
Just creates bad feeling....
A second hand children's shop near me had this little gem in their window last week... I mean, I can completely understand that they were upset but it doesn't do to talk to *all* your customers like this...
"Dear Customers,
We thought we could trust the people of Barnet, but clearly we were wrong. Whoever stole that pram from outside the shop, we wish you a bad life.
From, the Management"
I saw a great one once
Hand-written sign in shop:
"We have CCTV on these premises so we can catch potential thieves. Don't think we don't know who you are, girl with rucksack and man with dog!"
I bet those two were quaking in their boots at the thought of being arrested.