Almost there...almost there...

[customersruinmylife]

Tonight is my last shift for over a week. I planned ahead and booked Christmas off months ago before anyone else did. So I'll be avoiding the rush of Christmas SC's who have all finished work for the holidays and believe it is their god given right to treat bar staff like crap while they celebrate.

But some of them still slip through.

Tis the Season To Be Cheap

A party of 18 people came in, they had booked ahead. They all had starters, main course and dessert. I was given the task of looking after the table. I do believe I went above and beyond duty, I brought them food, I even did drink orders at the table and brought them all over (we don't do table service) They seemed like a friendly group. They paid up, and they left.

Not one of them left a tip

Okay, I know there is no law saying you have to tip, but come on! There were 18 of them!

And another

Lady comes up to the bar and orders her drinks.

Me: Okay, so your total is £3.98.
SC: *hands me £5 note* Here, and get one for yourself. Merry Christmas.
Me: Thank you very much.

Now, I took that as "Keep the change" seeing as there was only £1.02 left. A minute later...

SC: Ahem!
Me: Oh sorry did I forget something?
SC: Yes! My £1 change! The 2p was your tip!
Me:

Not our car!

A man runs into the bar.

SC: Someone has blocked me in my car parking space! It's one of your staff!

I know this isn't true. Everyone that was working either lives within spitting distance of the bar, or doesn't drive.

Me: I don't think it was any of us sir, but I'll check anyway.

I ask all the staff, and sure enough, no one has driven to work.

Me: I'm sorry sir, but it doesn't belong to anyone here.
SC: It does! Ask the chef! Ask the chef!
Me: I asked the chef and he got the train to work today.
SC: Are you sure?
Me: Certainly.
SC: Is it your car?
Me: I don't drive sir, but if you like...
SC: JUST MOVE THE GOD DAMN FUCKING CAR!

If he had let me finish that sentence, I was about to say "...I could ask around the customers for you." But he was on his own.

Move!!

A member of staff lost his patience with a register and whacked it hard. Since then it has been playing up, constantly crashing, and when you press one button, a completely different item comes up. I was serving a guy, and it started playing up.

Me: Okay sir, is it OK if I just move you to another register? This one isn't working.
SC: No! It is not OK! I am staying here! You will come to me! I am not moving for you!

Ok dick face, you asked for it. I moved to another register, but I didn't run back and forth to him. I just shouted all the way down the bar.

Me: SO WHAT CAN I GET YOU?
SC: CAN I GET...
Me: SORRY SIR, I CAN'T HEAR YOU!
SC: I SAID...CAN I GET...
Me: STILL CAN'T HEAR YOU SIR! PLEASE SPEAK UP!
SC: WELL COME DOWN HERE THEN!
Me: I'M SORRY? WHAT?
SC: OH FOR FUCKS SAKE!

He came down to the register

I'm in Waiting again

Work is seriously becoming more and more like the movie Waiting.

A man walks up to the bar and crashes a plate down.

SC: I asked for this steak medium! This is too medium rare!
Me: OK, I'll just get them to put it on the grill a bit longer for you.
SC: No! I want my money back!
Me: It'll just take a couple of minutes...
SC: No! If you can't do it right first time, I don't believe you can do it a second time!

I gave him the refund. He turned to walk away with the plate.

Me: Where are you going with that?
SC: To eat it!
Me: No you're not!

I took the plate off him.

Me: If it's not good enough for you the first time, then I don't believe it is good enough for a second time!

I scraped the plate into one of the bar bins.

I need to sleep you know

A customer comes up to the bar with a half full bottle of wine.

SC: Hi, is it OK if I keep this in your fridge overnight? I can't finish it now, but I'll be back for it tomorrow morning!
Me: OK then that's fine!
SC: So you'll be in to make sure I get it?
Me: No I won't be, I am not in until the evening.
SC: Can't you come in on the morning to make sure I get it?
Me: No, but I'll leave a note with it.
SC: I'd rather you be here. Be here at 9am so I can get it.

Customer walks away. I was working til 2am, yeah, I'm gonna be in at 9am!

The whole place is closed!

We closed up, but there were a couple of customers who were adament about leaving the heated patio area outside. Okay, I'll sort that. I just turned the heaters and lights off to make them freeze and go away.

The staff are all sat down, enjoying their after work drinks.

TAP TAP TAP

We look. SC is banging on the windows.

SC: Hello!? We would like to have a cigarette without freezing to death!

A co-worker spoke up.

CW: Then go to a bar that's open!

The two SC's sat there shivering for about half an hour, not thinking to go to the very nice warm bar across the street.

[IT Grunt]

And another

Lady comes up to the bar and orders her drinks.

Me: Okay, so your total is £3.98.
SC: *hands me £5 note* Here, and get one for yourself. Merry Christmas.
Me: Thank you very much.

Now, I took that as "Keep the change" seeing as there was only £1.02 left. A minute later...

SC: Ahem!
Me: Oh sorry did I forget something?
SC: Yes! My £1 change! The 2p was your tip!
Me:

Must be related to Ebeneezer Scrooge. That's not a tip, that's an insult.

Me: SO WHAT CAN I GET YOU?
SC: CAN I GET...
Me: SORRY SIR, I CAN'T HEAR YOU!
SC: I SAID...CAN I GET...
Me: STILL CAN'T HEAR YOU SIR! PLEASE SPEAK UP!
SC: WELL COME DOWN HERE THEN!
Me: I'M SORRY? WHAT?
SC: OH FOR FUCKS SAKE!

He came down to the register

Epic win!

[crazylegs]

I want to work where customersruinmylife works at, seems like as long as you treat the decent customers right you can tell the idiots where to get off!

[customersruinmylife]

We always try to be as professional as possible. If a customer has a genuine complaint, then we will take it seriously. But if the customer is just being an ass, well, if they can give it then they should be able to take it! There is also the advantage that alcohol does lower their intelligence so half the time they are not really aware that they are being insulted.

But seriously though, my bar is now well known for how friendly the staff are. If a customer is nice, they will get brilliant service. It wasn't always like that. This time last year the bar was a disaster and was completely falling apart. Now we have a large number of regular customers we have never had before, and sometimes they jump in when we encounter an SC!

[Boozy]

Once again, each story was more jaw-dropping than the last.

Where do your customers find the balls to do these things?

[Saydrah]

What was that whooshing sound?

Oh, just my faith in humanity springing another leak...

[MadRocketScientist]

Tis the Season To Be Cheap

A party of 18 people came in, they had booked ahead. They all had starters, main course and dessert. I was given the task of looking after the table. I do believe I went above and beyond duty, I brought them food, I even did drink orders at the table and brought them all over (we don't do table service) They seemed like a friendly group. They paid up, and they left.

Not one of them left a tip

Okay, I know there is no law saying you have to tip, but come on! There were 18 of them!

No gratuity applied to the bill for parties over 8? Bummer

[Tex]

The whole place is closed!

We closed up, but there were a couple of customers who were adament about leaving the heated patio area outside. Okay, I'll sort that. I just turned the heaters and lights off to make them freeze and go away.

The staff are all sat down, enjoying their after work drinks.

TAP TAP TAP

We look. SC is banging on the windows.

SC: Hello!? We would like to have a cigarette without freezing to death!

A co-worker spoke up.

CW: Then go to a bar that's open!

The two SC's sat there shivering for about half an hour, not thinking to go to the very nice warm bar across the street.

LMAO! Priceless.

Tex

[Sliceanddice]

oh man i was wondering why the party of 18 didnt have the tip(i know it has a better name but im sleepy so its a tip) added to the check, the best two where the yelling across the bar and the cold patio, i loved it.

[chainedbarista]

Me: If it's not good enough for you the first time, then I don't believe it is good enough for a second time!

I scraped the plate into one of the bar bins.

hear hear; you have your refund, you can't have the steak and eat it too, especially since it's 'not right' to start with. loser...

[rerant]

I was once informed that tipping was not quite as much the norm in the UK as it is here in North America, since bar staff generally make more per hour than we do (though I have no clue how much the average bartender makes in my city), so I'm perplexed when it comes to the tipping issues.
Personally I would do it no matter what, since it's habit, but I always thought that it didn't happen as often in the UK.

But hell, I've never been so I don't know my head from my ass on this topic.

[customersruinmylife]

Once again, each story was more jaw-dropping than the last.

Where do your customers find the balls to do these things?

I really don't know. We think its because our bar is quite cheap, so we don't exactly get the most savoury of customers.

Me and a co-worker were having a discussion, and we were saying that we would NEVER go into a bar/restruant and act up the way some of our SC's do, not matter how bad our meal or whatever. That's why we tell them off

[TryNotToBeThatOne]

One of the few times I have had a problem with a meal, I told the manager when he came round with the 'how was your meal?'. Since I had eaten over half of it (couldn't stand to see food go to waste), I wasn't expecting any kind of recompense. It was more of a 'please tell your chef.....' advice thing. Yeah, you complain about the meal & get a refund; don't expect to eat the meal.

customersruinmylife, you have the ballsiest clients I've ever heard of. My deepest sympathies.

[Racket_Man]

Okay, I know there is no law saying you have to tip, but come on! There were 18 of them!

And another

Lady comes up to the bar and orders her drinks.

Me: Okay, so your total is £3.98.
SC: *hands me £5 note* Here, and get one for yourself. Merry Christmas.
Me: Thank you very much.

Now, I took that as "Keep the change" seeing as there was only £1.02 left. A minute later...

SC: Ahem!
Me: Oh sorry did I forget something?
SC: Yes! My £1 change! The 2p was your tip!
Me:

.

welcome to my world. I can not tell you how many people (withor without financial means ) I deliver to do that to me

for example their order is $36.85. I pull up to their house it is raining/snowing/very cold/crappy outside go to the door go thru my spiel and they hand me

$37.00 or hand me $40 and want $3 in change

then have the balls to tell me "Oh it is sooooooooo crappy out I feel sorry for you keep the change" and they say it with a bit smile on their faces like they are doing me this BIG FRIGGIN FAVOR by gracing me with 15 cents.

like that is going to pay my rent/expensive commercial car insurance ($128 per month) /phone/car maintainence repair bills ($1100 in the lst 2 months)

I will say it again I am glad I do not own an AK-47 and a boatload of ammo

[cinema guy]

I don't know of anyone who tips bar staff in the Uk.

But a bar/restaurant, if you order food, the wait staff should be tipped. Even if it isn't a full service restaurant.

I don't tip pizza delvery guys, does anyone else in the UK?