Sports bar idiocy.

[Jester]

Today was Sunday. So today found Jester in the sports bar, watching his beloved Raiders getting their asses handed to them yet again. Now, this particular sports bar has all the usual sports bar stuff....tons of TVs, including lots of widescreens, loud sound system, video games, beer, booze, grub, and pool tables. Most pool tables in one bar in this whole tropical island town, actually.

Now, to use their non-coin-opeated pool tables, one must get a set of balls from the bartender. To get said set of balls from the bartender, one must give said bartender a deposit. This is standard operating procedure (a) for this bar, and (b) for every bar I have ever been in that has non-coin-operated pool tables. And this has been standard operating procedure at this sports bar the entire seven years I have lived here, and I would imagine far longer than that.

So there I am, after the Raiders game, trying to forget the pain, frustration, and humiliation (I get enough of that in my dating life), and I overhear the bartender talking to a customer. Apparently the customer wanted to play pool. So the bartender asked him for a deposit. To which he said:

"DEPOSIT? I'm not paying no deposit. I have never paid a deposit, and I am not going to start now."

No. He did not get his balls. And he just stood there glowering, as if that would change things. Not with THESE bartenders, bless them!

[draftermatt]

He should be happy with a deposit. I went to a place before where you had to give up your driver's license to get the balls.

[Jester]

Sometimes the deposit is cash (as in the above situation), sometimes it is your license. I have seen both, and I don't see a problem with either. It is simply security for the bar to (a) protect their equipment, and (b) to make sure you will not walk off without paying your bill for using said equipment.