Festival of maximum capacity

[KMCA]

Location: ethnic streetfestival
Shift: Day one 13 hours. Day two 8 hours while sick as a dog
Job: beer garden

Another one of those 'kill me NOW' weekends

It all started good, pickup was on time, maybe 45 minutes early for the shift, had radios for each beer garden 'supervisor', all the non-security staff were licenced to sell and serve. All told it seemed like an easy 13 hours.

AGCO likes no more then 50 people per guard so naturally my capacity was 120. No big deal I've been at rough bars and expected no issues at a mere street festival... No fights just fustration and yes there was fustration.

3 beer gardens, 120 people each and MINE had the good folk music. So instead of the beer gardens being "They come in, have a drink or 2 then leave." (festival organizer) it was I'm going to sit in here and drink all day, leaving only for food and bathroom trips. Which isn't a problem, when you are under capacity.

But when you go over people expect to be able to re-enter based on the simple fact that they've already been inside. Let me use an example that was used by almost everyone.

ME: I'm sorry sir/ma'am we're at capacity
SC: That's fine, I've already been in *attempts to walk past me*
ME: *uses arms to block the entrance* I'm sorry, but you have to wait until someone leaves before I can let you in, we are at capacity.
SC: It doesn't matter, my friend is saving my seat
ME: I'm sorry but the count is based on how many people are inside, not on seats.
SC: ok, but my friend is saving my seat so it doesn't count
ME: *rephrases it incase they didn't understand*
SC: yes, but I've already been in and my friend has a seat saved for me
ME: So your friend saving you a seat should make it so you can come in whenever you want? (I'd had enough of this from the first 5 or 6 people trying this so I felt fed up)
SC: Yes
ME: Well I had 120 of my friends in earlier, they all left so by your logic no one is allowed inside
SC: No, you can't do that
ME: Why not you want to. *then I simply passed them off to my lovely paid duty*

[KMCA]

But wait, more SC behavior

SC: walks up to gate with 2 kids, about 5 and 10 years old
ME: I'm sorry, children aren't allowed in the beer garden
SC: I promise they won't drink
ME: *glances at paid duty just to check that I'm hearing it right... I did* I'm sorry, it's the law. No person under the age of 19 (legal drinking age in Ontario) is allowed in a beer garden.
SC: Well where is the proof! (yes, she asked me for PROOF of the legal drinking age, again I look over at the officer and this time they're looking at me to check if they heard it right)
ME: On the sign attached to the fence. If you have family here they can watch your kids while you come in and have a drink.
SC leaves and comes back 5 minutes later alone. I let her in as I assumed she found someone
My extra guard arrives about 10 minutes later allowing me to make sure the count is right and everything is under control in the beer garden.
LO AND BEHOLD. The mother is drinking at the fence and her young children are outside the double layer fence alone. Now I had been told not to allow this
ME: Excuse me, ma'am?
SC: Yes?
ME: If nobody is watching your children I need to ask you to finish your drink and join them outside
I'm furious about this, you're abandoning your children FOR A BEER!! I leave to finish checking on other stuff and get called over by the paid duty supervisor. Apparently it is ACCEPTABLE for a parent to abandon their children outside a bar so long as they don't get hammered. I got REEMED for asking her to finish their drink and leave


Now on to close. Originally I was told everything was to be shut down and empty for 7PM the permit was good until 8 but heck, if they want it closed early and ready for tear down I'm a happy man. It means I get paid to watch a closed beer garden. Of course they change it to "stop selling at 6:45, stop serving at 7 and everyone out at 7:15" Now that sets off a panic alarm for me. I know for a fact my paid duty finishes at 7. Now several things are wrong with me not having a paid duty
1) it is against the law to not have one at a beer garden (no clue why)
2) I'm alone again by this point
3) 120 people won't listen to me if I tell them to throw out their beers and head out, and if I attempt to take their beers from them they get aggressive
4) I was supposed to close AT 7

Long story short the organizer told them they were ALL WRONG that they finish at 8 not 7. Which is a stupid and brave move when the cops have it in writing they finish at 7 and can close you down

[Nohbody]

Apparently it is ACCEPTABLE for a parent to abandon their children outside a bar so long as they don't get hammered.

If the kids are getting hammered, there's a bit of a hole in the security for the beer garden...



(Yes, I know what you meant, I just couldn't resist pulling your leg.)

(Admittedly I didn't try very hard in the first place. )

[Andara Bledin]

Long story short the organizer told them they were ALL WRONG that they finish at 8 not 7. Which is a stupid and brave move when the cops have it in writing they finish at 7 and can close you down

Hmm... is it wrong that I would consider making an anonymous call to the local constabulary about the (now) illegally operating beer garden?

^-.-^

[KMCA]

Hmm... is it wrong that I would consider making an anonymous call to the local constabulary about the (now) illegally operating beer garden?

^-.-^

Oh the paid duty officers ended up staying the extra hour, they got paid for it. If they had left I would have told my co-workers and walked off the site

[depechemodefan]

Ugh, that mom. Proof? I can imagine how this is going to bite her on the ass.

mom: Kids, you can't play in traffic, you will get runned over!
kids: do you have PROOF!