I know 2 bartenders were shortchanging my friends and I all night this past Sunday. 6 dollar drinks paid with a 10 dollar bill is 4 dollars in change, assholes, not 3.
I didn’t say anything, knowing if I did, I’d be kicked out because you’d call over to your bouncer buddy and claim I’d had too much to drink and was starting trouble. I wanted to enjoy my night with my friends and you ruined it with your greedy, unethical treatment of the people who make your job as lucrative as it is at the end of the night. I’ll make sure no one I know is leaving a tip on that bar, considering you’re taking it without asking in the first place.
1.00 tip is way too much for a 6.00 drink, where do you get off thinking you deserve that from each drink anyway? You pour and grunt the price then move on, you’re not even friendly. ALL you do is work fast. You have no other skill as a bartender. —Hope you get caught by more people soon
This article appears in Oct 7-13, 2010.
Wow that sucks! And it’s not surprising… I’ve had some pretty sour interactions with bar staff downtown too. If they aren’t blatantly ripping someone off (hoping they are too drunk to notice) they are refusing to serve you once you challenge them on it, like you said, and then continuing to pour drinks for their friends after “closing time” but won’t give anyone else the time of day. A certain place where Birdland used to be comes to mind.
when i used to do the red fox, a buck was more than enough, when you consider draft was only 50 cents a glass. we used to get a tray at a time. there was 10 to a tray. so he got only 10 cents per glass.
NEVER tip bartenders! Shortchanging is far more common than people think.
Pay with loonies and toonies. Greedy bartending fucks. Better to pick up a 12 pack and drink at home than get gouged downtown.
Anyone who drinks in downtown halifax whatever happens to you is exactly what you deserve IMO. Unless you’re as green as grass you know the downtown has asshole doorman, bartenders who think the sun rises out of their asses each morning. For those of you who have no choice but to go to one of those shitholes & have a drink…bring lots of small bills, a roll of twoonies. ASK HOW MUCH YOUR DRINK IS IN ADVANCE & then tip if you wish.
It ain’t rocket surgery boy’s & girls…you just gotta be prepared, haven’t any of you fucked a boy or girl scout before, or possibly been one yourself ?
Akela, we’ll do our best.
DYB DYB DYB,
we’ll DOB DOB DOB.
It must have been Club Soda. Never go there!
Why Mel? That bad?
Sneaking in your own liquor is the hip thing to do. Why pay? They never search the females anyway.
Maybe it’s because I’m cute (:P), but I’ve never had an issue with a bartender. I find the female ones better than the males ones, though.
However, I can count the number of times I’ve gone out in Halifax in the past year on one hand, and when I went out in Quebec I didn’t buy liquor at the bar because it was too expensive — no cover in quebec bars = high drink prices, but typically les quebecois expect tips++ so perhaps I’m not one to talk.
I’d be PISSED though if someone felt that entitled to a tip that they short changed me. I have a friend who just got preggers and first thing she said to me after I gave her congrats was “what are you buying her? we’re going with *blahblah*” I didn’t even get a “oh thanks!” for the congrats or anything, just an expectation that I’m going to drop money on this kid. It pissed me off so much that I’m considering not getting the kid ANYTHING.
I *hate* entitlement with a PASSION.
you would rather stay somewhere where you are getting ripped off on every drink, than go somewhere else or be kicked out for complaining?? Really??
ahhh not defending shorting people but a dollar tip on 6 tab is “way too much” it’s like 18 % that’s not way too much (if you want to be served promptly) 🙂
Yes Donkey it was that bad….just check out the reviews that some lovely ladies posted on Club Soda’s profile on this site ;D
Seems to me the Bartender smelled a chump and estimated correctly!
shouldn’t be 6 bucks to begin with… that’s insane!
Shortchanging is no different than stealing in my opinion. It’s stealing a little bit every drink from someone who is too drunk to notice. Bartenders who shortchange are just petty thieves, but worse than that… they’re cowardly petty thieves. At least actual thieves have to risk something to steal, rather than taking advantage of drunk people and hiding behind bouncers… and for what? A few dollars? It doesn’t get much more pathetic than that.
yikes mel, the gross turlets were mentioned a lot…club sophomoric
is it just me or does $6 seem totally out of bounds for a drink…let alone $1 tip per drink. Their service aint’t worth 18%.
I know! I was intrigued by the bright pink, but I will never, ever step foot in there, even if the posts were only 10% accurate, the nastiness is way too much pour moi. I would only tip $1/drink if they were actually bringing the drinks out to me… not if I’ve battled my way into a crowd of stinky who-res to get it. And oddly enough, my math skillz are better when I’m drinking…. I’m not scared of bouncers so I’d ask for the correct change.
Six bucks for a drink is ridiclous. In Quebec you can buy a pack of coolers FOR 6 bucks — four freaking drinks! Mind you, it’s malt liquor which…can and will knock you off your ass, but I guess if getting drunk is what you’re looking for, it’s a smart choice.
I’m with you redzone!
Kitty, you get knocked off your ass because you’re not drinking it right…
You should only be drinking half the malt liquor.
This one is for you…
and this one is for your homies….
Good ‘ol Colt 45
(now actually labeled as a ‘lager’ if you can believe that.)
You could be in Norway where a beer in a bar is in the vicinity of $18.00+.
probably taking their “tip” without earning/asking for it.
I hate tipping for that reason. Its expected and some places take it automatically. A tip is for someone who gives EXCEPTIONAL service, not just doing their damn job half assed. Thats why I never tip. Half the time they never deserve it.
Malt liquor coolers are found in the grocery stores in la belle province and since the saq closes at 5pm every night (on a friday/sat! the injustice! can you imagine if the nslc closed at 5pm on fri/sat? haha) and since it’s cheap, we’d all go and buy packs of the malt coolers. They were labelled “vodka flavoured beverages”
Tasted better, but…I don’t usually lose my senses when I drink and I definitely couldn’t walk in a straight line that night.
18% for someone that serves you for 5-10 seconds is absurd marty…if i plan on getting several drinks that night i throw down a few bucks for the first one and make sure he sees me do it ..then thats it..
I never said it wasn’t high or that the keep had the right to anything I just said it wasn’t like outrageously high is all
I challenge bartenders on shit like this if/when I go out. However, I stick to spots where I’m familiar with the staff and the bartenders do a good job and treat customers with respect. One night in 2005/2006 I was at Rain and overheard a bartender tell a confused customer, “You are SUPPOSED to leave a tip,” while pointing at the counter. Poor schmuck coughed up a toonie and slinked off. When I got served I paid for my drink and held my hand out for my change. Got me a dirty look and the bartender got an even more annoyed look back.
Sometimes I dont tip when getting a drink and will tip at the end of the night with a bill instead (and directly to the *good* bartender). Quebec is terrible; tipping is expected there and I’ve seen cases there where bartenders HELPED THEMSELVES to tips from young customers.
If your service sucks dont expect a penny from me and ignoring me for not tipping demonstrates your complete lack of business savvy and lack of respect for your employers, who you are supposed to be working for, not yourself. Plus, it’s a fucking beer; anybody can turn, open a fridge, twist a cap off and offer it to someone. If you think you deserve a dollar for that then I think we should be tipping doctors and dentists who keep our bodies and teeth healthy; they do a real job after all.
And don’t give me this shit that bartenders do their jobs because of the tips. We don’t give a flying fuck why you do it. We only care about being served and bar staff NEED to acknowledge this. It’s not our concern that you took the job for tips. If tips are so important to you work for Crime Stoppers or become a detective.
If a bouncer/bartender gave me the “You’re supposed to leave a tip” I might leave a nickel… not as insulting as a penny, but makes the point.. lol
PF, the NSLC used to close at 6pm in some places during the fall/winter season.
PK I meant. I got purple fire and my new shoes on my mind 😛