So, who hasn’t heard that it’s a great idea to get a job pulling pints? As soon as you start job-searching, suddenly everyone is an expert on how ‘fun’ and ‘social’ it is to work behind a bar. Well I have been lucky enough (that cannot be read with enough sarcasm) to have landed a job at a popular club chain as a barmaid. I have worked there merely 4 weeks and can already tell you the novelty of being on that side of the bar quickly wears off. And here are 5 reasons being a bar-girl is not worth the generous £5.13 an hour that is our country’s minimum wage:
1. The customers
An obvious one, yes, but never have I wanted to pour a drink over someone as much as I have when serving them. Drunk people can be the funniest people to work with, especially when they’re students. However, when they’ve been queueing for 15 minutes for a jagerbomb, they can get pretty arsey. Apparently ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ get suspended when you reach a 0.5 blood alcohol level.
2. How much!? The repetitive questions
As if I am the one who sets the drinks prices, customers will forever tell me how they can get this particular drink for half the price down the road. Worse, however, is when you are expected to be both waitress and mathematician when asked ‘what’s the most alcoholic drink I can get for £2.35?’, ‘how many drinks can I get for a fiver?’ When you get to the point of trying to count up all the pennies you can find for another drink, maybe it’s time to stop.
3. Missing your own nights out
Many times I have missed out on what turned out to be a ‘great night- you missed out!’ with my supportive housemates. Seriously, looking at house pictures uploaded onto Facebook, it is as if I don’t live here. I don’t have any girls to take toilet selfies with when I’m at work on a Saturday night.
4. Everyone believing they were next
There will always be a queue at any bar worth going to. That’s part of going out. However, trying to decipher which person was indeed next can be a more difficult task than it would seem. All girls look the same on a night out these days anyway, right? Nothing is more irritating than everyone leaning over the bar waving their money in front of your face. Seriously, unless that £10 note is my tip, they can eff off.
5. Speaking of tips…
Last night I genuinely came home with a 10p tip after a 5hour shift.
Edited by Mackenzie Orrock
Image source: http://www.afropolite.com/missys-diary-missed-opportunity/