Advice for drinking in the union

[kibble]

i used to work in a pub, and our boss kindly provided us all with 'pub twat bingo' cards. things thnat scored highly on the card included leaving chewing gum oin ashtrays, standing waiting for 2 p change, and monopolising the barmaids time. turns twattisim into a pleasurable sport!

[Thackary]

[s]Al wrote on 18:14, 9th Feb 2005:
"The 1976 Act presently permits a further period of 15 minutes after the end of the permitted hours for customers to consume drinks..."

The acts permits the customers 15 minutes drinking up time, but it doesn't override the fact that the manager/landlord/licensee can eject anyone from the premises at whatever time s/he likes.

In fact, as far as the licence is concerned, I think that the licensee can eject (or refuse entry) to anyone s/he doesn't want on the premises, for whatever reason. But due to other regulations such as equal opps (and of course custom!) it's sensible for the licensee only to take such drastic measures with good reason.


edited for formatting - honestly, I should know better

[Al]

If someone is being disruptive then, of course, the landlord has the right to take action and ask them to leave. However, members of the barstaff have stated that is policy to not allow people the statutory drinking up time simply so they can close up earlier. There is no getting around the fact that such a policy is illegal.

[hr]Life is too important to be taken seriously.

[Guest]

It is all well and good to say that drink up time is 15 minute past the closing hour, but in actual fact this is due time given for one to finish a drink. NOT a period of time before one should consider finishing up.

Fifteen minutes past the hour is the point were drinks are removed, finished or not, because it is against the law.

In short, the 15 minutes until kick out time is not just time for one to chill out until forced to leave, but its amazing how many people seem to push it as far as they can go, dawdling around in the main bar well past closing/drink up time, extending the time the tired staff have to spend cleaning up until well past 3 AM.

Which is just inconsiderate to everyone thats working to serve customers and keep the place safe and maintained.

[considerate drinker]

Fair enough not clicking your fingers - but I've been in the Union several times when there have been at least 6 members of staff behind the bar just gabbing to each other and it still takes them 5 minutes to come and serve you, when there's no-one else standing in front of the bar! In situations like that I think you're quite within your rights to say "Excuse me, can I get some service here". I would never click my fingers but it does take the piss when they can blatantly see someone waiting to be served and they just keep on talking until one reluctantly comes across and serves you - I show consideration so I expect the same back in return.
I've also been underchanged several times - fair enough when you hand a tenner across and they think it's a fiver, but not when you give them a tenner for a pint of beer and they give you £1.60 back, but some of the members of staff appear to do it on occassion to pocket the difference themselves.

[flarewearer]

[s]Unregisted User considerate drinker wrote on 22:29, 9th Feb 2005:
Fair enough not clicking your fingers - but I've been in the Union several times when there have been at least 6 members of staff behind the bar just gabbing to each other and it still takes them 5 minutes to come and serve you, when there's no-one else standing in front of the bar! In situations like that I think you're quite within your rights to say "Excuse me, can I get some service here".


yes I've had this and its' infuriating, it's like interupting a private party or something and causing an irritating inconvenience. This does only happen when its' quiet though, when the bar is busy they do work their little union socks off.

[hr]
...We sing of landscape and memory and the urgency to do it now; in the street and in the fields...

[rubbermuffin]

[s]groovy wrote on 13:26, 9th Feb 2005:

6) Please don't pay your entire order with 5p's and 2p's. Again, it slows down service for you and everyone else.


The only way i can afford a pint is to pick up shrapnel off the floor, so I'm sorry, you will have to live with this one. Annoying or not, it is legal tender and you will take it damn you. In fact, i am just now reaching for my change pot, see you soon. 200 pennies coming your way.

[hr]
'When I was young PC meant Police Constable / Now I can't seem to tell the difference'

[Mr_Big_Dave]

[s]Al wrote on 18:14, 9th Feb 2005:
[i]"As for the whole drinking up time, if you look round the union bar you can CLEARLY see that there are notices that say that you have 10 MINUTES DRINKING UP TIME!!!!!!! We legally do not have to allow you your drinks after this as if the building is not cleared of all customers by 15 minutes past the hour, then we could effectively lose our late license! So all you people out there who think its 15 minutes are wrong - take it from the bar man whos girlfriend has a father in the police force - i know what of i speak!!!!!"

Clearly your source is not speaking to the Scottish Executive as they seem have a very different idea to the law. From their website -


"The 1976 Act presently permits a further period of 15 minutes after the end of the permitted hours for customers to consume drinks..."

[hr]Life is too important to be taken seriously.
[/i]



This doesn't mean the management HAVE to allow 15mins to drink up. Management reserve the right to ask ANYONE to leave at ANYTIME without reason.
Because you have a 1am license doesn't mean you have to stay open that late.

[Steveo]

[s]Mr_Big_Dave wrote on 13:35, 10th Feb 2005:
This doesn't mean the management HAVE to allow 15mins to drink up. Management reserve the right to ask ANYONE to leave at ANYTIME without reason.
Because you have a 1am license doesn't mean you have to stay open that late.


You can't forceably remove someones drink before this 15 minutes is up.

[hr]
[s]Strangers passing in the street....by chance two seperate glances meet[/s]

[Rectalprobe]

[s]Steveo wrote on 13:38, 10th Feb 2005:
[s]Mr_Big_Dave wrote on 13:35, 10th Feb 2005:[i]
This doesn't mean the management HAVE to allow 15mins to drink up. Management reserve the right to ask ANYONE to leave at ANYTIME without reason.
Because you have a 1am license doesn't mean you have to stay open that late.


You can't forceably remove someones drink before this 15 minutes is up.

[hr]
[s]Strangers passing in the street....by chance two seperate glances meet[/s]
[/i]
Yes we can - come 10 minutes we can remove your drink and then you have to leave by 15 minutes past.

What you dont seem to understand is that the license gives us 15 minutes not only to let everyone drink up, but also to have everyone off of union property! If anyone is on after the 15 are up, we could lose the liscence - but dotn worry, i shall speak to the boss about closing the bar 15 minutes early - then you will all be out by the hour and maybe wont take for granted the time you have the now.




[hr]
"Well i heard my sis say that whenever she had a prick in her hand she puts it in cider"

[munchingfoo]

[s]Setsuna wrote on 18:33, 9th Feb 2005:


Another gripe involving the punters: if someone has been waiting at the bar before me, but the barperson asks me what i want, i will always tell them to serve that person first, regardless of gender, as it is just good manners.

The thing that astounds me, in this golden age of chivalry, is that very many girls extend this courtesy to me, but few male students do. The locals and old men are particularly considerate in other pubs around st andrews, so why not in the union?

Argh!


You see, I am always curteous in this respect when the bar is workable. I mean, if there is a line at max one person in deptht hen I will be courteous. On a friday night when there are 4 lines of people all trying to fight for the front I haven't been looking at people long enough to know if they were there firts or not.

[Smith]

When I arrive at the bar after the person stood next to me, and I get asked first, I will always direct the bar staff onto the next person.

However, you really shouldn't complain about your job, with every job comes its assholes, and its something you just have to learn to deal with.

Do you really want to start shutting the bar early, just so you can get an extra 15 minutes sleep?

Seems a bit ridiculous.

[hr]
I tried thinking of an innovative witty remark, but could only come up with this...

[groovy]

[s]rubbermuffin wrote on 13:28, 10th Feb 2005:

The only way i can afford a pint is to pick up shrapnel off the floor, so I'm sorry, you will have to live with this one. Annoying or not, it is legal tender and you will take it damn you. In fact, i am just now reaching for my change pot, see you soon. 200 pennies coming your way.


I'll refuse to serve you. I'm sure my boss won't have a problem with that.

[Bread Roll]

[s]rubbermuffin wrote on 13:28, 10th Feb 2005:

The only way i can afford a pint is to pick up shrapnel off the floor, so I'm sorry, you will have to live with this one. Annoying or not, it is legal tender and you will take it damn you. In fact, i am just now reaching for my change pot, see you soon. 200 pennies coming your way.


But there are some rules about that.

COINS:

Circulating coins are legal tender throughout the United Kingdom for the following amounts:


£ 2 - for any amount

£1 - for any amount

50p - for any amount not exceeding £10

25p (Crown) - for any amount not exceeding £10

20p - for any amount not exceeding £10

10p - for any amount not exceeding £5

5p - for any amount not exceeding £5

2p - for any amount not exceeding 20p

1p - for any amount not exceeding 20p

taken from http://www.royalmint.com/talk/faqs.asp

so in theory you can't buy a pint in pennies.

[Al]

What people don't seem to be able to grasp is that these are matters dictated by law and not by the whim of the barstaff.

1)The law says "drinking up time" is fifteen minutes. That is, people are allowed fifteen minutes, after the end of licensed hours, to finish their drinks. Not five. Not ten. Fifteen. Only after those fifteen minutes have elapsed can drinks legally be removed and people made to leave.

2) The fifteen minutes begin at the end of licensed hours and NOT when the bar shuts. If there is a license to serve until 1am then drinks must be served until that time. The only exception to this would be if there were no customers left in the bar. However, forcing people out would be a breach of the license.

These are not difficult concepts to grasp.

[hr]Life is too important to be taken seriously.

[flarewearer]

[s]groovy wrote on 14:32, 10th Feb 2005:
[s]rubbermuffin wrote on 13:28, 10th Feb 2005:[i]

The only way i can afford a pint is to pick up shrapnel off the floor, so I'm sorry, you will have to live with this one. Annoying or not, it is legal tender and you will take it damn you. In fact, i am just now reaching for my change pot, see you soon. 200 pennies coming your way.


I'll refuse to serve you. I'm sure my boss won't have a problem with that.
[/i]

WTF is your problem? you moan about people paying with small change, then moan about people trying to pay with cards? I'm so fucking sorry if it inconveniences you to have to count out some change (which surely is more useful in the till than loads of tenners) or to tell people that there is a cash machine outside. Get over it!

[hr]
...We sing of landscape and memory and the urgency to do it now; in the street and in the fields...

[Hex]

If you have worked in a bar, stood in a queue, or simply tried to walk down a busy street past the retards who think it's fun to force you into traffic so they can have a conversation on the narrow pavement you've been inconvenienced by other people's lack of common sense, insight and politeness. I'm sure we all get annoyed by it daily, but simply have to cope. I agree that many (though not all) of the points made are sources of annoyance that reasonable people try to avoid, but if you can't deal with them then working behind a bar is going to be a frustrating experience.

Where groovy seems to fall down to me, is that bitching about the situation is not going to change anything for the better. Trying to force standards of behaviour beyond those commonly followed in society on other people, especially drunken students trying to get drinks is as far as I can see a futile effort. You may make a few dozen sinners think briefly about how they go about drinks, but the effects of this will drop off sharply even among this group when it comes to remembering what's been said when the time actually comes to act. Live with it, or get another job, as people aren't going to change for you.


**edited for spelling**

[groovy]

[s]Hex wrote on 15:24, 10th Feb 2005:
If you have worked in a bar, stood in a queue, or simply tried to walk down a busy street past the retards who think it's fun to force you into traffic so they can have a conversation on the narrow pavement you've been inconvenienced by other people's lack of common sense, insight and politeness. I'm sure we all get annoyed by it daily, but simply have to cope. I agree that many (though not all) of the points made are sources of annoyance that reasonable people try to avoid, but if you can't deal with them then working behind a bar is going to be a frustrating experience.

Where groovy seems to fall down to me, is that bitching about the situation is not going to change anything for the better. Trying to force standards of behaviour beyond those commonly followed in society on other people, especially drunken students trying to get drinks is as far as I can see a futile effort. You may make a few dozen sinners think briefly about how they go about drinks, but the effects of this will drop off sharply even among this group when it comes to remembering what's been said when the time actually comes to act. Live with it, or get another job, as people aren't going to change for you.


**edited for spelling**


Maybe it is futile, but only as futile as the message you just wrote.

[Mr_Big_Dave]

[s]Al wrote on 14:50, 10th Feb 2005:
What people don't seem to be able to grasp is that these are matters dictated by law and not by the whim of the barstaff.

1)The law says "drinking up time" is fifteen minutes. That is, people are allowed fifteen minutes, after the end of licensed hours, to finish their drinks. Not five. Not ten. Fifteen. Only after those fifteen minutes have elapsed can drinks legally be removed and people made to leave.

2) The fifteen minutes begin at the end of licensed hours and NOT when the bar shuts. If there is a license to serve until 1am then drinks must be served until that time. The only exception to this would be if there were no customers left in the bar. However, forcing people out would be a breach of the license.

These are not difficult concepts to grasp.

[hr][i]Life is too important to be taken seriously.
[/i]


I don't think YOU are able to grasp what the law says.

Bars don't HAVE to stay open right up until their license ends- they can close anytime before that if they wish!!!

They CAN also ask ANYONE to leave WHENEVER they want WITHOUT reason!!!

The 15mins grace IS from when the license ends (cos its just a GRACE period)- but they bar does not have to give the 15mins!!!

[munchingfoo]

Thats not true. The bar has to stay open fifteen minutes after the bar shuts. The reason being, if I buy a drink I need time to finish it. If a bar wishes to finish 5 mins before the license says they must also close the bar 5 mins early. It is you who does not understand.