Answering Back to a Customer Backfires...slightly

[customersruinmylife]

I don’t often work closes at the pub. I tell the management I can’t because of my school job early in the morning. But secretly it’s because I can’t stand customers like the ones in this thread.

The pub had closed, and of course there were two special snowflakes who thought they could nurse their drinks all night. Pub policy is that customers get 20 minutes after last call to finish their drinks, and then they have to be out. 90% of the customers leave politely and quietly, but others...

We were very polite to them, but they just grunted and ignored us. It was getting stupid, as we wanted to clean the area they were in. The manager, seeing that there were still customers in the pub was cross, and told us to get them out immediately.

I headed over.

Me: Hi guys, I am very sorry, but you have been told several times that we are closed and I am afraid I am going to have to ask you to either finish your drinks right now, or leave without them.
SC: Yeah, like that’s going to happen. We will stay for as long as we like.
Me: The bar closed 40 minutes ago and you are beyond the 20 minutes drinking up time. You need to make your way to the doors right now.
SC: No, you stupid little barman, we will stay exactly where we are.
Me: I’m sorry?
SC: We’re staying here. Deal with it.
Me: I will not ask again. I will call someone to remove you if necessary.
SC: YOU-
SC’s Friend: Come on. Let’s go somewhere where the staff are nice!
SC: Fine!

They necked their drinks and I headed back to the bar. Of course, she had to come back for Round 2 while I was mopping.

SC: Do you know what? You are really, really rude!
Me: Really?
SC: Yes! You are so rude! You work in a bar! You should expect people to be in here drinking!
Me: That’s right, I do. Within the opening hours.
SC: And do you know what else? You deserve people being rude to you!
Me: *mopping bar floor, not even looking at her* Uh-huh.
SC: Because that’s what you signed up for when you became a barman! You should expect people being rude and horrible to you all the time! It’s part of the trade!
Me: *still mopping* Right.
SC: So don’t you go lashing out when I say what I feel! You should take it like a man!
Me: *again, still mopping* OK, whatever.
SC: GOD! YOU ARE SUCH AN ARSEHOLE!

I didn’t realise she had turned to walk away.

Me: I can be much worse than an arsehole.
SC: WHAT DID YOU SAY!?!?!?! BLAAAARRRGHHHH!!!! IWANTTOSEEYOURMANAGER! MANAGER!!BLARRGHH!!!!!!111111111!!!

She was pounding her fists on the bar.

Me: Jesus.

Manager had appeared at that point. He started leading her to the door. She was screaming like a banshee and was waving her arms around in the air.

SC: HEISSORUDE!!! OMG!!! CAN’T BELIEVE HOW RUDE HE IS! HE SWORE! HE SWORE!!!!!111!
M: OK, right.
SC: IWANTHIMPUNISHED! IWANTHIMFIIIIIIIIIIIRRRREEEEEDDD!
M: OK ma’am, just walk this way.
SC: BLARRRGLEBLARRGLERAAAAAAAAAA!
M: OK.

He got her to the door and slammed it in her face, locking it.

M: My God customersruinmylife, if only you hadn’t said that last sentence she would have gone!

M was cool about the whole thing, so no punishment for me.

First time in ages that answering back has backfired. Whoops!

[BrenDAnn]

It's not your fault, CRML...After all, you couldn't read her mind to know that she was goign to go from bitch to drunken raging hosebeast in under two seconds flat! Glad your manager was cool, though!
ETA: NO ONE should "expect" people to be rude to them, regardless of where they work or what they're doing. No one. End of story!

[CruiseShipGirl]

SC: And do you know what else? You deserve people being rude to you!
Me: *mopping bar floor, not even looking at her* Uh-huh.
SC: Because that’s what you signed up for when you became a barman! You should expect people being rude and horrible to you all the time! It’s part of the trade!
Me: *still mopping* Right.
SC: So don’t you go lashing out when I say what I feel! You should take it like a man!
Me: *again, still mopping* OK, whatever.
SC: GOD! YOU ARE SUCH AN ARSEHOLE!

Someone who says stupid stuff like this deserves to be put back in their place. I don’t think I could have held my tongue and would have said something a lot worse than you did. I wasn’t aware that there were jobs out there where “people being rude and horrible to you all the time” is part of the hiring requirement. I had it happen multiple times when I waitressed, but I don’t remember that being in the job description.

[Jay 2K Winger]

I guess the banshee in the OP didn't hear Jester's Maxim.

"Bartenders are Gods. Don't Anger the Gods."

[emax4]

Backfired! Quite the opposite, IMO. She was already acting up, and your words not only got her riled up more, but it caused her to get thrown out. What would have happened if you hadn't said anything at all? I believe she may have ended up staying longer.

[Shalom]

Aren't there laws in the UK regarding closing time? It was one of the recurring jokes in the old Andy Capp comic strip, back in the '60s, how the bartender at Andy's local was all nice and smiley, and then come 2:00 AM, he instantly turns into a grouch that wants nothing more than to see the back of you.

Or is it that they can stay as long as they want, but you just have to stop selling them liquor?

[Food Lady]

NO ONE should "expect" people to be rude to them, regardless of where they work or what they're doing. No one. End of story!

I agree 1,000%!!! And what you said was not wrong. You didn't insult her or call her names. You just told her how it was. You don't mince words.

[scruff]

Aren't there laws in the UK regarding closing time?

Yup, there is. time depends on the terms of your licence and how the bar is set up.
I've stayed all night in closed pubs that had lockable grills they could pull down over the bar area so the alcohol is not accessible. But the typical pub has open shelves with bottles avaliable, so yeah, punters get kicked out after closing time (with a small grace period for drinking up).

I'm now homesick for my old regular the Polar Bear, where the landlord's cry was "Can I have everyone outside now please!!!". Very effective, repeated loudly and often.
After a few comments from a regular, the call got changed to "Can i have everyone outsdie now please! Apart from Phil*, who can vacate the premises!"

[Pagan]

Aren't there laws in the UK regarding closing time? It was one of the recurring jokes in the old Andy Capp comic strip, back in the '60s, how the bartender at Andy's local was all nice and smiley, and then come 2:00 AM, he instantly turns into a grouch that wants nothing more than to see the back of you.

Or is it that they can stay as long as they want, but you just have to stop selling them liquor?

That doesn't matter. The place was closed, regardless of if they still could have been selling alcohol or not. Doesn't matter if they're sitting there nursing a coke. The place is closed.

[Kristev]

Next time, call the police and inform them that they're tresspassing.

[MoonCat]

They had probably already gotten banned from every other pub in town because they were such jerks. Why can't people like this just buy their own booze, lug it home and get drunk there? Problem solved.

[Marmalady]

SC: GOD! YOU ARE SUCH AN ARSEHOLE!
Me: I can be much worse than an arsehole.
SC: WHAT DID YOU SAY!?!?!?! BLAAAARRRGHHHH!!!! IWANTTOSEEYOURMANAGER! MANAGER!!BLARRGHH!!!!!!111111111!!!

SC: HEISSORUDE!!! OMG!!! CAN’T BELIEVE HOW RUDE HE IS! HE SWORE! HE SWORE!!!!!111!

So let me get this right... she used the word arsehole and that was OK, but when you used the same word, it was rude?

[tropicsgoddess]

I guess the banshee in the OP didn't hear Jester's Maxim.

"Bartenders are Gods. Don't Anger the Gods."

My sentiments exact. Those entitled bitches deserve a boot up their asses.

[manybellsdown]

So let me get this right... she used the word arsehole and that was OK, but when you used the same word, it was rude?

That's clearly what she was aiming for, with her "don't get mad when I tell you how it is, peon!" bit. He wasn't giving her the response she wanted, so she had to make something up.

[Treasure]

I don't know how it works elsewhere, but in MY city -

Last call - 1:45 am
stop selling drinks - 2:00 am
all drinks finished - 2:15 am
ALL customers MUST be out of establishment by 3:00 am

if ANY alcoholic beverage is open/poured/drinkable after 3:30 am and there is an inspection the establishment gets fined (usually a big one) - 98% time the person responsible for incurring the fine will get fired

(This applies to all bars, pubs, clubs - they can set their own business hours within those rules; the only places i think have different rules are the "gentlemen clubs" - i know a lot of them advertise breakfast buffets that start at 3:00 am)


CRML's bar has a very generous "finish your drink" policy; the clowns in the OP abused it.

around here, when the staff starts cleaning up, we call it "Turning on the ugly lights" cause they turn on the bright overhead lights, nobody looks good in that lighting when they dressed for a dark bar....