Fresh out of High School in the year 1969 I had no earthly idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. So while I was figuring this out I took an afternoon job in a small city bar not to far from home. I dressed in the clothes I wore to High School, which was very modest apparel because I never was into fads or fashion...only comfort in the clothes I wore. And I also didn't wear any makeup besides lip gloss and light eyeshadow. Most of my customers were businessmen stopping in for a drink on their way home. There was also a Professor at our local College, a few Lawyers...and once even a Judge. I would say that during my "season" as a Bartender I met and waited on someone from almost every walk of life. I had the good shift where it was a very rare thing for anyone to get drunk or cause any kind of trouble. And although I was allowed to accept drinks if someone wanted to buy me one...I would only accept non-alcoholic drinks while working. One thing I found out is that Bartenders are alot like Counselors. People stop in for a drink for many reasons, but most of these people wanted to talk...and they wanted someone to listen to them talk. I was the one who listened and because I did...my customers kept coming back and leaving me bigger tips every time. I listened because with the diversity of people who came in....what they had to say was interesting and I learned a lot just by listening to them. Because I respected myself...my customers were respectful to me also. I can still remember the afternoon a new customer came in and after a few drinks he started cursing....well I was just going to ignore this, but my regular customers told the guy to clean up his mouth because he was in the presence of a lady but this guy just kept running his potty mouth anyway...until some of my regular customers picked him off his bar stool and carried him out the door and made it clear he was not to come back! I have to admit that I felt honored that day. All to soon my "season" as a Bartender came to an end through no fault of my own. My boss developed a "crush" on me and soon started staying in the bar during my whole shift. I had no problem with him staying...but he was drinking during that stay and whenever he felt someone was "flirting" with me...he jumped all over them word wise. And because of this he was causing some of my regular customers to leave and not come back. The day my boss told me he was "in love" with me was the day I quit, walked out of that bar....and into the rest of my life which began with my going to Spencer's Business College. All good things come to an end one way or the other...but I can still look back with fondness on my Bartender days.
@Babs Hunt - Smashing post Babs, enjoyed reading Similar to me, my Mother was a waitress and a good one As soon as I came of age I worked with her, then went on to waitress in the city of London The owners were Italian and very good to the staff, the food was loverly too I decided when I married to take up office work as it paid more to get us started I look back on the waitressing days fondly as you do and miss it
I graduated high school in 1969 also, but went straight on to the University of Pittsburgh but dropped out so it did me little good. What state did you live in that you could work as a bartender at 18? Or have the laws changed? I do know that the legal drinking age in W.VA at that time was 18 because all the kids that drank would drive the couple hours from Pittsburgh, but I wasn't one of them. My daughter worked on weekends at the Spaghetti Factory in St. Louis when she was in dental school. She started as a waitress but got promoted to bartender which to her was an easier job with better tips. I worried about her though because she'd be driving back to her apt in Illinois and have to go through a very bad part of St. Louis at 2 am. Once when I was visiting her, I went and sat there while she worked and the head bartender was giving me free very strong SeaBreezes and by the time her shift ended she practically had to carry me to her car. Thanks Babs, for reminding me of a fond memory with my daughter...not the drunk part but just the visits. Also for letting me share on your job post.
At the time I worked in the Bar in Louisiana the drinking age was 18 @Chrissy Page. It's now 21 years old and has been that way for a long time! I'm glad I could bring you a happy memory with this tread Chrissy.
Figured it was something like that, knowing that it was 18 in W. VA. I'm sure that has changed also but I don't really know.
I had a brief stint as a bartender, and I mean brief. I lasted about a day! I am not very good at juggling drinks. It helps to have manual dexterity. I did get a drink manual out of the gig though! I mean if it wasn't busy, I wouldn't mind doing a bit of bartending,,,but people making a lot of demands..would not be my thing. I was a little more successful as a waitress which i did one summer in college..Now, that was the hardest work I ever did though...bar none..!!
Gee, @Babs Hunt, that's one good anecdote you posted. And although I didn't like the ending, it gave me an insight on what bartending is all about. I got interested because I have a niece who went to Dubai last year to work as a bartender in a club or restaurant. We are friends on Facebook but she seldom goes online and she only posted 3 times since she arrived in Dubai last year. Her last post was before Christmas, a photo of her in the bar. She's a beauty and young so I was thinking of how she would cope with the rowdy and flirting customers considering that Dubai is an Arab country. But amid the risks, the pay is good especially the tips that a bartender can earn from generous customers. And especially for a female bartender, I'm sure there are a lot of friendly customers.
The Bar I tended was a small city bar and I did not work the night hours so I did not have much experience with rowdy customers. Nor did most customers have more than a couple of drinks. Most were just unwinding after a day's work before heading home. And they were well behaved, intelligent, and respectful to me...as I was to them. I really enjoyed my 'season" being a Lady Bartender...but if it would have been in a rowdy night club....I wouldn't have lasted more than one night!