The Sportsman - How NOT to treat your employees

[ROSM]

On Saturday, The Sportsman was like a proper pub; plenty of people (okay some looked a bit, well you know, odd!) and almost enough bar staff to cope.

However.............whilst spending time with some lovely people including TLO, Lord B, Edna, Superphil etc. I noticed that the staff all have happy 'team' Tshirts.

They are a bit like the ones that sad stag parties wear, you know the kind of thing:

- they have a number

- they are cheaply printed (not like what you'd find at SPORTING COLOURS for all your proud sportswear needs)

- they have a hugely witty 'nickname'

However some of the nicknames were just not suitable. For example there was a lovely porcelain faced lady with an amazing array of ear piercings who was forced to wear one that said 'felch'.

Now dont get me wrong and I'm not being judgemental (so as not to offend any felchers on here) but it just didn't seen right. Not when there were so many other more suitable choices.

Should we have a competition on here to correctly nickname the bar staff at the Sportsman? Perhaps someone can take photos on satdi and post them here for comment.

I don't think i should as taking photos of strangers in pubs can cause offence.

 

[pishhead]

I used to work at the sportsman!! they do get too choose what name they want suprisingly!

 

[ROSM]

I used to work at the sportsman!! they do get too choose what name they want suprisingly!

really - well why would a lady choose a name like that?

What should she be called?

 

[pishhead]

really - well why would a lady choose a name like that?

What should she be called?

Back alley sally?

 

[Easy 10]

Is El Pres the bar manager there or something

 

[MikeySmall]

On Saturday, The Sportsman was like a proper pub; plenty of people (okay some looked a bit, well you know, odd!) and almost enough bar staff to cope.

However.............whilst spending time with some lovely people including TLO, Lord B, Edna, Superphil etc. I noticed that the staff all have happy 'team' Tshirts.

They are a bit like the ones that sad stag parties wear, you know the kind of thing:

- they have a number

- they are cheaply printed (not like what you'd find at SPORTING COLOURS for all your proud sportswear needs)

- they have a hugely witty 'nickname'

However some of the nicknames were just not suitable. For example there was a lovely porcelain faced lady with an amazing array of ear piercings who was forced to wear one that said 'felch'.

Now dont get me wrong and I'm not being judgemental (so as not to offend any felchers on here) but it just didn't seen right. Not when there were so many other more suitable choices.

Should we have a competition on here to correctly nickname the bar staff at the Sportsman? Perhaps someone can take photos on satdi and post them here for comment.

I don't think i should as taking photos of strangers in pubs can cause offence.

It could be her surname........ BOF will know what im on about!!

 

[Da Man Clay]

Is El Pres the bar manager there or something

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Sack the lot of the staff and rehire some decent ones.

They are the WORST bar staff it has EVER been my MISFORTUNE to come across.

Slow, ignorant, rude and with no idea of who to serve next. Busy my arse. Try a Friday or Sat nite in nearly any pub in the land.

They are quite frankly an UTTER DISCGRACE.

 

[Fourteenth Eye]

Back alley sally?

i just spat out my coffee

 

[jonny.rainbow]

Sack the lot of the staff and rehire some decent ones.

They are the WORST bar staff it has EVER been my MISFORTUNE to come across.

Slow, ignorant, rude and with no idea of who to serve next. Busy my arse. Try a Friday or Sat nite in nearly any pub in the land.

They are quite frankly an UTTER DISCGRACE.

Maybe a little harsh but certainly agree with a lot of the sentiment.

The only place in the world where I've told a barman to serve somone else as he was before me, only for the barman to completely ignore me when finished with that chap and go on to serve someone else.

 

[Dennis and Lois]

Sack the lot of the staff and rehire some decent ones.

They are the WORST bar staff it has EVER been my MISFORTUNE to come across.

Slow, ignorant, rude and with no idea of who to serve next. Busy my arse. Try a Friday or Sat nite in nearly any pub in the land.

They are quite frankly an UTTER DISCGRACE.

I bet you are not on £5 an hour, I'm not saying its right but we are a low wage economy, staff in pubs supermarkets bookies etc dont give a shit. we stand the other side of the counter and expect to be treated like royalty but when were not its "Oi mate I was first, or do your fuckin job or, i'll get you sacked, or i'm the customer treat me with respect you ****" and so on. again i'm not defending bad manners but but both Lois and I have worked our selves up into a position that we now earn (just) above the national average wage and put it in to perspective when barstaff are more interested in last nights east enders than who was first.



PS anyone remember the pub at liverpool st, it was either West Ham away or Spurs. the guy who opened up had no help until noon because the brewery were too f***ing tight to pay an hours wage so he served about 150 thirsty Albion fans on his own for 1 hour

 

[trueblue]

I bet you are not on £5 an hour, I'm not saying its right but we are a low wage economy, staff in pubs supermarkets bookies etc dont give a shit. we stand the other side of the counter and expect to be treated like royalty


Well, in that case maybe we should adopt the American policy. Pay people even less and make them rely on tips, so they offer good service as part of their job. Politeness and a smile costs nowt - even on five pounds an hour.

 

[NMH]

I bet you are not on £5 an hour, I'm not saying its right but we are a low wage economy, staff in pubs supermarkets bookies etc dont give a shit. we stand the other side of the counter and expect to be treated like royalty


Well, in that case maybe we should adopt the American policy. Pay people even less and make them rely on tips, so they offer good service as part of their job. Politeness and a smile costs nowt - even on five pounds an hour.

Nice in theory, but since when do the British think in the fair terms of tipping for good service? Nope, they would accept amazing polite service as their RIGHT, and respond without even a "cheers mate/luv". Tips from the chav element would be "you could have got more beer in this mug" even if the fluid was over the Royal stamp plimsole line.

 

[Dennis and Lois]

Politeness and a smile costs nowt [/B]

Try it after a ten hour shift

 

[house your seagull]

bar staff work in an industry where, pretty much across the board, the are treated like dirt by the people they provide service for and their employees.

in the, admitedly dire, trade/industry rag 'the morning advertiser' they ran the front page a few weeks ago of the 'outrage' that government have 'hiked' the national minium wage to £5.35 an hour ... greedy bastards at the breweries making monkeys out of all drinkers and most of the people who put more than 'minium' effort into working for them.

there is no union, very little support from those above them ... i can tell you something, most bar staff are smarter than railway workers who have an incredible amount of union support.

maybe just try and talk to the bar staff, smile at them for once - if somebody wanted to talk to me and be friendly i'd bite their hand off, especially albion sympathizers who readily reep the benefits!

 

[Easy 10]

if somebody wanted to talk to me and be friendly i'd bite their hand off

Bloody hell.
I'll be sure to punch you in the face then.

 

[trueblue]

Try it after a ten hour shift

I've often worked up to 16 hours and beyond and still managed to smile .. it actually makes things easier you know.

 

[trueblue]

Nice in theory, but since when do the British think in the fair terms of tipping for good service? Nope, they would accept amazing polite service as their RIGHT, and respond without even a "cheers mate/luv". Tips from the chav element would be "you could have got more beer in this mug" even if the fluid was over the Royal stamp plimsole line.

I'm not saying it would work in this country as things stand - just pointing out that the reason people provide much better service in the States is because their money depends on it. It may be false at times, but it's better than the surly attitudes so prevalent here (I'm not talking about the Sportsman - just many service industries in general).

 

[The Large One]

The Americans have a culture of tipping in a way which we (and Europeans) don't. I don't mean we and European don't tip, I mean in America, it's almost EXPECTED, rather than 'earned'.

On certain cruises, and in certain situations, there are tarriffs and guides as to how much you should tip a particular person. I find that attitude rather repugnant and vulgar because tipping is supposed to be a gratuity, a 'thank you' if you like - NOT an obligatory extra.

Generally, you can tell if someone is mugging for a tip, and I therefore wouldn't pay it on principle. If, however, someone has served me pleasantly, promptly and dealt with all of my queries in a satisfactory manner, they may well receive a tip. Having said that, those are the minimum qualities I would want in order to feel it worthwhile paying a tip in the first place.

And generally you do get a decent service in more places than not over here. The surly places I avoid the next time. It's up to them, really.

Customers, on the other hand, can be right snotty, patronising wankers in this country - but that's a different story. All i can say is, I couldn't be a waiter - I don't have the temperament for it. But a barman - definitely.

 

[Easy 10]

Are you Mr Pink ?