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Cheap Customer

How would you handle these situations?
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wiseguy
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Cheap Customer

Post by wiseguy »

At one of your shows, where there is no cover charge to attend, there is one guy who shows up every time and turns in song request forms. The problem is that this person never buys anything from the bar except an occasional soda that he nurses for the entire evening. The owner tells you to no longer allow this person to sing unless he starts buying drinks. How would you handle this situation?


Marlena
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Post by Marlena »

Oh this happened to me. I have a whole table that comes in and buys soda all night long, the bar owner asked me to stop playing them.

I handled it this way. I told the bar owner that it was not my job to decide who gets to sing and who doesn't it was his, and if it was my desicion that they would be allowed to sing because they were spending 1.50 every hour. And I would NOT allow his desicion to be reflected upon my business.

Well this happened twice and the bar owner handled it differently both times. First he told the 1 girl who he was complaining about and he LOST the entire table (who were drinking and i have never seen them back)

The 2nd time, with my whole table of soda drinkers he simply raised the price of pop to $5.00 on Karaoke night (4 which the bar keeps and a buck for the waitresses time to bring it to them, cause they never tip either) and even though they complain they still come and the prices have been there for about a year already.
letitrip
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Post by letitrip »

Marlena's situation is similar to the old folks who go into a McDonalds at 8:00 in the morning and sit at their tables for 2-3 hours drinking their 69 cent senior coffees and reading the restaurant supplied newspapers. Could you imagine McDonalds telling them they couldn't read the paper because they don't buy enough or jacking the price of coffee to a couple bucks? Am I any less of a customer at a restaurant where I go in to just get a quick appetizer instead of a full dinner?
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wiseguy
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Post by wiseguy »

This is a scenario that I have experienced more than once. To me the solution is simple and always the same. If the bar management allows a person into the bar where I'm performing then I'm going to let them sing just like any other customer. What the bar charges for drinks is none of my business.

The fairest way I've seen a bar handle this is to charge a cover charge that amounts to the price of two drinks. Once inside, your first two drinks are free.
DanG2006
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Post by DanG2006 »

I can go through three sodas inside of a half hour. That said there is an important reason why I drink soda only. I'm on medication that if I were to drink any alcohol I could die from toxicity. Another reason is what family history I know of is that my biological father was an alcoholic and I don't want to follow in his footsteps.
If a barowner was to say that I couldn't let a soda drinker sing, I would state that he can run his business the way he sees fit, I'm gonna run mine the way I see fit and it is possible that that soda drinker may save his legal behind by driving several of your drunkest patrons home.
Bigdog
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Post by Bigdog »

Your bar is your business....My business is karaoke.

I will not let a bar owner ruin my business. Everyone in the bar gets the EXACT same treatment from me.

I don't care if they dropped $1,000 or $1.00.

I don't care if it's your uncle, brother, wife, bar owner....They sing in the rotation just like the other paying customers. Once per rotation...

Showing favoritism even to the bar owner will chase away customers. I have already told bar owners that wanted to sing multiple times in the rotation...look around at the paying customers. You are not paying me enough for the priviledge to ruin my reputation...from your stupidity.

I'll take care of making you money..in spite of yourself...
Sheera
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Location: East Texas

Post by Sheera »

I agree with BigDog. It's my show and I'm gonna run it. I don't run your bar, you don't run my karaoke show.
mwadeson
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Post by mwadeson »

i have a situation some what similiar I have a bar that we go to once a month it is 45minutes away i cut them a little deal because they booked up a year with us. After about the third time one of the locals who does karaoke comes in with like 20 other people they all think they should sing every song. But i show up with 20 people from out of town who understand out rotation and just want it to be fair. Our policy is printed in the front of all our books. The bar manager comes up and says she has complaints from a few people the same ones that came and complained to me. I told her that it is well stated in our book about the way rotation is done. And she says yeah but and i told her that that is fine if you want to do it that way we will do it that way next time. The next time i go down by myself and brought my own water. didn't drink a thing and she called me like two days later. what happened my till looked like we did nothing the other night. I told her you chased away the ones spending money for your regulars who don't spend 100 a night because they are there 5 nights a week we come 1 night a month. needless to say i walk in the door it is my show my business if they have complaints they take it up with her and she tells them thats if they don't like i won't come back but drink prices will go up dollar a drink all month to make up what i was bringing in in one night.
Bigdog
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Post by Bigdog »

Last night the bar owner mentioned an older couple taking up seating all night with their one diet Coke each. I call them crowd killers because of their musical selections. They sing real well but... :roll: old country standards.

Then she bytched about the younger ones singing some of the new angry screaming rock songs. The one almost fell over drunk. And he later bytched about his $75 bar tab. He was buying every round of shots for his 7 buddies. Dahhh... wonder why your bill is so high? She doesn't care if they come back. She even mentioned that she might switch to an all oldies karaoke night. She can't take the new angry rock stuff. I told her it was only once every hour. She doesn't care. She said she will try to cope with it a few more weeks. But I'm working on my oldies song book in the mean time.

She knows she makes too much money to stop having karaoke. And she would be willing to sacrifice some of the crowd during the switch to the oldies night. We will see what happens.
Sheera
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Location: East Texas

Post by Sheera »

I sometimes think people are just nuts. I'm constantly being asked how to get people in that will spend money. The problem is, they don't want the loud crazy crowd that SPENDS money. They want the old quiet crowd that doesn't make a lot of noise and doesn't get rowdy and drunk, so I just started telling 'em I don't know nothin' bout nothin
' cuz they ain't gonna listen anyway.
Bigdog
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Post by Bigdog »

Tonight on my 30 mile drive to the job (which now costs me $25 a night to do in gas money) I started to concoct in my mind a letter I am seriously thinking about sending to all my bar owners. It's going to be pretty blunt and factually descriptive. Detailing all of the stupid business decisions that have been made by bar owners over the years, at bars where I have been doing the karaoke. Some of these decisions ended with the bars going out of business or at least causing great financial hardship. And that means they directly effected my income. I lost my job and had to look for other work. That means I was not a happy camper. Lost income is lost income. I can understand if it's my fault. But when they make stupid decisions that ulimately effect my wallet, it sucks.

I am prepared to give examples and name names. The names would only be of the bars that are extinct. No names of bars I currently work. But there are plenty of examples to cite from my current bars.

The letter would list these stupid mistakes and ask the bar owners to give me a few weeks warning of stupid business decisions they plan to impliment. So that I can look for other jobs so my income will not be effected. Run it by me and if it's stupid, I'll let you know I'm looking for other work. You can impliment it after I let you know I have another job to cover this one. So my income will not be interrupted.

Some of these examples of bar killers are,

1. adding a pool table to the family dining area. Eliminating 6-8 tables. And chasing away customers.

2. Adding a "Bike" night chasing away the rest of the customers.

3. Refusing to bar A$$hole trouble makers permantently. Chasing away good customers.

4. Preempting karaoke to let the ball game finish. Chasing away karaoke people on the karaoke night.
Bigdog
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Post by Bigdog »

I have a vested interest in the survival of the bar. I make money from the bar being open.

Why do bar owners listen to customers that have no interest in the bars survival.

Tell me your great idea. If it sucks, I'm out of here. It's my income too. I should be informed of things that could impact my income or reputation.

If I wanted to be associated with biker bars I know where they are and how to get hired. If I want to work in trouble bars, I can.

I take great care in preserving the bars reputation and my own. My shows are geared to make the bar maximum income. If I hurt the bars reputation or income, I hurt mine. They seem to not care about theirs or mine.

I don't think it's wrong of me to ask to be given a heads up on their stupid future business plans. My income is just as important to me.

Am I right or wrong?
Sheera
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Location: East Texas

Post by Sheera »

You're right about their decisions affecting your income and your life but the bar owners will tell you that you are just an employee of sorts and that as the owners they have the final say in what will happen. Doesn't mean it will make sense. I have a regular gig on Fri and Sat nites at the same bar and I have a really good crowd and I have to admit that I have some really good singers. We're in a rural area and this particular bar owner wants the older set from the local VFW and oddly enough, they are coming in but not for the reason she wants. This bar crowd is rowdy and loud and I get right in there with 'em because that's how they like it and it makes 'em come back. The VFW crowd is coming in because of it. There are more and more of them coming in and telling me they're bored to tears down the street and why didn't I tell them I was doing karaoke here? That sort of thing. Course I'm not going to go in at somebody elses gig and start advertising and invite them down to my place. Hey, they found me anyway, right? Anyway, the bar owner's not happy about WHY they're coming but she sure likes the money they're spending but I really look for something stupid to happen before long as this gig is well over a year old. We'll see.
Bigdog
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Post by Bigdog »

I mentioned before about the last 2 times the bar owner had the pay per view fights on in the bar there were real fights there. Well tonight the fight is on again and sure enough trouble starts. The bar owner wants to beat up a guy that accidentally knocked over the mini ATM machine. Now the guy apologized but that wasn't good enough. So the owner wants to take him outside. The bar owners wife and several other people are trying to keep them apart. Somehow the bar owner knocks over my stack of speakers. 18" sub and 15" top fell over.

I am never taking work at sports bar again. I now how 5 jobs and 2 are sports bars. Just my luck.


There are other factors that have caused me to quit bars. One was the bartender not being or not wanting to keep the drink glasses full. She was busy talking and flirting and hiding in the kitchen on the phone. People came to me and told me they were not coming back because it's taking 20 minutes to get a drink. She wanted to be the only one working so she could make all the tips. Well the bar tonight could use a waitress and bartender because of the crowd. I know people are waiting too long for drinks. Stupid on the bar owners part. Many people that go out like to be waited on. They don't want to go up to the bar to get drinks. Plus they sit there with empties that a waitress could take away and replace with a full one. Faster than waiting for the customers to get up and get one. So money is being lost. They would only pay a waitress $5 an hour. They are losing much more than that.

Bad or insufficient help makes me look bad, if customers are leaving. No customers makes it look like I can't draw a crowd. That's why I left the bar with the slow waitress. The bar was hurting my reputation. If another bar owner comes in to check me out, I look bad if the crowd isn't as big as it should/could be. He will blame me and not the bad bartender. And I will never know why I wasn't hired. Bar owners put too much faith in bartenders. Now that's how it should be but usually they are hurting the business more than helping. If they are slow at refilling the glasses.
djBe
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Location: wilmington, north carolina

Post by djBe »

Soda singers are way better than water warblers!
Soda is pure profit, bars get at least $1 for a few pennies of product.
$2 is a fair price to charge for soda on karaoke night, $5 is just plain dicky.
$1 glass charge for water is fair, as well.
Those that don't tip, well, that's comes with the territory and alcohol drinkers sometimes stiff, too.
Some soda and water drinkers, meanwhile, actually tip quite well.
definitely the bars job - not yours - to make the call on enforcement of drink minimums, though.
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