I am a man that likes a drink. However I was still amused at one operator’s take on responsible alcohol retailing, experienced this weekend.
For reasons to painful to go into, I found myself at a well known leisure-park operator’s site in the West Country on Friday/Saturday.
It was very much the sort of weekend – eighties in theme – where those in attendance attempt to shove as much booze down their mostly fat throats as possible in the name of binge-drinking.
If you can stand and maybe string a sentence together at the end of the night to order something deep-fried to chow down on, you’re doing well.
With things in full swing a friend of mine found himself cornered by two girls roaming about selling vile looking vodka shots in one of the bars.
Probably as much for reasons of taste, and because he already had a drink, he turned down their offer to buy what amounted to overpriced slammers and was promptly likened to a part of the female anatomy. Classy stuff you’ll agree.
When I then went to the bar a little later to order about six whiskies for my group we were told in no uncertain terms that we couldn’t have them.
Was I hanging off the bar waving money about in a desperate fashion? Er, no.
In fact the barmaid said we couldn’t have singles as it was past 9pm and we were on holiday so she’d only serve doubles (not entirely joking). Not wanting to rock the boat we agreed and then ordered as many sambucas, this time as chasers.
“I can’t serve you sambuca,” she said.
At last, I thought, she’s doing some of that responsible retailing stuff I hear politicians banging on about. Not quite.
“I can’t serve you sambuca because it’ll make me sick, I can’t stand the smell.”
For the record we got the sambucas and the rest of the evening can be likened as a bit of a blur. Just don’t tell the Portman Group.
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