Our state is just a Herbie Hancock away from allowing liquor store sales on Sundays. The bar at which I used to work (and still occasionally moonlight), took a 40% hit when the smoking ban went into effect. My tips suffered as well. The regulars who would occasionally pop in explained that it was more convenient for them to stop at the packy, buy a six-pack, go home, and proceed to smoke and drink in the comfort of their homes. The alternative being to come to the bar and duck out into the freezing mountain air for an occasional puff. The ban has pretty much been argued ad nauseam in the forums, and frankly, being at work is much nicer without the smoke clouds.
One side effect of the ban was that Sundays, previously a fair-to-middling shift to have, became money days. Not that business on Sundays has increased, but compared to the (now lackluster) rest of the week, a half-full tip jar is pretty good indeed. I have assumed that it was because the liquor stores were closed. It seemed to me that most Sunday patrons are either tourists who want to have a beer while they watch a game or locals who forgot to buy the night before. For the sake of the rusty tip jar, I hope my assumption is wrong.
Hard to say and only time will tell…
(love the pic of home by the way.)
At Star Lanes bowling alley, in the bar, sits a old glass maraschino cheery jar on the bar top. In pink fluorescent maker it reads “Tips in any amount are appreciated” with a winking smiley face. This is the new sign on the tip jar at work.
We don’t have a smoking ban here yet; but the price of food seems two have doubled. I thought it was due to the price of gas, but I found this article interesting from the Boston Globe in March 08’. The article states that food costs are a bigger deal than the ridiculous oil prices. Take a gander for yourself at…..
http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2008/03/09/surging_costs_of_groceries_hit_home/
While my tip jar has been a little lonely lately, for the patrons delivering a buck or two, my shaker sits on the bar, lonely, for the fancy apple tinys and mudslides. The Long island iced tea drinkers loved the price of their favorite libation at $4.80 (I think it’s a steal) but it seems to hurt their pocket too much and instead go for the $2.94 Budweiser.
Working as a bartender, I thought I had found some un-taxed income, but I guess we’re all pinching a pocket or two…