Hey there party people! Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be a bartender? How about what our hours are like, and maybe what we do after work? Well on my ride home tonight, I looked down at the clock and wondered what people with 9-5 jobs would be doing at that moment. Considering it was 4 am PST, pretty much every one I know in San Diego is asleep. But for those of you living in the midwest, east coast, or even my friends across the pond in Britain, your day could just be getting under way.
For me, I drove the long 20 miles home with hardly any traffic. A nice break compared to my ride to work and all the weekend traffic at 5pm. I stopped off at CVS and had a conversation with my late night buddy. It's kind of funny- the relationships you forge when you are awake at weird hours. As soon as he saw me, he remarked about how he hadn't seen me in a couple weeks. I thought that was cool. We chatted for a minute about his dad and I grabbed a couple gallons of milk for my little guy. My son can take down bottles with the best of them! I said good-bye to my late-night friend Tyler and headed off to deposit some cash.
The Bank. Now that's a whole other crazy adventure for many bartenders. Imagine if you were paid daily, rather than in a paycheck? Budgeting is a little tricky (<-----Read:impossible!), and as you belly up to the counter with two fists full of ones, the bank tellers think you must be an exotic dancer (<-----Read:Stripper!!) Luckily for me tonight, at 4 am, it's just me and the machine. Then it's off for home and a late night convo with my lady. By now, she's been asleep for half the night, and too much convo could find her waking up for her day way to early. So I usually sit down to the computer and catch up on the day's emails, FB, Blogger :), etc. before getting ready to hit the pillow. Most people I know in this industry usually need at least an hour or two after work to wind down. Imagine getting home from work and having to go straight to bed?!
So, I hope this sheds just a little light on how a bartender's world might be a little different than yours. Does anyone else work strange hours or live life just a little off beat from the rest of the world?
Until next time....
Cheers!
I have done it before Chris. In small town south Dakota though when you get done at the bar its time for the after bar at someones house. Of course instead of a 20min drive its a 5 block drive. I was usually home by 4am if there was am afterbar. My job now revolves around truck schedules. If the truck is gonna be at the store at 5am I am there at 430. But usually my day is 7-5. Nothing too out of the ordinary. I have worked some strange shifts in the past though. The worst ever was 6pm-6am. With 2 days on 2 off, 2 on, 3 off, 3 on then 2 off, then start the cycle over. That sucked.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like it was a tough schedule Lance! Ouch!
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