Owned
Sunday, March 29th, 2009
I love liquor laws.
They give you the power to refuse service on a discretionary whim: “Oh, Sir I believe you are intoxicated, I’m going to have to ask you to leave”, or “I believe you’re purchasing this liquor for an under-ager I can’t serve you”. And out they go in a puff of hot wind.
Today was a little different.
Scene: The usual Sunday bottle-shop shift, we as workers, move without a sense of purpose. Languidly stocking shelves, serving customers and eating most of the time [we for me anyways]. There are a lot of regulars that come in and we have a yarn about how they turn to alcohol and how their children drive them to drink. I had the pleasure today of refusing service to a middle aged man who I wholeheartedly ‘believe’ was ‘intoxicated’, simply because he was rude to me.
Enter: Middle aged shot statured (yes shorter than me) creepy Caucasian man accompanied with a strangely out-of-place fresh faced Asian teen ‘boy’ who would have been no older than 18. I make no apologies about my assumptions of their relationship, but the body language and demeanour of the boy indicates this is not a relative or friend. The older man is acting in a loud obnoxious way suggesting a man intoxicated.
They approach the counter; the boy is carrying a carton of Crown Lager. I greet them will all the enthusiasm that’s left from a Sunday afternoon. The older man throws $50 at me with the look of disdain.
I pick it up. “Don’t throw money, don’t you know it’s rude”. I hand back the $50 to him and ask him to hand it to me.
He throws it again leering in indignation.
Embarrassed the Asian teen picks up the $50 and give it to me with both hands.
“See, at least he has a bone of decency in his body” I said, burning my retinas into this man. Had he been a haystack he would sure have caught fire.
He started spouting about how almost slipped over in the cool-room and that he has a bad back.
“I don’t care – that has nothing to do with throwing money at me.”
Getting $5 change from the till, I throw it at him.
[Yes it’s the first time I’ve ever thrown money at a customer and fuck! it felt so good]
Vehemently stepping on his high horse, he started on about how he’s going to report me, his language peppered with profanities. He says that this is all on camera – looking at my co worker, Nick for support. Nick backs me up.
“See that up there”, pointing to the Liquor Licensing Laws.
“I can refuse service if you are going to carry on like that – I don’t have to put up with this from you”.
He suggested that I do that – probably thinking the transaction was over he could leave.
Calling his bluff, I open the till and get $50 and handed back to the Asian boy. For a split second I saw in that boy’s eyes a humiliated child. The now flustered man then attempts to carry carton saying ‘ohh it’s too late now’.
“NO IT’S NOT!”
Snatching back the carton of Crown, I told him to go elsewhere to buy his beer.
Sensing he had been defeated, and in front of a small crowd of customers he starts threaten me that there will be ‘repercussions’.
“GET OUT OF THE STORE! YOU ARE NO LONGER WELCOME.”
Liquor Control Act 1988, Section 115 . I love you.
