Bar work - A question. Sorry for the basic question!

pearl123

In my twenties, I did a lot of bar work. At the time, this involved adding up rounds in ones head, which was easy due to a younger brain.
However, I'm now thinking of  returning to bar work at a more mature age. Do you still need to add it all up rounds ones brain?
I'm hopeful, it's all till work now. No mental Arithmetic, except giving change. 
Sorry, it's rather a basic question, but I've been a long time out of the work place. 

Slinky

Not in any pub I've been in recently. If there's a pub you're interested in working in, it's easy enough to find out if you drop in and take a look during opening hours.

LeafGreen

I imagine the overwhelming majority of places do not require workers to manually calculate transaction totals.  Most of the time people will be paying by card anyway.  More likely the main thing is that you will need to be able to use POS (point of sale) terminals and card machines etc.

Ditzy_Mitzy

Pretty sure you don't, however most barmen/maids that I know are only too happy to talk about their work.  Have you a local you might visit for such a conversation?  Going at a quiet time will probably help.  Some places might let you behind the bar for a look or even offer shifts on a casual basis if you fancy having a go before you commit to anything.

Certain bars and beer tents at festivals still do things the old fashioned way (have done that work myself), but very much simplify pricing for obvious reasons.  

DullGreyGuy

pearl123 said:

In my twenties, I did a lot of bar work. At the time, this involved adding up rounds in ones head, which was easy due to a younger brain.
However, I'm now thinking of  returning to bar work at a more mature age. Do you still need to add it all up rounds ones brain?
I'm hopeful, it's all till work now. No mental Arithmetic, except giving change. 
Sorry, it's rather a basic question, but I've been a long time out of the work place. 

And a long time since you've been in a bar evidently!

Most places want to track what they are selling so you'll normally have a touch senstive screen where you select what drinks the customer has ordered, it deals with calculating the price, applying any promos etc and what price to charge. If they give you cash you punch cash £30 or whatever they gave and it says what change to give. 

Inevitably its just changes the problems rather than eliminating them... no more mental arithmetic but if the bar has a wide range of options then finding the right thing in the till's menus can be hard and the search option equally can still be difficult if the customer asks for "number three gin and tonic"... is it "3" or "three"? "number" or "no" or is it just "3" and the "number" was something the customer added? In our local pub its No.3 in their system, I know as I keep having to tell the new staff members how to find it. 

ReadingTim

No - the "till" will be an electronic point of sale machine which will track both the money you've taken, and the product you've sold.  Managers will reconcile both the amount of money in the drawer (or via card) with the records, but also the stock sold.  So if you're pouring someone a gin and tonic but charging them for a lime and soda, you risk being found out.  Key the round in right, and the machine will tell you what it's going to cost - bob's your uncle, no skill required whatsoever.  

That said, someone may ask mid-round what it's cost them thus far, or you may have entered something wrong, and you're given a wrong answer that's too cheap or too expensive, so it's a handy skill to know what things cost and be able to add them up quickly, so you're alert to mistakes (or someone trying it on...), and that can only make you a better/faster barman/barmaid  

pearl123

Thank you for your informative replies. There's a job close by so, I'm temped to apply. 

DullGreyGuy

pearl123 said:

Thank you for your informative replies. There's a job close by so, I'm temped to apply. 

Personally, I'd go to the place once or twice as a customer to see what its like and the vibe etc.

We are inbetween two pubs and experience of working at each would be totally different. One is managed by the brewery, its large, its bar and waiting staff are separate, they are often a little understaffed with big queues at the bar when its sunny (they've a massive riverside beer garden/terrace) and customers get annoyed with the waits, there is very little "locals/regulars" type feel to the place.

The other is much smaller with no distinction of roles. There are always a dozen or so regulars sat at the bar and the conversation can often be in the gutter. Most the time the staffing levels are better but they are next to a hotel and on occasion a coachload of tourists turn up (its a pretty old building with flowers outside so attracts them) and so staff can get swamped but the regulars know how it is and dont get ratty.

I certainly could see some people not liking the language used in the smaller pub but others will like the friendly atmosphere and the fact you arent overworked most the time. By visiting you can get a sense of how it is and potentially it could help shape your answers in any interview.