[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
Haha. Quit.
http://www.standingonthebox.blogspot.com/[/quote]
Glad to see someone link that blog, I forgot how funny some of his rantings are.
Also, did you check about halfway down the page? One of DeFranco’s baseball players jumping onto a box about the same height as he is, awesome stuff.
[quote]mazevedo wrote:
Sifu wrote:
Bouncing a hip hop night, now that is something you couldn’t pay me to do again.
Here are some basic ideas.
Remember you are not the police (pronounced po’leese)
Never forget that you have to leave the club sometime. So never forget rule number 1.
Don’t use more force than is neccessary to get control of the situation. This is where rule 2 comes in.
Hiphop is about three main themes Guns, drugs and thugs, So remember 1,2 and 3
The friskers are the first line of defense and crucially important to the safety of the bouncers inside the club. If you have to do it you can’t be shy about shaking people down. If someone else is doing watch them to see how thorough they are.
Don’t try to be a one man problem solver and just dive into something without somekind of back up. This way you can avoid getting yourself hurt and you can avoid having to seriously fuck someone up. For more explanation see rule 2
In a very short period of time a whole lot of people some of whom are very shady are going to know who you are but you won’t have a friggin clue who they are. So be a little careful with personal information like where you live.
If a coworker is a bully who gets their jolly’s out of tearing people up don’t ignore this, because you could be the one who pays the price for it. See rule 4
You will be dealing with people who are intoxicated and maybe high, so don’t expect that when you say jump they will shout how high in the air. You have to be firm with people but don’t be too dictatorial otherwise you will paint yourself into a corner. Remember rules 2 and 7 you will have to go out in public sometime, you don’t want to run into someones crew and not realize it, till it’s too late.
Don’t wear long sleeves, this gives someone something to grab onto.
It sounds like you know what you’re talking about. As a club patron, I can clearly see this is the horseshit bouncers have to deal with.
Where da muthafuckin’ po’leese at foo? Fuck that shit bitch![/quote]
Another serious question- but geared more toward the bartenders on “hip-hop” night:
How shitty are your tips on such a night? I don’t imagine thugs and crack dealers are very generous with tipping. If anything, they probably try to stiff you on some drinks when the bar area is crowded.
[quote]biggieben wrote:
If your working at a place where the patrons make it necessary to have metal detectors or someone to frisk them when they come in…Get the fuck out of that job. I have worked alot of places the ones where I might be shot, stabbed or have a permanent injury ain’t worth it for the Ehhh pay your gonna get. However if you do stay there figure out who is in it to get their jollies off by getting physical, stay away from them or never let them deal with anything. The entire job of a bouncer it to make problems go away. The second you have to get physical things have gone too far. Not saying it’ll never happen but I only had to get physical a few times (~4)time in 2-1/2 years while others were getting into shit almost weekly. Get people’s attention and let them know there is only one way this is gonna end, bad for them. whether or not they win the fight just means whether they go to the hospital or the police station. If someone has any sense(not too Hammered), or one of their friends are somewhat sober, they will listen to you if you come at them neutral just telling them how it is. Don’t become confrontational until absolutely necessary, simply be forceful and control the situation. I have thrown people out and had them apologize to me, however always know what you can do legally, Physically that is. And for gods sake don’t ever use too much force, as was said earlier you do have to leave sometime and will be out on the town other nights. Hope this helps you out but as others said you couldn’t pay me to bounce anymore, I made it to behind the bar and don’t plan on hopping over anytime soon.
BB[/quote]
From years of experience myself, EXACTLY put. Be smart and be careful.
HAHAHA, you have to wear a cowboy hat!
[quote]mazevedo wrote:
Another serious question- but geared more toward the bartenders on “hip-hop” night:
How shitty are your tips on such a night? I don’t imagine thugs and crack dealers are very generous with tipping. If anything, they probably try to stiff you on some drinks when the bar area is crowded.[/quote]
Yeah, people will try to get over on you on nights like this. I work nights when we have a DJ/Kakeroke(sp?) and when it gets all “gangsta” people start giving shit tips, the good thing though is my buddy owns the place. People don’t tip shit, their drinks aren’t nearly as good. say a Captain and Coke comes with ~(1-1/2) ounces of captain. Thats a good pour, most places that are “franchise” give an ounce. you tip nothing you get served last and your drinks are “franchise” at best. Overall you still make money because the amount of volume is still good and the owners aren’t mad because you pretty much give people just what they deserve, thus keeping liquor cost down. The other thing is if someone is ordering shots late, around last call, or if they are hammered they get WAY more mix then liquor same goes if your a prick.
People usually get the drift but I am never rude to anyone. I really don’t care that much if I get something on the round if their not assholes. The thing that will really PISS off a bartender is if they take care of you and you tip shit, or if you are yelling at them, unless you know me well enough to know my cell phone number don’t call my fucking name like you know me.
Thats another thing, if your bouncing and someone says they know someone ( owner, bartender, manager) just tell them to call their cell phone. If they know em no big deal they come get em or you talk to the person and they tell you what’s up, if they don’t know the number they don’t know shit. I always loved when poeple would pull that shit and I would just ask them to call them. “uhh, he just changed numbers…Well see it’s really my sisters boyfriend” BB
A lot of the advice I would give you depends on many factors:
What kind of a bar is it? (The fact that they play country other nights leads me to think that the ‘thug’ crowd could be reduced on your hip-hop night.)
How big is the place? How many bars does it have? How many patrons will it hold/does it get? How many people (bartenders, waitresses, bar-backs, bouncers, etc.) work there?
Where is it located? Is it off to itself, or in a nightlife district? How big is the town/city its in? What is the larger surrounding area like?
I have a lot of experience in a somewhat smaller bar (500 to 750 patrons) that’s off by itself, in a smaller town, in a suburban area. However, what I could offer would be limited if you’ll be working in a large club in a big city.
[quote]biggieben wrote:
mazevedo wrote:
Another serious question- but geared more toward the bartenders on “hip-hop” night:
How shitty are your tips on such a night? I don’t imagine thugs and crack dealers are very generous with tipping. If anything, they probably try to stiff you on some drinks when the bar area is crowded.
Yeah, people will try to get over on you on nights like this. I work nights when we have a DJ/Kakeroke(sp?) and when it gets all “gangsta” people start giving shit tips, the good thing though is my buddy owns the place. People don’t tip shit, their drinks aren’t nearly as good. say a Captain and Coke comes with ~(1-1/2) ounces of captain. Thats a good pour, most places that are “franchise” give an ounce. you tip nothing you get served last and your drinks are “franchise” at best. Overall you still make money because the amount of volume is still good and the owners aren’t mad because you pretty much give people just what they deserve, thus keeping liquor cost down. The other thing is if someone is ordering shots late, around last call, or if they are hammered they get WAY more mix then liquor same goes if your a prick.
People usually get the drift but I am never rude to anyone. I really don’t care that much if I get something on the round if their not assholes. The thing that will really PISS off a bartender is if they take care of you and you tip shit, or if you are yelling at them, unless you know me well enough to know my cell phone number don’t call my fucking name like you know me.
Thats another thing, if your bouncing and someone says they know someone ( owner, bartender, manager) just tell them to call their cell phone. If they know em no big deal they come get em or you talk to the person and they tell you what’s up, if they don’t know the number they don’t know shit. I always loved when poeple would pull that shit and I would just ask them to call them. “uhh, he just changed numbers…Well see it’s really my sisters boyfriend” BB[/quote]
This is pretty much what I figured. I have some friends who bartend and this is pretty much what I hear. People who they know and who come in on a regular basis get the best service and strong drinks and they know how to act and they make for a good crowd. On the other hand, there’s the occasional dickhead who will come in and try to holler at the bartenders and act like a dick and harrass chicks and tip nothing.
These people act as though the people who run the place are just robots and don’t notice the shit that’s happening. They think that just because there’s dozens of customers, the bartender’s not paying attention to the shitty tips and shitty attitude of the one asshole customer.
Look for all the geoff thompson books… a very knowledgable and experienced man…
esecially read pavement arena
Getting some good advice here.
Get to know the local cops and try and get them to hang around. The way to do this is to give them free coffee and soft drinks and food if you serve it. In other words be friendly and they will swing by more often and quicker.
Second the loudmouths are usally the posers. It’s the quiet ones you need to watch out for. The guy who is composed is usally the most dangerous in a fight.
[quote]IronGame08 wrote:
I got hired as a bouncer for one night a week at a local nightclub that is very popular. Wednesdays (when I work) and Saturday’s are “hip hop” nights, meaning the crowd is more diverse (read: more women) than on the other nights, when it is a country club. We have to wear cowboy hats though, which I think makes us all look like tools, but what can you do. Anyway, you fellas have any tips for a newbie? [/quote]
Hey, congrats man. You now have the single worst job in the world. Okay maybe not the worst, you could be Rosie O’Donnell’s massage therapist.
You have all the responsibility to keep things running smoothly in your club. But low and behold none of the authority. And what I mean by this is that you are not a police officer or even have peace officer authority. You have no more right to put your hands on someone than any bum off the street. But of course you’re expected to. Nice job you got there.
Oh well, here’s what you have to do if you decide to be foolish and not quit immediately:
Save your money as you will either be sued, incarcerated or both in the near future.
Save more money as you will most likely need car repairs as the idiots you throw out will seek revenge on your car sitting out in the parking lot. And yes, they will know which car is yours.
Save even more money, or get good health insurance because someone, usually the guy you least expect will put a hurting on you and you’ll need to go to the hospital to get stitches set broken bones etc.
Hey, I’m sorry if I’ve been all gloom and doom. There are plenty of good things about the job…let me think…you get free drinks. But you better stick to OJ because if you drink alcohol you won’t be ready for what might come your way.
And of course you get to pick up chics…
Of course if you have a quart of OJ at home and a girlfriend that would negate those positives…oh well I tried.
Okay, I’m done. The best of luck to you in all sincerity.
Get used to your car being keyed!!
I’ve been bouncing for a really long time. I started in FL at 2 clubs, and became sort of pimped out and before long I was working at every club in Tallahassee. Now that I’m back in NY, I’m in the process of getting a job bouncing here. The key to being a good bouncer is to take the job seriously. You are paid to protect not only the integrity of the club, but the people that visit said club.
It’s funny, but the people who have been telling you to watch roadhouse are actually sort of right. Patrick Swayze’s motto in the movie is to be NICE. And that really is the key. The first time you walk over to someone and tell them to stop doing something or to throw their drink away, or whatever, be very polite and courteous. The second time, all bets are off.
Cardinal rules of bouncers are as follows:
The glove and long shirt idea were good, also, I always carried a huge ass mag-lite, which saved my ass on several occasions. And I also carried a knife for the off chance that I’d get into a knife fight.
Good luck man…
[quote]OneDay wrote:
Cardinal rules of bouncers are as follows:
The glove and long shirt idea were good, also, I always carried a huge ass mag-lite, which saved my ass on several occasions. And I also carried a knife for the off chance that I’d get into a knife fight.
[/quote]
I respect the fact that you’ve been bouncing a long time, but that last piece of advice is crap in my opinion.
Why would you tell him to bring a knife to use in a knife fight? Especially if he’s never even used one before? Hell, I’d wager the mag-lite would be better in that case, or better yet, pick up a barstool and crack the shit out of the fool who pulls a knife…
On the plus side you will get to kick the shit out of white people who are trying to be black people.
[quote]DanErickson wrote:
On the plus side you will get to kick the shit out of white people who are trying to be black people.[/quote]
Word up my brotha.
Mazevedo I didn’t have much of a problem frisking phat pants or jackets.
Phats are loose so they can’t easily hold something in place, plus all you have to do is grab a pocket and shake to see if there is anything heavy in them.
A good doorman will yell at the line to have their jackets off before they get to the friskers, then you just have to bunch them up or grab and shake.
I don’t feel unsafe going into a club where they have friskers, if anything I feel more unsafe in a club where noone is searched.
I would be cautious about taking a knife into work. For one thing you could lose it or have it turned on you. Also if you use a knife on someone you could end up in some serious legal problems.
A mag light would be a good choice against a knife just aim for the knife hands wrist or the hand itself. Legally if you use a knife against a knife it looks like you came prepared to have a knife fight which is not good.
On the other hand if you knock a knife out of someones hand or break their wrist with a maglight you can argue he just surprised me with a knife and I reacted. Legally you are on much more solid ground attacking an attacking limb, because it is a much more clear case of self defense. Just try to be careful you don’t send a knife flying into some innocent bystander.
If you do use a maglight don’t aim for the head unless you are not concerned about killing someone or facing a murder or attempted murder charge.
I’ll tell you something that is really good to use, are special gloves they sell in police supply stores that have a really grippy rubber covering the palms and fingers, anything you grab ahold of is not getting away. They also provide a degree of protection against sharp objects.
It’s not a bad idea to keep a bottle of peroxide handy. If you get a cut clean it right away, especially a bite. Human bites are amongst the deadliest bites another human can recieve. I’ll give you an example, flesh eating bacteria is the same bacteria that causes strep throat.
All the horror stories aside bouncing can be an ok job. As someone else said it all depends on the area and the crowd. As several others have said, how you deal with people can have a huge impact on how good or bad it is for you. If you are firm but fair with people they will usually go home sober up and realize they made an ass of themselves. It is when you leave people scarred for life or go out of your way to humiliate them that you start to have problems.
[quote]Sifu wrote:
It is when you leave people scarred for life or go out of your way to humiliate them that you start to have problems.
[/quote]
It is also the point at which you are no longer an asset to your employer, and become a liability.
Just a thought-
Correctional officers often wear stab vests, maybe that should be something that you look into?