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Post by Sir Black Fox on Feb 5, 2008 11:59:24 GMT -5
What are your thoughts on raising the price of all alcohol at MDRF by a buck in order to keep down the abuse of it? Although PARF doesn't have as many pubs and their alcohol is higher priced, they do have less of a drunken-in-public problem.
What about limiting one drink per person at purchase? The bartender has to see additional potential drinkers if you want to buy more than one. CRF is like this.
Whattaya think?
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Post by tigerlily on Feb 5, 2008 18:13:19 GMT -5
You're just stirrin' that ol' pot a lot these days, ain'tcha? So, for what it's worth, here's my 2 cents' worth....personally, I don't know that raising the prices will change anything much, other than bumming a lot of us out. I, for one, haven't seen much of a drunken in public problem at MDRF...for the first time, this past season, I saw one very young man tossin' his cookies outside of O'Shucks, but that was the first and only time I'd witnessed such a thing. I have actually been very happily surprised at the fact that there doesn't seem to be much of a drunken in public problem there...of course, maybe I'm being naive or just haven't been privy to a lot of that sort of thing going on at MDRF. As far as serving one beverage per person per trip...I do have a problem with this...oft times, hubby and I are running drink and/or food errands in order to avoid waiting in line half the day...i.e. "Hey, how 'bout you go get the bee stings and I'll be over here grabbing some thai string beans and we can meet over at the Hart..." See the logic? I've overdone it a time or two myself at MDRF, but not to the point of being sick...and I'm a happy drunk, so it's not a real problem. However, not everyone IS a happy drunk and not everybody knows their limits. A lot of folks like that are the younger crowd, only because they've got a lot more "comebackitis" in 'em...meaning, they can blow their lunch then rally 'round pretty quickly, whereas old farts like us just don't want to feel that badly anymore...it ain't worth it. Just as the younger set often doesn't have a whole lot of self-control when it comes to drinking, they tend to not have a whole lot of self-control when it comes to spending money they don't have...often Mom and Dad are footin' the bill, the ATM is way too easy to use, and the money just flows. I doubt that raising the prices is the way to curb a potential problem. I'm not so sure that's why there isn't a problem at PARF (as I've never been there myself)...but like I said, I hadn't witnessed any real probs at MDRF either, so maybe I'm unqualified to share my thoughts...but hey, you asked...
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Post by Sir Oswyn Dagworth on Feb 5, 2008 21:23:47 GMT -5
I don't buy much beer so the price doesn't bother me but I think the limit should be 2 per person. I can nearly fit 2 cups in my mug. Although the dragon does fill your mug from what I hear.
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Post by Mathemactor on Feb 5, 2008 21:46:21 GMT -5
... I, for one, haven't seen much of a drunken in public problem at MDRF...for the first time, this past season, I saw one very young man tossin' his cookies outside of O'Shucks, but that was the first and only time I'd witnessed such a thing. I have actually been very happily surprised at the fact that there doesn't seem to be much of a drunken in public problem there...of course, maybe I'm being naive or just haven't been privy to a lot of that sort of thing going on at MDRF.... I have tried not to take part in discussions based on unsubstantiated rumors, but I did want to respond to this one small observation. As a cast member for the past three seasons, I spent a lot of time all over the place in Revel Grove and had encountered several obnoxious drunks just about every day. Usually, they tended to be just obnoxious, but on more than one occasion, there was a definite possibility of things getting dangerous or at least elevating enough to have to get the on-site police involved (i.e., more than what can be handled by site security.) This includes the 2007 season. And there have been problems with the intoxicated in the parking lot as well. It is certainly not a common problem, but it is not a very rare one either.
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Post by sixdeadqueens on Feb 5, 2008 22:55:10 GMT -5
I'm going to have to throw my hat in with the price raisers. My friends and I tend to spend quite a bit of time at the Dragon and more than one this year, I watched that poor, lovely man who tends the bar have to walk up onto the upper level with a mop and bucket for obvious reasons. Garb is expensive, and in my case, time consuming to make - and I certainly am not happy with the idea of having to walk through anything.. erm.. questionable. Moderation is always key, in my opinion. But a dollar hike might make the quality of this life in this little fantasy home away from home a bit better.
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Post by tigerlily on Feb 6, 2008 13:35:58 GMT -5
Well, I can see that I have just been lucky enough over the last 4 years to have not come across the obnoxious, cookie tossin' drunks that I'm hearing about here. Like I said, what do I know? We did have a particularly scary and nasty experience in the parking lot on the last day of faire where our actual lives were threatened by a frustrated driver who was, like the rest of us, tired of waiting for hours to get out of the parking lot. I, however, attributed his INSANE behavior to this guy just being a jerk instead of drunk, but hey, you never know.
I haven't spent much time at the Dragon, so therefore I hadn't seen the bucket brigade in action...I feel fortunate to have not come across much of this sort of behavior. It had always amazed us that we didn't see more of it, considering the amount of alcohol that was sold at faire...but there you have it, me, for once, not being in the wrong places at the wrong time.
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Post by Mathemactor on Feb 6, 2008 16:39:32 GMT -5
...I feel fortunate to have not come across much of this sort of behavior. It had always amazed us that we didn't see more of it, considering the amount of alcohol that was sold at faire...but there you have it, me, for once, not being in the wrong places at the wrong time. Of course, I walk around all day as an old guy in a feathered hat, tights, and a gaily-colored frock! Perhaps it just attracts the drunks...
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Post by sixdeadqueens on Feb 6, 2008 20:23:37 GMT -5
Of course, I walk around all day as an old guy in a feathered hat, tights, and a gaily-colored frock! Perhaps it just attracts the drunks... LOL. I don't ever think of you as old. And you always have a great accent! I send Kristen (our Anna of Cleves) an email at least once a week that starts with "Guten Margen." It makes her giggle. But yes.. the court does tend to attract drunks. Then again, ya'll are shiney
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Post by bludrgnlady on Feb 7, 2008 12:05:16 GMT -5
okay here is my two cents.... I don't think raising the price will help reduce the drunkeness, most of the people who take it too far are the college aged kids and money is no option and most likely they may have done some pre-faire drinking. I remember last season a girl who was so wasted she was falling on the ground and her bf? was getting really frustrated while all of her friends were laughing. So I think regardless of the cost people will still get obnoxiously drunk because they are not very responsible in the first place. Of course I can't complain about obnoxious drunk people because I have had my fair share of being drunk, obnoxious, never, I am a happy I luv you guys kind of drunk and that usually wears off by 4pm. I think as long as alcohol is served there will be annoying drunks who can't handle their liquor or have little or no control. Besides raising the price hurts on the wallets of us regulars who like to have a few on the weekends but are not independently wealthy... All this talk of drinking makes me think....
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Post by Lady de la Warr on Feb 7, 2008 14:29:01 GMT -5
If your budget is so tight that raising the price by $1 will hurt you that much - you generally aren't going to be drinking yourself stupid anyway even with the current prices. You can't afford it - no matter what the price. In other words - if you are this person it might cause you to have say 4 drinks instead of 5 - and I don't think that's going to make much of a difference.
So no, I don't think it will have a huge effect on the drunks at all. As was stated above by some others, the people who tend to get obnoxiously drunk don't tend to be the ones on a tight budget.
While I don't think any of us here is independently wealthy and a price increase might cause us to budget our money a little better, WE are not the ones doing this - at least not that I've seen. Don't get me wrong - I have seen some of us - on occasion - who get pretty tipsy at faire. Heck I've done it myself. But I've never seen any one of our group falling down, puking drunk. And I hope I never do.
Just my 2 cents.
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Post by Mathemactor on Feb 7, 2008 16:57:58 GMT -5
I'll tell you what I would find helpful---how about raising the price on that mac-and-cheese-on-a-stick? I would still consume them (the best stuff in Revel Grove, not including food prepared by Chef Irvine), but just not as many. When you're there every single day, those things really add up! Mainly in my hips, belly, and so on...
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Post by tigerlily on Feb 7, 2008 19:55:59 GMT -5
okay here is my two cents.... I don't think raising the price will help reduce the drunkeness, most of the people who take it too far are the college aged kids and money is no option and most likely they may have done some pre-faire drinking. I remember last season a girl who was so wasted she was falling on the ground and her bf? was getting really frustrated while all of her friends were laughing. So I think regardless of the cost people will still get obnoxiously drunk because they are not very responsible in the first place. Of course I can't complain about obnoxious drunk people because I have had my fair share of being drunk, obnoxious, never, I am a happy I luv you guys kind of drunk and that usually wears off by 4pm. I think as long as alcohol is served there will be annoying drunks who can't handle their liquor or have little or no control. Besides raising the price hurts on the wallets of us regulars who like to have a few on the weekends but are not independently wealthy... All this talk of drinking makes me think.... Word!
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Post by Sir Black Fox on Feb 8, 2008 8:24:28 GMT -5
My friends and I tend to spend quite a bit of time at the Dragon and more than one this year, I watched that poor, lovely man who tends the bar have to walk up onto the upper level with a mop and bucket for obvious reasons. There's a certain seediness to some of the folks who hang out at the Dragon. Not everyone mind ye. . . two seasons ago I hung out there especially for the "alternate Pub Sing" but two things that happened at the beginning of last season made me wary of drinking there. One occasion was similar to what sixdeadqueens saw. I saw a young overweight woman puking her guts out. . .luckilly for the cleanup crew, it was into the dirt. I'm sure it made for fun explanations from parents to their kids when they walked by and smelled the sweet nectar of regurgitated alcohol. The other was observing a man walk out of the handicap stall and then about two minutes later watching another man walk out of the same stall. . .and yet no one new had gone in. Whether it was drugs or sex, who knows. . .it was just very unsavory. Anyway, as of last season, extra security and extra "eyes" have been on some of the denizens of the Dragon Inn & Lair. The free beer thing stopped (thank the gods) and several folks were cut off from being served at all. It's sad to think that at our own festival there are places that are going to the "dark side" enough that you need to avoid them. . . especially with kids in tow.
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Post by ladyneysa on Feb 9, 2008 9:21:46 GMT -5
I'll tell you what I would find helpful---how about raising the price on that mac-and-cheese-on-a-stick? Hey how, them's fightin' words! ;D. Coming from someone who is on a pretty tight budget, and whose kids (and me) will ravenously eat those crunchy little triangles of cheesy goodness like there's no tomorrow, I wouldn't like it much if they raised the price, even by a dollar. You're right, those things DO add up! We'd still eat 'em though! . Having the kids in tow, I spend more on food, but I don't drink.
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Post by Lady Lauren Juliette on Feb 10, 2008 17:52:43 GMT -5
There's a certain seediness to some of the folks who hang out at the Dragon. Not everyone mind ye. . . I tend to avoid the Dragon most of the time too. I find the crowd at the White Hart to be friendlier. I always end up meeting someone new while hanging out at the Hart. When I have gone to the Dragon, I've felt a little bit like people were looking at me and wondering why I was on "their turf". It's not a very welcoming section of the festival.
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Post by Sir Black Fox on Feb 10, 2008 22:33:07 GMT -5
When I have gone to the Dragon, I've felt a little bit like people were looking at me and wondering why I was on "their turf". It's not a very welcoming section of the festival. That's it exactly. . . and it's why that feeling has caught the attention of the festival's admin folks. They want the whole festival to be inviting to everyone. . .and if it means breaking up a group or two of folks who make it a bad place then so be it. . . there's going to be a lot of changes next season in how both security and admin observe certain parts of the festival. Let's hope the move is swift and those that need to be banned or extracated are taken care of in the first few weeks. Why mess up the festival for everyone when it's just a few dozen folks that make it so seedy. For now, I'm with you. . .The White Hart has become the heart of the festival and it's where everyone meet. Heck, it's where I instruct my kids to meet me during the day. . .whether it's the "Fletcher Moone" side or the "Food side."
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Post by tigerlily on Feb 11, 2008 15:37:31 GMT -5
When I have gone to the Dragon, I've felt a little bit like people were looking at me and wondering why I was on "their turf". It's not a very welcoming section of the festival. That's it exactly. . . and it's why that feeling has caught the attention of the festival's admin folks. They want the whole festival to be inviting to everyone. . .and if it means breaking up a group or two of folks who make it a bad place then so be it. . . there's going to be a lot of changes next season in how both security and admin observe certain parts of the festival. Let's hope the move is swift and those that need to be banned or extracated are taken care of in the first few weeks. Why mess up the festival for everyone when it's just a few dozen folks that make it so seedy. For now, I'm with you. . .The White Hart has become the heart of the festival and it's where everyone meet. Heck, it's where I instruct my kids to meet me during the day. . .whether it's the "Fletcher Moone" side or the "Food side." I can't say enough how much we love the White Hart! We always bump into familiar, friendly faces there...and even a few who aren't familiar, but who are friendly. Like Lauren, we are always finding ourselves meeting new people there! We might not even get to know their names, but we know them by sight and find ourselves, before you know it, engaged in friendly, happy conversation. There is a VERY welcoming feel there, which I have found to be true THROUGHOUT Revel Grove/MDRF...in fact, that's one of the things that has kept us coming back to Revel Grove...everyone that we've met (for the most part...of course, there was the guy in the parking lot...oh nevermind...) has been soooo friendly to us, from cast members, staff, vendors, playtrons, AND patrons. Many of these folks we've met at the Hart. I understand the need to 'up' the watchfulness of security at MDRF, especially in light of increasing numbers of visitors each weekend. I just hope that the watching eyes are focusing on things that NEED to be monitored (massive overindulgence in the alcohol dept., stupid and rude behavior, etc.) and not sweating a bunch of little stuff. I do find that ofttimes, the focus is a bit off and things that need TERRIBLY to be remedied aren't and a gnat or two is certainly strained at....not to mention my suspicion that some folks who get away with some stuff happen to have a friend or two working security detail. Just my two cents' worth.
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Post by Master Will Roberts on Feb 12, 2008 15:12:37 GMT -5
I don't believe that raising the price would do anything except irritate regulars (or even casual visitors) who enjoy consuming the occasional ale or cider. I'd much rather give that extra $1 to Jim, or one of the other highly deserving bartenders throughout the festival. If someone has a control problem with alcohol, then I think they will be resourceful enough to find a way to get that extra $1 or $10 to compensate for the new alcohol prices. It will just cost them more to get drunk, before they become disruptive or a burden. If something must be done to control alcohol abuse at MDRF, I lean more toward the idea of serving one drink per person. Either they are buying it for themselves or for a friend, but either way, they will have to wait in line again for another. I believe it would be a little easier to monitor the patrons, and cut someone off, if need be. Just my thoughts on the topic
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