Do you ever purchase things on credit/a tab-to-settle basis?
 

When your next payday's a little while away and you literally don't have two copper-pennies to rub together, do you buy the odd pint/bottle of milk between your local pub. and corner-shop or do you always, always pay upfront?

Of course, this is all under the supposition that it's a local business (local pub., local corner-shop/s) and you're known well enough to that particular staff-member at least (any one time you ask for credit).

Clicked no before really reading the thread, thought you meant buying things like furniture on credit. I used to have a tab running at my local pub but not because I couldn't pay, it was just easier. They don't like people doing it as much anymore because of non payment. Probably a blessing really because I'd never have any idea what to expect when I paid a tab - could be £20, could be £80 and often it'd be split across multiple tabs. It would often have been open a few days so I never really kept track of what it should be

No I always pay up front

Always pay.

I mean, the kind of tab I have in mind is £15-20 tops. I don’t know who’d get the cheek to rake up hundreds at their local anyway. I’m literally talking a couple of drinks, some tea, sugar, noodles, bread, a pint and a half. £20 being the absolute upper cap. I wasn’t really talking Klarna or credit cards.

I have a tab going at the Winchester Club as Dave the barman operates one. I
usually get a vodka slimline and a panatella before her indoors is on the blower
giving me severe GBH of the earhole.

:oh:

I've never heard of a shop doing a tab for things like grocery items. Certainly nowhere near me does that.

Local corner-shops have been known to do it for regulars. It’s less common now, because of people abusing the trust, but it does happen. Again, under the supposition that you’re at least somewhat known to the staff and reliable enough to pay when you can.

Do you not remember the classical anti-credit slogan ‘Don’t ask for credit as refusal often offends’?

A guy run up £250 over a couple of days at our pub a few years back but it wasn't all his fault - his mates were all just chucking drinks on there which is another issue of tabs. Funnily enough he wasn't in the pub for a while after that so the landlord had to go round his house to get him to pay haha

Me being an introvert makes it more likely that it’ll just be a tab for myself than a group. I’m happy to buy random people a drink if there’s camaraderie enough but I’m not usually actively in the group. It’s usually just me or me and one buddy at a time, so naturally I wouldn’t be paying for 7 people.

The only reason I even get accepted for, er … informal credit here-and-there and can do that is because I’m very modest with the amount of stuff I put on the tab. £25 is unthinkable to me, let-alone £250. Jesus.

No thankfully I have never been in that position, I do know our corner shop when we lived in London used to run a tab for regulars, pretty good really considering.... also our next door neighbour here in Norfolk died suddenly recently, he wasnt well but not expected to die, so I sent a message to my other neighbour about starting a collection for flowers and she said 'oh we dont really do that' ....we always did that in London :laugh: Even the people you never spoke to would chip in ....and they say people in London dont bother with their neighbours ..I was a bit appalled really, anyway me and Mr C went to the Crem and the neighbour on the other side was there as well but that was that.

Also the thing that struck me was there was a large crowd of people there as he used to sing in the Choir and was part of the amateur drama group but you never saw a single one of these people visit him while he was ill.... I honestly cannot abide people turning up at funerals when you haven't seen the person for years

…I haven’t personally purchased anything in that way but I know that some (village…)…shops still do offer that to some village residents…with older residents and those with limited mobility they’ll sometimes deliver their purchases as well as keeping a tab and settling monthly or two weekly or whatever has been agreed…

That’s such a thoughtful touch for people with limited mobility.

I once ran up a tab in a bar for £840 in one evening. That was exciting at the time

Did it involve ladies :fan:

Your poor liver.

We used to do a bar tab at the local pub when I was a young 'un because they'd lock the doors and let us stay until 3 or 4am, and apparently, this was legal so long as we didn't PAY for the drinks until licensed hours the next day.

Didn't question it at the time - in hindsight I'm dubious about the actual legality of this arrangement.

Or the point of it really... given that they knew fine well we were all 16/17... and shouldn't have been there at all.

Age restrictions weren’t as strict back-then, were they? So obviously you’d have more chance of getting away with it then or even 10 years ago than now.

VERY few places really cared - there were a few mainstream nightclubs in the centre of Glasgow you could get into relatively easily at 17. Would never happen these days.

I do remember we were once admonished by a barmaid at the pub, who came over to frustratedly whisper "Look guys, if I'm going to keep serving you, you need to stop loudly chatting about school!" :joker: