Beer Event Etiquette ...

Is it bad form when you get a job more easily because you have connections to people in firms? Perhaps. But the reality is that networking is one of the major indicators of success in that area (along with societal background, much moreso than educational performance & intelligence). And if I may say, something that has much more impact than whether or not you're getting beer edition XYZ or not.

Tl; dr: No. They could've had friends ahead in the line too, hypothetically. They didn't. And I highly doubt if they did that they just would've stayed back.

 

Well, the topic is really OT but, should it not be deleted, I'm going to guess (hope?) that the majority of future replies are going to suggest that "Beer Event Etiquette" shares many of the rules one learned in Kindergarten and are in effect everywhere (except Germany?) and throughout life, including that "Do not cut in line" one.

 

If it is clear everyone in the line is getting beer, then no problem. If not, well then you may have to throw down to earn that spot! Rare release line holding is a no no in my book.

What I do if I'm the holder of a spot in line is give the people immediately behind me a heads up while shooting the shit, so they are not surprised when my buddy shows up.

This could all be resolved with a system where we wear tshirts with our beer advocate scores. People line up in descending order, and if you don't have a BA tshirt then back of the line, bud.

 

The thing about cutting in a beer line though is if you're going to get upset at that you have to also get upset at any people who are ordering for others as it's essentially the same thing. If his friend had just ordered for him, which would have taken the same amount of time, I don't think anyone would have batted an eye.

 

That's not even remotely close to being a decent analogy. Getting a job via your professional network is pretty commonplace. And typically people will not have a problem with it.

OP there are probably thousands of worse things you can do in life, but line cutting isn't cool.

 

I did not say I would get upset - I'm pretty used to assholes being everywhere. But, it is wrong, whether anyone verbally objects or not. Or, it used to be. Didn't realize "Cutting the line" is now accepted behavior. My bad.

 

Not the same situation, but I got into a drunken argument with some burnout at Wicked Weed because there was a long line at the bar and he tried to slip in next to me when I got to the front and said "I'm with you dude!". No you're not. Fuck off.

 

Sure, that makes sense. Why bother to even have a line at all?

 

imo, if its just you going up to be with your friends, no big deal, now if you had 3 friends, and you were all going up to be with your friends, then thats kinda a dickhead move, of course, just my opinion

 

That's pretty bad form. Line cutting is one of the bad things about the craft beer scene at present.

 

I hate line-cutters. Your friend got there early, you didn't. If it was about hanging out, he/she could always come back and hangout with you - I've never seen anyone get upset over someone moving backward in the line

 

One person joining someone in front of me would probably be ok with me, particularly if they asked first. 2 or more can go to the back, they have someone for company.

 

That's exactly my point. Why is it completely unproblematic to get a job via nepotism but cutting a line at niche event isn't? I mean hey, maybe that's just me but I find that to be illogical. Obviously I'm not making a general case of hey do this all the time everywhere (as much as I am not insinuating everyone gets their jobs solely via connections), but as an isolated incident? I doubt there's even a single person here who hasn't done something socially inadequate in isolated incidents.

I'm pretty sure if the question is even being asked we don't really have to worry about "slippery slopes", either.

 

Obviously sometimes under-qualified people get a certain job (both with and without connections), but generally the connection is beneficial for all involved. It allows a company to hire someone who has been vouched for by a current (and assumably well-regarded) employee. That's a massive plus, considering that even with a resume and rigorous interview process, a company is still taking a big risk hiring an unknown. Additionally - a lot of jobs that are secured via networks are often not even published to begin with. So an external candidate may not even be missing out. Finally there are lots of other potential benefits to all concerned by having a strong professional network.

Now can you explain to me the overlap with cutting in line with your friend? Does the friend in line shout back to everybody "guys don't worry - this guy is awesome at drinking beer - he's going to add a lot of value here". Or does he shout to the brewery employees - "this guy is going to do a much better job of drinking your beer, and his dollars are worth more too."

 

I'd suggest just not doing it. Some on here have made comments that suggest that there are unspoken rules about it all.

*If there is enough of "beer X" then it's ok
*If it's just one person, it's ok
*It's just beer so relax, it's ok

Where is the line drawn? If one person cuts it's cool, but what about if I see more than one person cut into a different party? Is it my job then to inform them, "ahh, sorry, the group in front of you already let someone cut so now you have to go to the back and wait just like everyone else."

And where is the book of rules about cutting when it comes to other beer related events? What about waiting in line for a bottle release? Wait...that's a big no-no right? What about spot saving? Would a person standing in line feel comfortable telling everyone around them, "hey, I am saving a spot here for my friend. His/her time is so much more important than yours, so s/he can't wait in line. S/he will just show up at the last minute and profit. Thanks!"

It's about a sense of fairness and respect to your fellow craft beer drinkers. Instead of pissing off the rest of the line that planned ahead and got there before you, get your spot, wait for your beer and then chat with your friends. They can get their beer, and then stand by you as you wait your turn. Never heard anyone squawk about that.

 

Given that all of these conditions are met, I have no issues with said practice. I am, however, skeptical to which degree this is the case.

Given that premise, it isn't. But that also misses my point. My point was that it appears illogical to me that - given another premise - that there is in fact neoptism/systematic discrimination hiring practices, that such practices would be socially acceptable (which is not the as same "mutually beneficial", unethical practices may actually be "mutually beneficial" depending on the circumstances - another difference if you would want to highlight one to reinforce it being a bad analogy) but an isolated inconvenience isn't. It was supposed to be less of an analogy than a comparison.

Again, I'm not advocating this be standard behavior and I doubt this would be up for consideration given the question is being asked.

 

I have been to beer events where lines are terrible. I was lucky enough to know people in the booths, so I got some drinks on the side. I hate lines. I wish some of the beer event organizers would plan out their logistics a little better to cope with horrendously long lines.

 

Really??? Back of the line jackwagon!!!

 

I wouldn't describe it as discriminatory.

All of the companies I've worked for have offered referral fees to employees who successfully refer a candidate for a job. Therefore, even if not every referred hire works out, I'm going to make the assumption that these companies have run the numbers, and on balance (taking certain other factors into account as well), it makes sense for them to hire via referral where they can. So I agree it may not always end up working out to the benefit of all involved, but at least that's the starting premise.

Regarding line cutting - would anyone say there's any benefit to anyone other than the line cutter?