Some folks have been “Party” to it, but never realised.
Mind you, the Japanese have dabbled of late.
I wasn’t always a shopkeeper. Read all about my days behind a social club bar.
From my 1960s diary.
I wasn’t a very good barman at all. Still, aged just 18 the regulars seemed to like me and referring to me as young smiler. Looking back a more accurate title might be Gullible. I grew to like the working men’s club which employed me and where I could be found pulling pints all weekend. In return I grew to like the lively atmosphere and Guinness. It was good for you. After years of eating bananas and beans to put on weight, the numerous bottles of Guinness & Mackeson , generously paid for me by the tipsy clientele began to do the trick.
Talking of tricks, I feel able with a suitable passage of time, over 50 years now, I can confess that some customers were cheated . The steward and his wife, Eddy and Jenny, Canadians by birth and both spotty by malevolent misfortune; were both convinced they were being stolen from as every stocktake showed a loss. I had nothing to do with the loss. I have a completely clear conscience on that score, but I was guilty of conspiring to make good their losses … The stewards, Eddy and Jenny, were soon replaced by the Committee, probably because they were closing in the real culprits.
Enter Arthur and •Kathy, who promptly sacked everyone but me, I must have projected honesty, and brought in their own trusted staff.
As the replacements were all related to them I can only presume that they took the view that if they were going to be robbed, it might just as well be kept in the family.
Arthur was an intense bald little man with huge bulging eyes, and a permanent expression of bewilderment because his family didn’t let him down and the stock losses continued unabated.
Arthur was soon replaced by the committee, and the losses stopped … No doubt they didn’t want to kill the golden goose.
Interesting story Robert, after reading that I will now think of you as Honest Rob. 
Had a smile at this reminiscence Robert as it was an ‘onest’ barman who told me to top up a whisky bottle with cold tea when someone was too drunk to know the difference.
A good tip that and it worked. 
As always thank you for sharing.
Nice one Robert, It sounds familiar, I’ve spent some time behind a bar in a working mans club, but it was the opposite side to you…Then I realised it was a mugs game, and I didn’t really like the taste of beer anyway…
You have jogged my memory my dear Reynard… those were happy days.
more later
