The Round System

sometimes I get into mini-rounds with my special friend, but this always founders on the fact that she is a sipper and I am a raving boozehound, with the result that my pint will be finished before her shandy is a third drunk.

Round buying is the singular reason that British drinking is the way it is.

*I'm also always late so this point is often moot.

PLEASE LET THIS REFINANCE GO THROUGH SO THAT WE CAN EAT THIS MONTH.

Oh, rounds? I loved them when I had extra money. Now they fill me with dread and anxiety. I hate mooching off of people.

Round behaviour is troublesome because it puts financial and moral pressure on people to drink at the speed of the fastest drinker.

It also relies on reasonable behaviour between all concerned, and only really works when the group is small enough (and comfortable enough with itself) to police itself effectively. It breaks down in larger groups.

There are, of course, those who simply use the round system to make their evening out cheaper, because they're mean. Or those who abuse it in other ways, e.g. asking for vvf expensive drinks on other people's rounds while getting themselves tapwater on their own.

It's a good way of allowing friends who are skint to spend an evening with friends who aren't, without too great a burden being put on any individual. This requires up-front honesty though (i.e. making it clear you can't stand your round at the start, rather than after drinking your way to the bottom of everyone else's wallet...)

Unlike Pete, I tend to drink faster than average, but this tends to mean I make it to the bar more often, and I quite regularly find myself buying a mini-round as I go for my 'flier'. I really don't mind spending a few quid over the odds, because (taking Katie's and Nick's points above) things even out in the long run and it's good to be generous when you can. I suppose I'm sore at the moment because I was so comprehensively stung at the Glassblowers the other night (>£50 spent, chiz).

I do like to see the happy glows on my chums' faces as I hand over their pint of foaming Old Grody.

Question is: is this OK (rather than 'mean') if the person concerned is much worse off than most of the people they are out with? I mean like, on a repeated basis? My friends and I have definitely done this in the past, but then again I've had other friends who have not wanted to come out to the pub cause they are unemployed and can't afford to buy a round and don't want to sponge off others. In such circumstances I usually try to persuade them to come out anyway and they say 'Only if you let me opt out of rounds and nurse my half pint of blackcurrant and soda all night'. But they end up accepting the offers of drinks in the end.

Apologies for rather grouchy-sounding post above. It's a pleasure to buy my friends drinks, particularly those who are a bit skint. I'm sure they'd do the same for me in the reverse situation.

I haven't read the thread properly (sorry, am rushing off to Pub) but I think the continental system is way more civilised. Collect a pile of chits through the evening, then pay at the end and divvy it up. Plus, you get the drinks brought to your table. Scrums at bar = dud.

Table service is all very well but only expensive and/or crappy places do it.

(although i can´t be that much of a lush, as i should be drinking absinthne in smokey bars, not sitting in easy evberything struggling with spannish keyboards and listening to elvis costello sing évery day i write the book´)

Was talking to some younger people (mainly my siblings) and are rounds becoming a thing of the past? It seems that increasingly their friend groups don’t do this, citing the high cost of drink and/or discrepancies where people may be off the sauce for whatever reason.

Regardless of that, they did agree that being included in a round but not returning in kind was unfathomable.

the rise of individualism has killed the idea of a generic drinks order easily slotting into a rounds system

Isn’t that also maybe being broke, like I know I’ll dip out of rounds when I know for certain I am short on money

It must be quelled xpost

forcing workmanlike pinters to wait on nursers is cruel

harrying nursers to swig up against gulletary restrictions or walletary issues is distasteful to many

you can see the tension

ts quelled/quaffed

ive a fella will just leave his unfinished pint and start the fresh one

monstrous

Would this be a fella we both know? Couldn’t be

no

now the same man obv not short a bob

"It seems that increasingly their friend groups don’t do this, citing the high cost of drink and/or discrepancies where people may be off the sauce for whatever reason."

Young ppl apparently don't drink anymore.

As the youngest ilxor is like, 41, we can't check on this.

I talk and drink a lot more when I am with one person, or two. If I'm in a larger group, I will usually limit myself to one round. Old reflex from student years, incompatible with rounds, which I always disliked. Also, the groups I associate with do not linger in bars, serious drinking would much more likely happen at someone's place. Wouldn't say rounds are a thing of the past though - they're just not a ritual.

well lingering is the point really get up and get your round in

The round system was fraughter when my friend group was younger and skinter but also felt the need to almost competitively overindulge much every pub visit

Now I make more money I find it easier to just nope out and say I'm skipping one to pace myself (or buying a £12 brain-deleting cocktail I just don't want to cheekily game the round system with)

ts quelled/quaffed

"It seems that increasingly their friend groups don’t do this, citing the high cost of drink and/or discrepancies where people may be off the sauce for whatever reason."

Young ppl apparently don't drink anymore.

As the youngest ilxor is like, 41, we can't check on this.

The round system is sacrosanct but that doesn't mean nor has it ever that everyone must join it. In fact, a key pillar of the round system is politely saying if you don't want to be in a round, for reasons of time, numbers of people, finances or whatever, tho not necessary to cite that. The system breaks when someone accepts a load of drinks and goes home or whatever.

I read this in Anne Doyle’s voice for some reason. GOOD EVENING.

no need to turn this into a sexy thread pls