Corporate (Mis)Behavior

Hi there, me again.

Well, you would not believe it!  A few nights ago I worked a large party for 1,400 people.  It was raining and they all came in with wet coats and umbrellas.  They didn't all come in at once, they just sorta trickled in and it was manageable between the 5 of us that were working coatcheck.

BUT, they all decided to leave at once.  You wouldn't believe how drunk some people can get on beer and/or wine!  And, how it quickly turns into a "mob" mentality.  I called for security, but it was too late, the damage was done (more on that later).

Now, these people work for a very well known, respectable accounting firm and you would expect them to act accordingly.  I was afraid that they would crush each other and it was good that the coat room was literally "walled-in" or they would have rushed us and trampled us to get their coats.  You would've thought that we were giving away gold bars and diamonds.

My question is this:  Why?  What's the rush?  Your coat will still be there, even if you have to wait 10 minutes for it.


Security?  I talked to them after the fiasco and they assured me that they were there, but they didn't do anything to calm the situation, they just stood by and watched!!!  What were they thinking!?

Lost your ticket???

Hmmm...where to begin.  A little background, maybe.  I work for a large corporate event planner as a coatcheck.  Many of their events are huge, anywhere from 1,400 to 25,000 people, while most of them are small intimate affairs (150 to 700 People).  Needless to say, I see and meet a lot of interesting people, not only the guests, but also the people I work with.  Generally speaking, most of the people I meet are fun, outgoing, humorous and conversations are animated.

During this holiday season, I have decided to post some of the fun stuff I've experienced or witnessed, and some of the outrageous behavior too.

It never ceases to give me wonderment when I see the lovely young women arrive at their corporate party all dressed up, hair perfect, dresses new, just off the rack at Macy's especially for this occasion.  Then something goes horribly wrong.  When they arrive back at my station to pick up their coat after hours of free drinks, they can't find their ticket and they're too drunk to look for it.  Sometimes they dump their purses out on my table just to prove that they don't have it.  Some of them don't even remember what their coat looks like.  When I tell them they will have to wait until most of the more than 700 coats have been picked up, they get indignant.  Well, wait a minute!  I didn't lose the ticket!  So, they describe the coat in the hopes I'll remember it among the hundreds, and inevitably, it's a "long black coat."  Do you know how many "long black coats" I have hanging up behind me?  Probably 500 of the 700 fit that description.

So, first of all my advice to you if you check your coat with me.  Don't lose your ticket, second; wear something other than a "long black coat", third; put something in the pocket, like a business card, and remember the label with the brand name on it.  All of this is helpful if you lose your ticket.

And, remember to reward me if I go to the trouble to find your coat, remember to reward me even if you don't lose your ticket, and not just with a "thank you so much."

Next, corporate (mis) behavior.