Imagine yourself sitting around a table at your local cigar shop. There you are, puffing away on your favorite cigar, talking with the guys, when suddenly the door opens. In walks one of the regulars with a smile on his face. A cheerful greeting is exchanged and this individual places a bottle of liquor in the middle of the table and asks who would like some before grabbing a few glasses.
To go along with the story, lets go ahead and pretend that this type of generosity happens fairly regularly, with more than one individual. When finished, rather than taking the bottle home with them, often times it is left behind.
Based on the scenario above, lets assume that you brought a bottle of something into the lounge one day. After a couple of drinks you leave the bottle at the shop with plans to come back to it later. The next time you come in, you find that a glass or two is missing from the bottle. Are you upset that someone has helped themselves to your liquor?
No, If I leave a bottle behind at a shop or friends house it is cause I meant to and I expect others to enjoy it as well. That being said, I wouldn’t help myself to other people’s bottles unless I was told by that person I could help my self.
Corey,
I’m the same way. If I leave a bottle someplace it generally isn’t an accident and I don’t mind if people help themselves. I also don’t like helping myself without permission (and on the occasion that I do have some, I’m sure to let the owner know and reciprocate the next time I see them)
Simple etiquette, leave it out and you meant to share. If you want to secure it for yourself, take it home or stash it in your locker.
If the bottle is left on the table, it is implied for anyone to help themselves. If the bottle was left in a private cubby area or a private locker of some sort (assuming the lounge has such accomodations and charges its members for the use to prevent the former from happening) and the bottle was taken out and consumed, maybe then it would be upsetting. What if You bought a box of cigars, passed them out to anyone at the shop who wanted one, left the open box on the table so people could help themselves, left the cigar shop, and came back to find a few more cigars had been lit up? Same deal. Those cigars were for anyone who wanted one. Just my thoughts. -B
A problem I wish I had!
Not in the slightest. If I leave it, I leave it to be had by whomever. If I don’t want it drained by others, it comes home with me.