4 ms·

As with many things, it's profit-driven. As a related example, bars intentionally turn the music up loud enough that conversations are difficult because this ca

As with many things, it's profit-driven. As a related example, bars intentionally turn the music up loud enough that conversations are difficult because this causes patrons to buy more drinks.

maxxxxx 8y ago
" loud enough that conversations are difficult because this causes patrons to buy more drinks" I know that I am weird but this makes me just want to run away,.
- mrec 8y ago
  That doesn't make you weird, that makes you sane. You couldn't pay me to drink in bars like that.
  - brokenmachine 8y ago
    I'm the same, but I guess we're not the target market then. They want mindless binge drinkers, not talkers. It's weird because I feel I'd drink more when I'm comfortable, with music audible but not loud enough to drown out conversation or be too offensive.
    - ABCLAW 8y ago
      >They want mindless binge drinkers, not talkers. I'm friends with a lot of bar owners, and have had a few bars in the family in the past. Owners don't want someone getting plastered. We want the high functioning alcoholic who orders 3 pints to his partner's 1 and draws his friends to come to the pub with him every night or two.
      - drilldrive 8y ago
        Seeing that you have experience in this sector, what is the purpose of a bar exactly? I never have gone to a bar, but always have had the assumption that bars are pretty much for getting plastered.
        deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
        snakeboy 8y ago
        Nah, it's generally not very economical to do so. They serve primarily as a evening/weekend social hub, much like a restaurant. If you want to get plastered, you're much better off doing that in a private residence, in my experience.
        zbentley 8y ago
        > bars are pretty much for getting plastered They might actually be the least efficient retail or service venue for achieving that purpose.
        ABCLAW 8y ago
        If you want to get plastered, you can buy absurd amounts of alcohol by volume by purchasing cheap vodka and making it palatable by running it through a water filter to remove the bitter contaminants, then soak fruit in it to give it some flavour. For 30$, you can make yourself enough very nice booze, flavoured to your tastes, as you would be able to get for $300 or so at a bar. As for the direct question: different bars have different purposes, which is why there are so many different types. Bars in the financial district are often vehicles to waste money as a social display. Bars in the artistic sector are often vehicles to meet likeminded poor, but cool, artists and misfits. Bars in residential areas are normally places to relax and have a few pints. Bars in the nightlife areas are normally places to meet people. Some bars have good food. Some bars have cheap drinks. Some bars have great music. Some bars have familiar staff. There's a bar near where I used to live that offers manicures, male model servers and foot rubs. A few streets down is a sports bar which seems to employ exceptionally chesty waitresses. As you might imagine, the target demographic for each is different.
- jniedrauer 8y ago
  This is a symposium of nerds so I suspect we will all agree with you.
- Obi_Juan_Kenobi 8y ago
  Weird generally, but probably much less so here. It's not terribly surprising that people that choose to spend a lot of time interacting via text vs. conversation (e.g. programming) could have sensory processing disorders. Research in auditory processing disorder is relatively young, but at least some cases can be objectively diagnosed with FFR https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/FullText/2016/08000/Embracing_the_Enigma_of_Auditory_Processing.12.aspx https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/FullText/2016/080... If you have difficulties understanding speech, it's worth talking to an audiologist; you can effectively train for this! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29056453 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29056453 It's also worth noting that auditory processing disorder is associated with autism spectrum disorder. I'm particularly interested in the various etiologies of autism, and whether the traits of 'minor' autism are well explained by simple sensory or sensory-processing disorders.
  - maxxxxx 8y ago
    That’s really interesting. I definitely always had problems with understanding people in noisy environments so I often avoid them. I once went to an audiologist and based on the measurements my hearing is way above average. But I still have trouble listening to people.
kd0amg 8y ago
OTOH, I find this also makes it difficult to order drinks.
- jdreyfuss 8y ago
  That encourages making the drink orders simpler too, which means the bartenders can have a higher throughput
robertAngst 8y ago
This is what made me realize 'my type of people' wouldnt be at the bar or club. As I was trying to scream in my friends ear, I looked around, just drunk. No one there was exchanging ideas. Obviously not all places are like this, but I didn't need to go back there.

As with many things, it's profit-driven. As a related example, bars intentionally turn the music up loud enough that conversations are difficult because this causes patrons to buy more drinks.

maxxxxx 8y ago

" loud enough that conversations are difficult because this causes patrons to buy more drinks" I know that I am weird but this makes me just want to run away,.

mrec 8y ago
That doesn't make you weird, that makes you sane. You couldn't pay me to drink in bars like that.
- brokenmachine 8y ago
  I'm the same, but I guess we're not the target market then. They want mindless binge drinkers, not talkers. It's weird because I feel I'd drink more when I'm comfortable, with music audible but not loud enough to drown out conversation or be too offensive.
  - ABCLAW 8y ago
    >They want mindless binge drinkers, not talkers. I'm friends with a lot of bar owners, and have had a few bars in the family in the past. Owners don't want someone getting plastered. We want the high functioning alcoholic who orders 3 pints to his partner's 1 and draws his friends to come to the pub with him every night or two.
    - drilldrive 8y ago
      Seeing that you have experience in this sector, what is the purpose of a bar exactly? I never have gone to a bar, but always have had the assumption that bars are pretty much for getting plastered.
      - deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
      - snakeboy 8y ago
        Nah, it's generally not very economical to do so. They serve primarily as a evening/weekend social hub, much like a restaurant. If you want to get plastered, you're much better off doing that in a private residence, in my experience.
      - zbentley 8y ago
        > bars are pretty much for getting plastered They might actually be the least efficient retail or service venue for achieving that purpose.
      - ABCLAW 8y ago
        If you want to get plastered, you can buy absurd amounts of alcohol by volume by purchasing cheap vodka and making it palatable by running it through a water filter to remove the bitter contaminants, then soak fruit in it to give it some flavour. For 30$, you can make yourself enough very nice booze, flavoured to your tastes, as you would be able to get for $300 or so at a bar. As for the direct question: different bars have different purposes, which is why there are so many different types. Bars in the financial district are often vehicles to waste money as a social display. Bars in the artistic sector are often vehicles to meet likeminded poor, but cool, artists and misfits. Bars in residential areas are normally places to relax and have a few pints. Bars in the nightlife areas are normally places to meet people. Some bars have good food. Some bars have cheap drinks. Some bars have great music. Some bars have familiar staff. There's a bar near where I used to live that offers manicures, male model servers and foot rubs. A few streets down is a sports bar which seems to employ exceptionally chesty waitresses. As you might imagine, the target demographic for each is different.
jniedrauer 8y ago
This is a symposium of nerds so I suspect we will all agree with you.
Obi_Juan_Kenobi 8y ago
Weird generally, but probably much less so here. It's not terribly surprising that people that choose to spend a lot of time interacting via text vs. conversation (e.g. programming) could have sensory processing disorders. Research in auditory processing disorder is relatively young, but at least some cases can be objectively diagnosed with FFR https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/FullText/2016/08000/Embracing_the_Enigma_of_Auditory_Processing.12.aspx https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/FullText/2016/080... If you have difficulties understanding speech, it's worth talking to an audiologist; you can effectively train for this! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29056453 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29056453 It's also worth noting that auditory processing disorder is associated with autism spectrum disorder. I'm particularly interested in the various etiologies of autism, and whether the traits of 'minor' autism are well explained by simple sensory or sensory-processing disorders.
- maxxxxx 8y ago
  That’s really interesting. I definitely always had problems with understanding people in noisy environments so I often avoid them. I once went to an audiologist and based on the measurements my hearing is way above average. But I still have trouble listening to people.

kd0amg 8y ago

OTOH, I find this also makes it difficult to order drinks.

jdreyfuss 8y ago
That encourages making the drink orders simpler too, which means the bartenders can have a higher throughput

robertAngst 8y ago

This is what made me realize 'my type of people' wouldnt be at the bar or club. As I was trying to scream in my friends ear, I looked around, just drunk. No one there was exchanging ideas. Obviously not all places are like this, but I didn't need to go back there.