5 Depressing Things About Working At A Club

I used to work as one of the door guys in a very popular club. I made a lot of friends, as they knew I could let them in for free. Girls thought my job was cool, and people were buying me drinks every night.

But all the perks died off after a while. They weren’t worth it. Working in a club can actually be very depressing. It’s too bad the average partygoer wouldn’t ever see it for what it really is.

1. Fights happen all the damn time, and that’s an accepted norm.

They mostly happen for the stupidest reasons. It could be because two drunk guys bumped into each other, and when one of them decides to turn around, he mistakes a random third guy for being the culprit. A confrontation and fight ensue. I found it depressing to know that it was a norm, like any of us would simply shrug and say, “Oh really? OK” when we heard that some guy—or even a girl—got pummeled to the point of bleeding all over. Yes. A girl being hit by a guy inside was considered normal, not shocking. We were all so hardened to it. I guess the higher-ups and other employees accepted it to stay sane, but I couldn’t stomach the idea.

2.The club and police wouldn’t do jack to make things right.

They simply want business to go on uninterrupted. The bouncers in charge of security would usually drag the parties involved in a fight behind the club, where they’d be forced to make peace. If, however, somebody is bleeding or suffering from broken bones, he or she can call the ambulance and police and given the choice to pursue the matter. The police would rarely care. Why would they? To them, it was just another case of drunkards acting like idiots.

3. VIPs are worshiped because they have money.

That’s all. They do spend a crazy amount on drinks, up to thousands a night. Because of that, they get away with everything. They can be rude, act like assholes, throw glasses onto the ground, touch girls, and even scream at us. Nothing is done about it. The supervisors would mostly apologize to them, even though none of us did anything wrong. It’s depressing to know that money wins all the damn time in these places.

4. Friends use you.

People just wanted to get in for free, and they’d be extremely shameless about it. I once let a girl in and when I ran into her in school the next day, she ignored me completely. The folly was definitely mine to think that I was popular just because I worked in a club, but it reinforced the idea that people considered partying to be social proof of one’s status. People think it’s cool to know a bouncer. People think they’re important just because they can cut the queue. Worst of all, some think they earn respect by being a jerk to the service staff.

5. Almost every relationship inside is fake.

The new friends you made? Let me know if you can actually remember their names. The business connection you made? He was only being polite and gave you a fake phone number. The girl you managed to score with? You know you don’t want to go on an actual date. The notion that partying and drinking releases inhibitions and thus allows everyone to be open and friendly is a crock of bullshit to me. It’s all fake. It’s contrived. It’s all live-for-the-moment and forget everything tomorrow.