More tricks of the trade

John P. sent me the latest valuable advice from the "tricks of the trade" website (see here for earlier post).

Office Worker When walking to your favorite lunch spot with a group of co-workers, remember that the person who gets to the door first is expected to hold it open for everyone else and wind up last in the food line. Being in the number two position is your best bet.

Bartender
If you work somewhere with a marble top bar, try rubbing ice on the marble. This serves two purposes. First, you'll look busy, like you're dedicated to keeping the bar clean. But even better, it makes the marble wet. Now, when you return change to patrons, put the coins on the bar top. Many people, after struggling to pick up their change from wet marble (a near impossible task), will leave the money as a tip rather than slide to the edge and put a handful of wet coins in their pocket.

Party Band
If your audience is reluctant to dance and you want to get them moving, play "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison. Regardless of the age or size of the crowd or their occupations, that song is more likely to pack the dance floor than any other. In fact, "Brown Eyed Girl" works as an effective opener for the evening, at the beginning of any set, whenever the energy is lagging, as your last song, or even as an encore.