Now this might go down like a **** sandwich but here goes. I love the place and I'm in every home game good atmosphere cheap beer and making money for various charity's. Now here's the gripe as mentioned it's about making money for charity's but yesterday I witnesses fans coming in and not even buying a drink just using it for a warm. Is this fair when some times fans get turned away because it's at full capacity. People stood outside who are wanting to spend money when others are just using it to sit and talk. I was in at quarter past 1 yesterday these people where already in and didn't move or purchase anything. Now I get its for all fans but peope who are willing to spend money are getting turned away some games because others are using as a pre match warm.
I told Hicksy about this a few weeks ago. My mate was queuing outside for about 10 mins yesterday while these people are spending nothing
I bet it's frustrating for them as it's difficult to police but I just feel for the lads n lasses who want to get and but can't and are stood outside for 10-15 mins in the cold.
I 100% agree fella. I know Hicksy spied them the other week. It may sound a tad harsh but I'd have a word, either purchase sommet(without taking the piss of a cup of coffee that takes 2hours to sup) of leave. I'm in every match and take my lad with me. TOther week when Bruce was guesting I arrived and me, Juddy G and our two lads and our mate couldn't get in as it was at capacity. We'd have spent £50 easily between us. I'm sure the resident 'chair warmers' were in their normal spot, sat ignoring eachother for 2 hours! Get scary Mary on the door to have a word! If she asked me to leave I wouldn't argue:-/ When all said and done its Redfearns BAR! Not Refearns drop in centre! Tell em to sling their tight fisted hooks!
We had to pay a entrance fee and buy two larger tokens at one of these shitty ground boozers once Maybe that's the way forward
We are aware of it mate and it frustrates the hell out of us when we have to be down Oakwell to set up at 9.30. There's genuinely not much we can do other than encourage those that genuinely want to spend money and have a beer to come down earlier. There's plenty who just sit and nurse a coke for 2 hours or just have a pie. Some people genuinely might not have much cash though so who are we to say they can't come in? It's a difficult one.
We've only noticed one couple that definitely don't spend any money, well they sometimes have tea and coffee, but by all accounts they've been regulars since the artist formerly known as Preedys was launched. Difficult one for us to challenge with it being an old couple as well. There are people who spend very little, but they do buy something. Some just have cans of coke, others have pie and peas as soon as they walk in, nothing else for nearly an hour, and then a pint of ale before last orders. If people are using it to shy from the cold outside without spending then we'll mention it, but we need to be careful and certain that they've not just finished their food or drink quickly. Lots of people are now heading down earlier, that's why the queues are forming and getting longer, and we seem to attract a new group or family of regulars each week who are in before 1:30pm that come back for the next game. Our five seconds of game on national TV won't have done is any harm either ......
I've given up on Redfearns. Not because I don't like it, I do, but I've been six times and only got in twice. I want better than a 1 in 3 chance of getting in to a boozer for me to make the effort to go. I've got a 100% record at every other pub I've ever been to. Nowt the organisers can do about it and I'm not having a go, I think what they've done is brilliant, but it's a bit galling to now read that one of the reasons I've been refused entry is down to the fact that some folk are taking up space without spending any money.
I suppose it's just one of those things and very difficult to police - I'd just put signs up reminding people that it is a limited capacity venue for paying customers only in the hope that it shames people into buying something or not just using the place for a warm.
That's probably the best and maybe the only way to approach it without causing confrontation and resentment.
Erm, I was drinking but I didn't buy any of them! Thank you for the pie, old mate. My wife really enjoyed it.
I offered it to her, hoping she'd say "No, love, it's okay. You have it". Unfortunately, she said "Ooh, lovely. Thank you very much"!
We love Redfearns - missed it yesterday as caught up with an old schoolmate who took us in the No7. What the Trust have got going there is spot on - great ale, lovely snap - but are we approaching the point where they need to think about alternative spaces? Are there any alternative spaces?? Obviously if there were shitloads of cash, Grove St School could be done up and turned into an absolutely fantastic pre-match bar & social club. Club offices upstairs, even tables outside in the 'playground' bit for when the weather warms up. Not gonna happen, I appreciate, it's just a shame we're having to turn paying customers away.
Sadly I suppose there's little you can do about it. The only problem is, is that it's too small. But again, there's little which can be done in that instance either. Don't suppose the club could buy the school over the road from the west stand could they? Would make a cracking boozer.
