A topic almost as taboo as the great mixology debate- the etiquette question to check or not to check your coat? This past Saturday I spent an evening as Whiskey Bar's coat room attendant, here's the view from behind the rack...
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| rule number one - hold on to your ticket! |
As an unseasonably freezing cold evening for mid-March, a minimum of a medium-weight jacket was required for any length of time outside. And sure enough, everyone was suited appropriately and looking fashionable and fabulous, ready for an evening downtown! Quite a few lovely people stopped by the coat check immediately upon entering, paid a nominal fee and relieved their coats to my trusty protection - a few even checked their hats, gloves, and winter boots! However, I was most surprised by the majority of people who opted not to check their coats - they preferred to carry around or even wear their obviously outdoor-intended jackets the entire night! I was not the least bit insulted by the coat-carrying opting people, but wondered why they would choose the inconvenience over a simple solution. What's the secret behind "coat-check anxiety" ? My thoughts turned to the economy, maybe saving a few bucks was necessary for the coat-carriers...but why would a perfectly reasonable person easily dropping hundreds on a night out downtown then penny-pinch on hanging up his/her coat? Typically only upscale places offer coat check and downtown on the weekend the golden standard is dressing to impress! I though maybe it was a security issue - like Carrie's classic Sex in the City "a woman's right to shoes," an issue of keeping your beloved, expensive belongings with you at all times - but with recognizable Burberry, Loro Piana, and J Crew jackets mixed in with the North Face shells and Eddie Bauer down parkas, it didn't seem to be an issue of the value of the item. A coat check concierge's sole responsibility for the night is to keep track of each personal belonging entrusted to them, label it with a number and return the belonging to the appropriate person via the ticket number. Simple as that. Except when someone requests to retrieve and return their coat after going out for a cigarette, when someone wants to hang two coats together to save a buck, or (the worst) when someone loses their number ticket! I cannot express how many identical camel mid-length trench coats or black soft shell jackets look the exactly the same when hanging next to hundreds of other beautiful jackets! The trick of the smart, seasoned coat-savvy checkers was to keep their ticket in their wallet, behind their drivers license - easy to remember, even after a few drinks! Overall, I had a wonderful experience behind the rack but now realize how ridiculous it looks (from the outsiders perspective) to lug around or sit on a bulky bunch of coat all night, when a just few bucks gives your jacket a secure hanger and a watchful eye so you can focus on what you came out for in the first place - #showmetheway
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| I only hoped to look as forlorn and classy as Norman Rockwell's coat check girl |
