WARNING: this post is a complete rant and totally opinionated so don’t read it if you’re sensitive to such issues. No clubs/venues have been named.

Is it just me or are there serious bouncer/ego issues in Cape Town at the moment???

I realise there are a lot of problems surrounding certain bouncing companies at the moment but does that mean that the ‘new’ bouncers (i.e.: the old ones in plain clothes) have the right to be completely rude and inappropriate?

Three times in the last 2 weeks of being out and about I have been subjected to verbal harassment, inappropriate comments and more recently a complete fuck up at the door.

Ok, ok from the beginning:

Entering a club last week I was grabbed by the bouncer and sniffed. I know some may giggle at this and now I find it a little amusing but at the time I was completely horrified as this bouncer made comments about my perfume, attire and general person. I’m sorry I did not come to the venue to be picked up by a large man in a leather jacket and gold chain…not really on my ‘to-do’ list for the night!

A few days later I went back to the same club and the same bouncer was at the door. Thinking he would, at the very least, recognize me and say hi (for all my sins) I was subjected to a tirade of verbal abuse because of my paper driver’s licence.

I realise that paper is no longer accepted, authorized or not, because it is so easy to forge but is it really my fault that 1) my wallet was stolen and this is my only form of identification at the moment and 2) the gaggle of giggling girls in front of me were bounced…no.

I recoiled from this bouncer screaming in my face as he tried to belittle me in front of the crowd (line) and calmly asked if he had taken the time to even look at my birth-date or if reading was not in his job description…not my most mature moment in my 23 years on this planet…but seriously what an idiot.

Yes he was doing his job, yes it was paper and I was in the wrong but then he shouldn’t have let the 17-year old girl behind me in…two sides of the coin my friend.

Lastly, and this is the incident that has sparked this rant of outrage occurred on Friday.

Correct me if I’m wrong but generally you pre-buy a ticket to skip the long-ass queue of those who weren’t so bright…right?  So very wrong it would seem in this case.

So you get to the club and the pre-bought ticket line is merged with the VIP line as well as the guest list line…still generally ok…not that night. The line was incredibly long, there was a FLIPFILE for all the guest list names and even the artists were queuing at one point. Now all this may have been generally accepted with slight grumblings right…not when the cash/paying line was being let in first!!!!

You pre-buy a ticket for a set amount of money so you then get to the venue (where they already have your money) and then you wait in a line because they are taking more money from those paying cash…that is pure greed.

I had a friend who paid cash and got in an hour before another friend who had a ticket…this is after they slammed the gates shut and those who were inside did not have the option of going out…the venue was not even close to full.

It caused huge problems, with the bouncers swearing at every person who came near them, punches were thrown at bounces and innocent passer-by’s and I swear one guy nearly had an epileptic fit induced from pure hysteria at trying to get in (he had a ticket)…It’s not a great way to start a night and it certainly isn’t a good reputation for a venue to be gaining.

I’m not saying it was entirely the venues fault as it was a semi-private event but really…the greed is too much.

First rule venues: stay loyal to those who are loyal to you.