Should a bet really be a bet?
Everyday at the shoe slangin' store, the UPS man comes to pick up our packages and get them on their merry way. Steve has been doing the same route for years and years. I remember this man from my brief stint at the shoe slangin' store right out of college, pre-"real job." He's a pretty pleasant man, probably in his late 40s or early 50s. He's typically in a much better mood than I would be if I had to lug boxes and wear brown from head to toe everyday. He usually makes a comment about the song that's playing on the Classic Rock radio station we listen to in the stockroom, or more simply, he just bursts into song. Hey, whatever keeps Steve in his pleasant mood.
Yesterday, Steve rang the buzzer at the backdoor right when Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" began to ooze through the speakers. As he was scanning our boxes and waiting for me to print a report, he acknowledged the tune that was playing as one of his favorites by The Doors. I did not correct him.
In the next three minutes, he mistakenly attributed "Sunshine of Your Love" to The Doors three or four more times. Still, I said nothing. I figured, "Let him have his moment. He's a good guy." And then I had to chant to myself, inner-monologue style, "Don't be a know it all. Don't be a know it all. Fight the urge." Well, that all went down the drain when he said, "I bet you kids don't even know who Jim Morrisson and The Doors are." Well.
So, I casually said, "I thought that Cream sang this song." He swore up and down that he was right. He even offered to bet me a dollar. I accepted. He then asked, "How will we find out for sure?" Then I introduced him to this thing we crazy kids call the Internet.
I quickly surfed my way to Wikipedia, and sure enough, the website said that Cream sang "Sunshine of Your Love." He good-naturedly reached into his pocket for a dollar bill. I told good old Steve that I didn't want his money, but he insisted "a bet was a bet."
After he left, I continued working in the back. Three minutes later, the backdoor buzzer rings again. My co-worker, Mark, predicted that it was Steve again, prepared to get his dollar back. Sure enough, the UPS man had snagged two employees of 106.5 The Arch, a radio station in St. Louis that has offices above the shoe slangin' store.
Mind you, the epic song was still playing.
They listened for a second, and good old Steve was proven wrong again. I offered to give his dollar back, but he refused. He only chuckled and said that he would know better than to bet against me the next time.
My subsequent questions on this little situation:
1. I think that at times I might be competitive to a fault. Why couldn't I have just kept my mouth shut?
2. Is it appropriate to make a person pay up on a friendly bet? I feel like there's some ettiquette that I don't know about.
3. Should I become a 50s/60s music trivia hustler? I could go around to bars that the baby boomers frequent and pretend to know nothing pre-1985. I could make a lot of money, and maybe I wouldn't have to work at the shoe-slangin' store anymore.
Yesterday, Steve rang the buzzer at the backdoor right when Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" began to ooze through the speakers. As he was scanning our boxes and waiting for me to print a report, he acknowledged the tune that was playing as one of his favorites by The Doors. I did not correct him.
In the next three minutes, he mistakenly attributed "Sunshine of Your Love" to The Doors three or four more times. Still, I said nothing. I figured, "Let him have his moment. He's a good guy." And then I had to chant to myself, inner-monologue style, "Don't be a know it all. Don't be a know it all. Fight the urge." Well, that all went down the drain when he said, "I bet you kids don't even know who Jim Morrisson and The Doors are." Well.
So, I casually said, "I thought that Cream sang this song." He swore up and down that he was right. He even offered to bet me a dollar. I accepted. He then asked, "How will we find out for sure?" Then I introduced him to this thing we crazy kids call the Internet.
I quickly surfed my way to Wikipedia, and sure enough, the website said that Cream sang "Sunshine of Your Love." He good-naturedly reached into his pocket for a dollar bill. I told good old Steve that I didn't want his money, but he insisted "a bet was a bet."
After he left, I continued working in the back. Three minutes later, the backdoor buzzer rings again. My co-worker, Mark, predicted that it was Steve again, prepared to get his dollar back. Sure enough, the UPS man had snagged two employees of 106.5 The Arch, a radio station in St. Louis that has offices above the shoe slangin' store.
Mind you, the epic song was still playing.
They listened for a second, and good old Steve was proven wrong again. I offered to give his dollar back, but he refused. He only chuckled and said that he would know better than to bet against me the next time.
My subsequent questions on this little situation:
1. I think that at times I might be competitive to a fault. Why couldn't I have just kept my mouth shut?
2. Is it appropriate to make a person pay up on a friendly bet? I feel like there's some ettiquette that I don't know about.
3. Should I become a 50s/60s music trivia hustler? I could go around to bars that the baby boomers frequent and pretend to know nothing pre-1985. I could make a lot of money, and maybe I wouldn't have to work at the shoe-slangin' store anymore.
posted by quank at 12:56 AM
5 Comments:
1. You were justified in saying something because it sounds like he pushed the issue, despite his naivete.
2. Yes and no. You did the right thing by saying that he didn't need to pay you. However, if, for instance, you had made a similar bet with a close friend, I think you MUST pay up. I think it all depends on how well you know the person - the better you know them, the more you should pay up.
3. Yes, 50s/60s music trivia hustler's are in high demand.
I'm adding an addendum to my answer to your second question: in a friendly situation, with an acquaintance over a small token amount (like $1), making someone pay is probably too confrontational for a person you don't know well.
However, if it is not as friendly a bet (and not a token amount), and you're both determined that you're right - I don't think it matters whether they are an acquaintance - they should pay up.
Maybe three factors are involved: amount of money in question, seriousness of the bet, and the degree to which you know the person. It's a balancing test (thank you law school).
wow, you put some serious thought into that!
I have a lot of free time on Tuesdays (in class often during the day).
If I ever have to go to small claims court over a music-themed bet, I want B. Solomon as my attorney.
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