Couple buys couple a drink...

August 29, 2007 7:53 AM

Etiquettefilter -- So me and my girl were at a strip club...

...and another couple on the other side of the stage bought us a round of our drinks. We didn't know until the waitress brought the drinks to our table. We did not know the couple at all.

The question is - what was the appropriate response? Were we supposed to go over and sit with them? Buy them a drink in return? What?

As it was, we just went over and thanked them, chatted a moment, and came back to our table. But it'd be good to know for the next time.

Thanks!

posted by eas98 to human relations (12 comments total)

Thinking it was an invitation to swing.
posted by Ironmouth at 7:55 AM on August 29, 2007 [3 favorites has favorites]

Why hello swingers! I think a simple acknowledgement is enough if you weren't "interested", which let's them know you're there for the show and not the afterparty.
posted by heartquake at 7:58 AM on August 29, 2007

OK, since I've never heard of a couple buying another couple (some completely innocent) drinks, I gotta ask -- were you and the drink-buying-couples the only (obvious) couples there? That would be instant camaraderie. "Oh honey, see, we're not weird! Another couple just entered..." This goes doubly if they're either exceptionally young or exceptionally old for the club's demographic.

If you weren't the only other couple there, I'm thinking they were swingers looking for an interested couple. So buying then a drink wouldn't've hurt too much, although it would have lead to plenty of potential miscommunication. I don't think you're required to sit unless you or your girlfriend decide you really like their company, because things would probably move quickly from "so, you like cats" to "so, you say your sex has gotten boring recently? rrreally..."
posted by flibbertigibbet at 8:04 AM on August 29, 2007

Sit with them and get to know each other for the pre-gang-bang festivities. If you didn't want to party you could buy them a round of drinks in return with a no thanks note.
posted by JJ86 at 8:06 AM on August 29, 2007

Well, this applies to any bar really, but even more so in a strip club. If a random couple buys you a drink out of the blue, it's a good bet they're swingers.
posted by chundo at 8:15 AM on August 29, 2007

What you did was perfectly fine. If they were trying to hook up with you, it was a pretty classy gesture on their part-- not just the drinks, but also just chatting with you, recognizing that you probably weren't interested, and letting it go.
posted by hermitosis at 8:26 AM on August 29, 2007

All you really needed to do was raise a glass in thanks.

If you wanted to hang out with them, or possibly more, you could have bought them a round in return, and sent it over with a note inviting them to join you.
posted by ottereroticist at 8:27 AM on August 29, 2007

Yes, this was clearly a proposition. Couples that go to strip clubs are much more likely (though not certain, of course) to be swingers than random couples on the street.
posted by Justinian at 9:47 AM on August 29, 2007

Yes, the appropriate response is "Thank you for the drink. Would you like to tagteam my missus?"
posted by electroboy at 10:23 AM on August 29, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

ottereroticist has it.
posted by imaswinger at 11:12 AM on August 29, 2007

Pretty much when everyone agrees, including "imaswinger" we have an answer.
posted by Ironmouth at 12:08 PM on August 29, 2007

Thanks everyone!
posted by eas98 at 5:57 AM on August 30, 2007