Beer On The House

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32068, 16 August 1969, Page 1

Beer On The House

“Once bitten, twice shy,” the saying goes, and at least one Christchurch publican is now wary of unknown customers asking for large orders. On Thursday the publican was attending to bottle-store customers when a stranger entered, took out a wallet and asked for six dozen bottles of beer. The publican brought the'first dozen and put the carton on the counter. The customer put his wallet beside the carton, which he took to a car while the publican brought the second dozen bottles. This procedure contin-

ued, the wallet still on the counter, until the publican was bringing the sixth dozen and the customer had just gone out with the fourth. With two dozen bottles of beer and a wallet on the counter the publican was waiting for the customer to reappear when he heard a car move off. He ran outside, but was too late to see the car and get its registration number. On returning to the bottle store the publican found that his fears had been justified—the wallet was empty.