$200 dollar bottle service in Vegas

[MikeK32]

I like to buy a few extra bottles from the club on the way out at night. Then I either give them to homeless people or save them to pre-game the next night. Being a baller is a 24/7 job.

You are a baller and a humanitarian - very impressive!

[ponch62]

I like to buy a few extra bottles from the club on the way out at night. Then I either give them to homeless people or save them to pre-game the next night. Being a baller is a 24/7 job.

You sir, are the official winner of this thread!

[maxutilsperusd]

I once had 2 half full handles of premium vodka and gin that I had no hope of drinking before leaving Vegas and I wasn't going to just throw out $50+ worth of alcohol so I figured I would just hand them to the first homeless person I saw who looked like they would want it. All the homeless people I encountered said no thanks. I was really surprised but after thinking of just how many people fuck with people, and especially the homeless, on a regular basis I might not trust an already opened container either.

[wat]

Well for one thing beers are now over $10 at most clubs and for another that's why pregaming is such a big deal as it is in American culture. Why should you pay around $9 per unit of alcohol when quality vodka (even Grey Goose) or bourbon or almost any other spirit maxes out around $1.25 per unit when bought in bulk and with mixer never being more than $1 for a drink worth? At 5 drinks to a person, drinking inside your hotel room saves $40+ per person compared to drinking beer inside the club. If you don't care for beer at the club and would have been ordering cocktails, the comparison gets even worse with a savings of $75+ per person. Lets say you also want 2 Red Bulls in a night, clubs are charging $10 for the standard 8oz can while you can typically get those for $2 or less. So that's another $16+ that can be avoided right there. So that's $50-$100 of savings by drinking in your hotel room vs. in a club depending on your alcohol preferences.

I'm a big fan of using reentry to drink since if they allow you to leave and come back in and you aren't doing bottle service it's ridiculous to fight to the bar, wait to get served, and pay 1400-1800% markup when you can just go outside the club, drink, and come back inside in practically the same amount of time.

This really undermines the "cover + drinks = same price bottle service" argument, since if you already figured out how to not pay 15x the price for alcohol then it doesn't hold up anymore. I still can recommend bottle service though, just for very different reasons. If you can't dance, if having girls brought literally right to you is appealing (I'd say this is appealing to most single people), if you are lazy (no one actually wants to have to walk to the bar, much less outside the club), and if it boosts your confidence then it can be money well spent regardless of how much of a markup that bottle might have on it.

While a sound strategy, there are a number of ways it can go wrong. Long re-entry wait, not staying in the same casino, and some people just don't know where that sweet spot is where drunk ends and blackout begins. Makes it a little harder (although not impossible) to get back in.

And, of course, it's not just "real estate" - let's be honest, it's having the opportunity to show off a little. Which does matter to some.

But hey, man - you do you. And I've enjoyed going in GA when I do.

[maxutilsperusd]

While a sound strategy, there are a number of ways it can go wrong. Long re-entry wait, not staying in the same casino, and some people just don't know where that sweet spot is where drunk ends and blackout begins. Makes it a little harder (although not impossible) to get back in.

Oh absolutely. Almost ran into the too drunk to get back in problem on my last trip since some people in my group didn't seem to understand how to pour themselves a drink that didn't have 3 shots in it. Luckily Drai's didn't seem to require people walk in a straight line and not slur when letting people back in, but it totally could have been a problem.

I have never had a long reentry line though. Not sure if that's a consequence of avoiding holiday weekends or luck, but usually the reentry line is less a line and more a spot to flash your stamps and walk right in everywhere I've been. You are absolutely right about bottle service having more going on than just the bottle and that's why I still get the draw even if there are cheaper ways to drink.

[Chali2Na]

That said I've solved the problem for when you aren't partying where you are staying. You just check a shopping bag full of drinks at the bell desk of whatever hotel the club is at. I always make sure to tip on the drop off and then when I exit the club I head right to the bell desk, ask for my bag, and with a $5 tip I've never waited more than a minute for the bag.

This is absolutely insane. This is the equivalent of driving ten miles to the gas station that sells gas for thirty cents cheaper than the station two blocks away from your house.

[maxutilsperusd]

This is absolutely insane. This is the equivalent of driving ten miles to the gas station that sells gas for thirty cents cheaper than the station two blocks away from your house.

Think about it this way, if I'm at a club I'll order 2 Jack and Cokes for $32. My girlfriend will order 2 vodka cranberries also for $32. Lets say my buddy Funny will order 2 shots of vodka for the slightly lower price of $30.

By prefilling 6 mini plastic bottles of Coke with those respective drinks (5 minutes time, $5 in cost for the bottles), then the cost of the drinks themselves, lets say for mine $1.00 since now I'll use a more preferred whiskey like Maker's Mark or Bulliet that would have cost even more at the bar, $0.75 for Nicole, and $0.50 for Funny, that's a total of less than $8.

I'll tip the bell desk $2, so lets just call it $10. So for $10, 5 minutes of time spent before going out, 5 minutes of time spent before going to the club to drop off the drinks at the bell desk, and 20 minutes of time spent getting out of the club, getting to the bell desk, drinking, and returning to the club we'll save $95 worth of money.

So that's $30 saved per person, with a a cost of 30 minutes, so we are making $60/hr, more than any of us make at our day jobs. We also are always in town for 7+ days, so a 20 minute break during a night doesn't feel like we are losing a significant amount time inside the club, and we usually do this right around 12:30am after having gotten to the club around 10:30pm so we make the guest list, so we don't miss any of the headliner's set.

Since we are in town for so long if we save the $30 a night for lets say 8 nights it comes to $240 each of us leave in our pockets compared to had we just been slightly more lazy, and spent almost as much time fighting to the bar to get those drinks.

So I'd say the closer equivalent is going a few blocks out of your way when you are filling up a 50 gallon RV tank to save $0.60 a gallon. Something many people wouldn't do, but I'd be on GasBuddy finding out if it's close enough for sure.

[cookie1892]

Think about it this way, if I'm at a club I'll order 2 Jack and Cokes for $32. My girlfriend will order 2 vodka cranberries also for $32. Lets say my buddy Funny will order 2 shots of vodka for the slightly lower price of $30.

By prefilling 6 mini plastic bottles of Coke with those respective drinks (5 minutes time, $5 in cost for the bottles), then the cost of the drinks themselves, lets say for mine $1.00 since now I'll use a more preferred whiskey like Maker's Mark or Bulliet that would have cost even more at the bar, $0.75 for Nicole, and $0.50 for Funny, that's a total of less than $8.

I'll tip the bell desk $2, so lets just call it $10. So for $10, 5 minutes of time spent before going out, 5 minutes of time spent before going to the club to drop off the drinks at the bell desk, and 20 minutes of time spent getting out of the club, getting to the bell desk, drinking, and returning to the club we'll save $95 worth of money.

So that's $30 saved per person, with a a cost of 30 minutes, so we are making $60/hr, more than any of us make at our day jobs. We also are always in town for 7+ days, so a 20 minute break during a night doesn't feel like we are losing a significant amount time inside the club, and we usually do this right around 12:30am after having gotten to the club around 10:30pm so we make the guest list, so we don't miss any of the headliner's set.

Since we in town for so long if we save the $30 a night for lets say 8 nights it comes to $240 each of us leave in our pockets compared to had we just been slightly more lazy, and spent almost as much time fighting to the bar to get those drinks.

So I'd say the closer equivalent is going a few blocks out of your way when you are filling up a 50 gallon RV tank to save $0.60 a gallon. Something many people wouldn't do, but I'd be on GasBuddy finding out if it's close enough for sure.

im sorry but that is just an absolute ridiculous carry on to save a few dollars drinking in a nightclub

i literally couldnt be bothered with the hassle at all

[maxutilsperusd]

im sorry but that is just an absolute ridiculous carry on to save a few dollars drinking in a nightclub

i literally couldnt be bothered with the hassle at all

Well it was neither "a few dollars" nor was it much "hassle" but different people differ in how lazy they are. Like this really isn't as much work as it sounds like. I was being conservative with the amount of time it takes too, giving worst case scenario amounts of time. Dropping off the bag takes less than a minute since if you take a cab the bell desk is usually feet from the entrance. Getting out of the club and back to the bell desk is usually pretty fast since many of the clubs are located near their bell desks. Taking a break from being inside of a club actually has some benefits too like it not being as loud, crowded and it being easier to talk. Fighting to a crowded bar and ordering a drink isn't my idea of fun, and takes a non-negligible amount of time, so if we discount out that it's even more of a good idea.

Lets say instead that my girlfriend and I did bottle service for $200 a person a night. That's $3.2k we could spend to drink and sit for an 8 day trip, that obviously sounds like a much more reasonable thing for us to do than guest listing to get in for free and spending less than $10 a night to drink just as much alcohol. For our next 8 day trip to Life is Beautiful we are spending around $900 on hotels, $200 on plane tickets (Southwest sales rock), and probably $50 in cover charges (maybe $20 at one club and $30 at one pool), $100 on alcohol, and $200 on cabs. I got 3 day passes to the festival from MyVegas for free, another thing you'll probably argue is way too much work, a minute of clicking a day for $400+ worth of festival tickets. Lets not include food since realistically we spend almost the same amount at home as we do on vacation. So that's around $1.5k, so lets just make it $1.6k since we'll probably spend $100 somewhere and that makes the math easier. So we could have part of a table shared each night for 8 nights, or 2 full 8 day trips to Vegas including hotel, travel, transportation, alcohol, and entertainment. I don't know about you, but that seems like a pretty easy choice.

[bigsi26]

for me personally at a tier 2 club on a weekday for 4 people, say entry 4x20 = 80, then lets say each of us has five vodka mixers at $20 dollars a drink each = 400, 480 entry and drinks at bar, for a couple of hundred between 4 of us we could get a b1g1 at some tier 2 clubs for the sake of 100 dollars extra each

[maxutilsperusd]

for me personally at a tier 2 club on a weekday for 4 people, say entry 4x20 = 80, then lets say each of us has five vodka mixers at $20 dollars a drink each = 400, 480 entry and drinks at bar, for a couple of hundred between 4 of us we could get a b1g1 at some tier 2 clubs for the sake of 100 dollars extra each

See my issue with that logic is that typically I'd rather go to whichever tier 1-1.5 happens to be open on that weekday.

Sunday: XS Nightswim
Monday: XS
Tuesday: Omnia or Drai's Yacht Club
Wednesday: Wet at Night
Thursday: EBC at Night

I got into all of those for free by guest listing with an even ratio on my last trip, so entry was $0. Nightswim, XS, and Drai's all have reentry with the bell desk nearby. Wet at Night had an open bar for my girlfriend and a Bud Light promo cabana handing out free beer. So the only night that bottle service really made any sense was Thursday, and at EBC at Night I don't know if a single bottle minimum gets you a good enough location with a view of the island and the DJ. We also had a pretty decent spot along the edge of the pool with a great view so I don't think a table would have had a lot of value that night either.

The only night of my last trip where I really would have loved to have a table was Porter Robinson on Saturday, which we also go into for free with an even ratio guest list. The problem is a table with a decent view at Marquee on a Saturday with Porter Robinson DJing definitely would have been multiple bottles, so now we are talking even more money per person.

Like if I was single my position would be different, but going as a couple, bottle service is pretty expensive for what you are getting in my opinion.

[dnix]

Well it was neither "a few dollars" nor was it much "hassle" but different people differ in how lazy they are.

So anyone who spends money on convenience is Lazy??? lol I cant imagine what you think of people who go to the carwash. You must have a farm, and produce your own food too. lol Im extremely lazy. I go to the closest grocery store and dont coupon. Damn it, I just realized Ive actually bought a gallon a milk at the gas station. FML

[maxutilsperusd]

I'm all for lazy, but only when it doesn't cost too much. Hell I have a mini-fridge right next to my bed because that's how lazy I am. I get my groceries delivered even though they are coming from a store less than a mile away because I don't want to go to the store, find the items, and then lug them up 2 flights of stairs, but that costs $5 or less (sometimes it's even free) so that's a fair trade. I do cook often because it's cheaper than going out on a regular basis, and really it ends up taking less time if you do it right.

In Vegas I make sure bell hops move my bags when I'm getting out of a cab since it's worth tipping them $5 to not have to carry around bags for 30 minutes until I'm checked in. I make sure to pay cab drivers in cash though because the convenience of paying by card isn't worth the $3 extra charge to me when getting out cash only takes a few extra seconds. With regard to the drinks situation it's another case of too high a price for convenience, so I put in a slight amount of effort and save quite a bit of money.

So no judgement against the lazy, I'm right there with you all, I just choose to be lazy when it doesn't cost too much.

[Brooklyn Marc]

Man i have to say i majored in economics,hold a C.P.A and a large part of my professional life has been managing money etc. but christ some of the logic and math used to justify not spending on certain things is beyond thrifty to put it mildly. A commodity is only as valuable as what someone is willing to pay for it, that being said some people choose to place convenience,acess and personal preference at a premium. Doesn't make them "tools" or idiot's especially if they actually have the ability to absorb such costs. It's been established; in theory NOBODY should be paying the mark up associated with bottle service but FUCK THAT its my money. You can justify not spending money on TONS of things (and i have a sneaking suspicion some people on this thread would provide a detailed analysis for just about any of said things), however lets keep in mind YOUR situation does not equate to all. Do i pop bottles every night im in Vegas? Nope. But if i did so what? To SOME people the measures suggested to save money mentioned in this thread is just as flabbergasting as the cost of bottle service...

[maxutilsperusd]

I too majored in econ, I mean my name on this forum is Max Ultils/$ (maximum utility, also sometimes thought of as happiness), which is what I along with everyone else on this forum is trying to maximize, regardless of whether or not they know it. I just have somewhat novel strategies of doing so in Vegas and figure they are worth sharing to those who are interested. Again I'm not railing against bottle service, it's a great option for people in certain situations and with certain preferences. My feelings on paying a premium for Grey Goose were perhaps strong, and I did choose to call those willing to pay it tools, ie someone whose primary function is to get used. Maybe that was harsh, but I've never applied that or any other negative term to people doing bottle service in general. Ultimately people have different situations and different preferences so there is no right way to do any of this that applies to everyone. If people keep arguing though that the cover charge plus the drinks is practically the same as what they spend on a bottle I'll continue to warn that they could probably avoid the cover charge and that they have other options when it comes to drinking.