Friday, March 9, 2012

Lesson 3 - Let Us Pay (Or, Don't Be a Cheapskate)

Let's go ahead and get this out of the way. Even in this modern age, the guy still usually asks the girl on the date. There are, of course, exceptions, but this is generally true. That being said...

If a someone asks you on a date, let them pay. If you ask someone on a date, expect them to pay. It's not sexist, it's good behavior. If you want to offer to pay for half, or all, of a date you were asked on, kudos to you. But don't make it into an argument or cause a scene. Just let it happen.

I'm a bit old fashioned on this, true. I was raised that if you take a girl out for dinner, or drinks, or paintball, you pick up the tab. It's been so ingrained in me that even if I'm out with a girl as friends, 9 times out of 10 I'll pick up the check when she's not paying attention. It just happens, and I'm ok with it. I'm so used to it, in fact, that I plan on it and make sure I have the money to pay for both of us if we go out to do something. Where I come from, it's called being a gentleman.

Now, I'm not suggesting that it is ALWAYS the man's responsibility to pay. Not at all. I'm suggesting it is the asking party's responsibility. If a girl were to ask me on a date, I would fully expect her to be ready to pick up the bill. I would offer to pay for everything (this has happened and she was ok with it), but if she were insistent on paying? I'd be respectful enough to let it happen (this has also happened. Once.) You should too. Likewise, if you happen to be gay and get asked on a date, the asking party should be ready to pay.

Now, sometimes you have that person who immediately goes for the "50/50" route. That's ok. Some people are like that, and especially with the economy the way it is, it's risky to drop a lot of money on a first date that may not pan out. But if you keep going on dates after that? Come on. Be classy, and if you asked them, pick up the check. For me, personally, "seperate checks" sounds a lot like "we're just friends" if you're still in the dating phase.

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