I went to lunch at an amazing brewery with some college girlfriends a couple weekends ago and while we were drinking beers and eating fabulous food, we naturally started catching up on our dating lives. As we were divulging stories of past and present, one of my friends shared a story that sent my jaw to the floor.
Before I share this with you, I have to start by saying that as fun, exciting, and enjoyable dating can be it is also very expensive. Now guys, we ladies know that the economic times are tough as of late! We feel it too! But, if you have invited a lady out on a date, and by date I mean you are taking her to a nice dinner, not Sonic, the chivalrous thing to do is to pay for the bill. I am going to let all you single men out there in on a little secret. Most ladies will purposely carry cash to offer and pay for the tip on a date. It’s our way of saying “thank you” for inviting us out for a lovely evening. Here’s how it works:
The Move: The waiter comes to drop off the check. The lady will reach for her purse to find her wallet, showing the gentleman that she intends give a monetary contribution toward this event.
The (Proper) Reaction: The gentleman notices, and says, “No, no. I invited you. Please, let me get this.” Now, the lady will do one of two things; she will either say thank you, and put her wallet away or she will offer to at least pay for tip.
Gentlemen, if a lady insists that she pay for the tip, do not be afraid to let her. Dating can be hard enough and in economic times like these, smart ladies know that it’s important to show that we understand the value of a dollar and appreciate being courted.
If you are on a date with a girl and she does not even attempt “the move” or says thank you, I suggest moving on. Its one thing to enjoy being old-fashioned, but it’s another if you are on a date with someone who’s ungrateful.
Now it’s time to share the reason I was inspired to write this. Like most of these stories go, my friend’s friend, we will call her Tara, was invited to go out by a great guy, let’s call him Rick. During the date conversation flowed and there seemed to be potential for a second date. When the bill came, so did “the move”. Rick then proceeded to ask if they could split the bill. Even though Tara was surprised due to the fact that she tried to be cautious about price when ordering, she is always polite and agreed to his request. When he went to pay for his portion of the bill, he, without shame, placed a groupon for half off of an entree in the waiter’s bill.
When I heard this story, I couldn’t contain my disbelief. Shock turned into gut wrenching laughter and then back into disbelief again. I understand that eventually down the road, when you are in a committed relationship, groupon’s, coupons, and early bird specials are necessary (again, due to the simple fact that dating is expensive). But on a first date, whipping out a groupon is not acceptable and says only one thing in a girls mind, cheap.
What have we learned from this lesson everyone? If you have to consider using a groupon on a first date, be creative and come up with another idea that is more romantic and cost efficient. The right girl will appreciate the effort and thoughtfulness a gentleman puts into a date more than how much money he is spending. So go grab a blanket, some two buck chuck, cheese (not Kraft singles), and a sunset. Boom. You've got romance that costs less than the soup and salad deal at Olive Garden. Happy dating everyone!