Thirsty Camel is a part of a chain bottle shop, but this corner liquor store is special.
The selection is good (particularly concerning wine - there is much more to select from, both cheap and expensive, here than in many chain liquor stores) and the prices are cheap, like you'd expect from a chain store. However, Thirsty Camel Balmoral is unique in that it's where I learnt that the company takes its "we always have fun" pledge seriously.
Though the surrounding neighbourhood is filled with students and apartment-dwellers, there's more actively drunk belligerent patrons here than you could even expect. They come out of their caves at all times of day and night and drag themselves, in loutish pairs, into the Thirsty Camel. Usually to buy beer.
The staff therefore have to act as security guards as well as well as counter staff. Fortunately, having a good sense of humour seems to help them through the tougher times, and the drunks that frequent this establishment are more of the harmless sleaze than the Fists o' Fury type. They can be avoided by giving them a wide berth and remaining out of eye contact, but this is sometimes difficult.
Once I failed the eye contact test and had two of them on me. The counter guy, sensing what was happening, managed to distract them and speed up their transaction (two cartons of beer - one each?) while I waited. Then, when they marched out with a few drunken cheers, the counter guy stared after them as he held their change, which they had forgotten to take from him.
He gave me the money. "Have the Arsehole Tax," he said. read more
