It's a tale as old as time, or at least as old as the local pub: after a few frothy ones, patrons slip a glass or two into their bags as souvenirs of a good night out.

But one Melbourne pub has had enough and is fighting back with a dose of humour and a nod to a classic anti-piracy campaign.

The Central Hotel in Beaconsfield, Melbourne, has taken a creative approach to deter its customers from pocketing their beloved Guinness glasses.

In a video posted on social media, the pub recreated the iconic anti-piracy ad from the early 2000s, which famously began with ‘you wouldn't steal a car’.

The video humorously pleaded with patrons, saying, ‘You wouldn’t steal our menus’, ‘You wouldn’t steal our furniture’, and ‘Please don’t steal our Guinness glasses’.

The Central Hotel’s anti-theft campaign video now has over 500,000 views. Image Source: Tiktok / @thecentch

The response to the video has been varied, with many bar workers chiming in to share the bizarre items that have been stolen from their venues.

‘I’ve had people steal cutlery, salt and pepper shakers, Christmas decorations, menus, attempt to steal the bar mats...we've even had someone try and take our trestle table,’ said one commenter.

Another user added, ‘The funniest ones at work have been the soap dispensers and multiple toilet brushes.’

From cutlery and salt and pepper shakers to Christmas decorations and even soap dispensers and toilet brushes, it seems nothing is off-limits for some light-fingered pub-goers.

And it's not just bar workers who are talking. Some patrons have openly confessed to their pilfering ways.

‘A nice glass or table plant is always coming home with me,’ one brazenly admitted, while another declared a preference for Stella Artois glasses over Guinness ones.

This issue isn't unique to The Central Hotel.

The Dromedary, a family-run pub in Central Tilba, NSW, has also recently implored its customers to stop the glassware grab, having lost many gin and tonic glasses at a ‘suspicious rate’.

Pub manager Rex Hone lamented the loss of about 24 glasses in just one month, equating to a weekly loss of around $100.

Theft of pub glasses may seem like a minor issue to some, but for these local establishments, it's a costly problem.

Glasses aren't cheap, and the cumulative effect of their disappearance can put a real dent in a pub's budget.

It's a form of theft that's often overlooked or even romanticised, but it's theft all the same.

You can watch the Central Hotel’s anti-theft campaign video here!

Source: TikTok / @thecentch​

So, what can pubs do to prevent this glass-snatching epidemic?

Some establishments have resorted to charging a deposit for using their glasses, which is refunded when the glass is returned.

Others have increased surveillance or even attached security tags to their glassware.

But The Central Hotel's approach, using humour and a bit of nostalgia, might just be the most effective method yet.

This isn’t the first time a business has used humour to get a point across.

Check out this daring real estate agency ad on a busy road!

Key Takeaways

• The Central Hotel in Beaconsfield, Melbourne, created a humorous video to discourage patrons from stealing their Guinness glasses.
• The video parodied a well-known anti-piracy ad and has had various responses, including shared experiences of theft from bar workers.
• Patrons at some Australian pubs often take home glasses, leading to significant losses for the establishments.
• Pub management, like at the Dromedary in Central Tilba, is pleading with customers to stop taking glasses due to the financial impact.

Let's raise a glass (and then put it back) to the pubs that have been the backdrop to many cherished memories.

Do you have a story or confession to share? We'd love to hear it in the comments below!

 

[Littleboy8]

Yep guiltyif it fitted in my handbag it was mine especially coasters.

 

[Penny4]

I thought some pubs serve plastic glasses these days, with the high risk of drunk assaults with glass.