Man Asks if He Was Wrong to Leave a Friend’s Party After They Expected Guests to Pay for Drinks

Hahaha, wow!

What kind of person throws a party and expects their guests to pay for drinks?!?!

That’s a new one…

But here we are, folks!

Check out this fella’s story and see if you think he acted like an a**hole.

AITA for leaving my friend’s party after they expected their guests to pay for drinks?

“This past weekend my wife (41F) I (42M) attended one of my friends party’s that I was invited to. For context my friend (42M) his gf (48F) and their two friends (also mid 40’s M&F) were hosting this party the 4 of them together.

A few weeks ago when I received the invitation I realized that it said on it something along the lines of “please be prepared to purchase your own drinks”. Didn’t think much of it at the time considering I just thought they were hiring a bar tender or something, but fast forward to the day of the party.

I arrive with my wife and it’s my friend and his gf standing behind their kitchen counter that they were using as their “bar”, making/charging the guests for drinks. Now I was confused for a few reasons…

1, the fact that this party was held at my friends house, it’s not like this was at an event space or something where this would be normal imo. 2, there was no bar tender that they hired or anything like that. It was literally 2 of the 4 of them standing in the kitchen at a time making drinks for people and then charging them accordingly (drinks were all under $10).

Now idk if this is actually a common thing, but I have never in my 42 years of living been to a “party” at a friends house where the hosts are charging you themselves for drinks.

I’ve had multiple parties over the years, that I have invited my friend and his gf to in which they have attended, and I’ve never charged ANYONE for drinks ever. I’ve always bought all the drinks myself and had an open bar type of situation. Where my guests can make there own drinks. I even had a proper bar tender once and still no one was charged, it was an open bar.

I honestly felt like my friend, his gf and their friends were all trying to make a quick buck off of their guests who attended. Clearly to cover to cost of the drinks. Which yeah I understand that booze isn’t cheap these days but we’re talking splitting the cost of whatever they bought between 4 PEOPLE. Like in my opinion if you can’t afford to supply drinks at your party, why are you having a party in the first place?

This also wasn’t for charity or anything the money made off of the drinks was for them to split.

My wife and I bought one drink each, stayed for about an hour or so, and said our goodbyes. When we were leaving my friend asked why we didn’t have that much to drink? I told him because I think it’s ridiculous that they are charging their close friends for drinks. He called me cheap and an unsupportive friend. I assured him that i’m not, if the charging of drinks was for a good cause (like profits go to charity or something) of course i’d buy drinks.

I told him I find the fact that they are charging for drinks, and keeping the money for themselves ridiculous and taking advantage of their friends. Anyway now my friend and his gf are butt hurt about this and have been calling me an AH to our mutual friends. AITA here?”