I’m a cricket journalist from Sydney, and in 2019 I was in Manchester to cover the Ashes. After dinner, I stopped for a beer at the Malmaison hotel. I’m pretty fussy about beer and I love an English bitter. I asked the bartender if she had any ales. She offered me a European pilsner, though eventually got me a Deuchars IPA.
There were a few cricketers in the bar, so I was chatting to them while I distractedly tapped my card on the reader to pay for the beer. The bartender said it didn’t work and asked me to do it again and put my pin in. I did, then she asked if I wanted a receipt. I never get receipts. I’m a bit careless with money and not very attentive. I didn’t have my glasses on either.
