That includes Flo, Bellle, and Jolene. If you look at it, none of them had nothing in common, they listened to different music, had different taste in men, and of course, different personalities. It's like they had no other friends. Even Mel hung with them a lot off the clock. Everytime something came up outside of work, they all hung out like best friends. With replacements like Belle and Jolene, one would question how fast they would become part of the "clique"

Clique indeed. We never saw any other female friends of theirs did we? If Alice didn't have her co-workers, what would she have done? I get the idea that Flo didn't even hang around Vera until Alice came along. :lol:

Heck, I don't socialize with my co-workers off the clock! hee hee heee

Heck, I don't socialize with my co-workers off the clock! hee hee heee

Me neither. The closest I have come to that is every once in a while, a few of us go out for drinks after work. Then we go our separate ways.

I used to do the after hours thing with co-workers. Personally leave work at work and personal life outside of work. I find that bull when they would have activities outside of work in the name of "team building." Getting drunk with co-workers is not team building. Team building happens on the clock when people are working together and for each other for a common goal and that is representing whatever the company stands for and the business of it. Things get too familiar when co-workers start hobnobbing outside of work. I remember the Mary Tyler Moore Show was like that as well as the Dick Van Dyke Show.

My personal preference is to not do things with co-workers after work and be with my family and friends. I don't even like doing lunch with co-workers. It's me I am more guarded in the workplace.

With smaller companies I do understand that element getting into play. Mel's Diner had that element there. Flo had a life where she would go out on dates and hang out at the Chase Chugalug and Vera would go to see old movies. The only time Alice had a life was when she was trying to pursue her singing career. Belle and Jolene there was no interest or activities they would do on their own.

That's probably the one major problem with workplace sitcoms. They want to have storylines that include the whole cast, so unless they're in the diner for every minute of every episode, they try and have them together outside of work.

I have never hung out with co-workers in all my years of working-lol Lunch Yes, After hours Hell No

I think sometimes you're really asking for trouble when you socialize with coworkers outside of work, especially if it involves drinking, like a happy hour or something. And besides, how many times do you really like the people you work with enough to socialize outside of work too? I can be friendly with people during work time, but mostly, with only a few exceptions, I find work people are in the same category as family people: sometimes these are people you would never be friends with if it weren't for that family or work connection, but whether you like them or not, this is who you're stuck with, and though you have to get along with them and tolerate them you don't have to be best friends with them.
It's nice that the waitresses were so close, but I don't know whether those three would be friends anyway if they had never worked together.

I think sometimes you're really asking for trouble when you socialize with coworkers outside of work, especially if it involves drinking, like a happy hour or something. And besides, how many times do you really like the people you work with enough to socialize outside of work too? I can be friendly with people during work time, but mostly, with only a few exceptions, I find work people are in the same category as family people: sometimes these are people you would never be friends with if it weren't for that family or work connection, but whether you like them or not, this is who you're stuck with, and though you have to get along with them and tolerate them you don't have to be best friends with them.
It's nice that the waitresses were so close, but I don't know whether those three would be friends anyway if they had never worked together.

No, they would not be friends if they all never worked together. Like I stated before, they had nothing in common.

You're right, you can ask for trouble by drinking with co-workers outside of work. But in my case, we get together with a small group of people, people whom we are all compatible with, just a few hours of relaxing and socializing, and then we go home for the weekend. We don't hang out.

I think sometimes you're really asking for trouble when you socialize with coworkers outside of work, especially if it involves drinking, like a happy hour or something. And besides, how many times do you really like the people you work with enough to socialize outside of work too? I can be friendly with people during work time, but mostly, with only a few exceptions, I find work people are in the same category as family people: sometimes these are people you would never be friends with if it weren't for that family or work connection, but whether you like them or not, this is who you're stuck with, and though you have to get along with them and tolerate them you don't have to be best friends with them.
It's nice that the waitresses were so close, but I don't know whether those three would be friends anyway if they had never worked together.
Don't get me started on the Christmas/HolidayParties. I can't stand them. Where I used to work at they would close the office at 1 for their Christmas/Holiday Luncheon. If you did not attend then they would take them out of your vacation hours. So I would end up going because I did not want my vacation hours used for that. I would, along with some others who were in the same boat as me, would sit near an exit. Once the president or vice president get to the podium we would make our exit. Now we had our food and drink. That was it. Those after hours activities can lead to trouble.

My company actually discourages after hours socializing and in fact, if you two or more of you are on different levels (management, skilled labor, etc), it can get you terminated!!

My company actually discourages after hours socializing and in fact, if you two or more of you are on different levels (management, skilled labor, etc), it can get you terminated!!
That is a little over the top there. You cannot ditate what one does outside the clock. If they choose to do after hours socializing and it does not affect their work it is their business. A company can get sued for that. I would encouraged you, and the rest of the people in the company, to speak to a lawyer on that manner. I had a situation happened where we did something outside the clock after work and they wanted to reprimand us for it. I went to an attorney about it and they told me that as long as it does not affect my work they have no right to get involve.

This is the case and point that dibbling and dabbling personal and personnel is dangerous. What we see on Alice, Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke of after hours socializing is only fictional. There is a downside to that if it's not manage properly.

Tis true mstewart. The policy is outlandish, but doesn't affect me personally as I do not socialize with my co-workers. Heck, I doubt I would have been friends with some of these people if I had not met them in a work situation.

Tis true mstewart. The policy is outlandish, but doesn't affect me personally as I do not socialize with my co-workers. Heck, I doubt I would have been friends with some of these people if I had not met them in a work situation.
That would not affect me but I would be weary because they can take more liberties that can get into legal issues. If the employee allows it and not say anything those kind of oulandish rules can be enforced. My last employer violated my privacy and we had looked into a lawsuit regarding the situation. Because if that was the other way around I would had been out the door immediately.

Well it kinda made sense to me, Alice was by herself in a new town and didn't know anyone or have family around besides her son. I use so socialize with frineds from work sometimes but not all the time.

Well it kinda made sense to me, Alice was by herself in a new town and didn't know anyone or have family around besides her son. I use so socialize with frineds from work sometimes but not all the time.

Yeah, but we assume Flo, Mel, and Vera had been in town longer and they never seem to have any other friends. It's funny how they are all not from Phoenix.

yeah, i always found that strange. I mean, I don't do jack with my co-workers. I mean, occasionally we might go out or something to celebrate someones birthday, but that's once a year a best. I mean, as it is, I see them more than my family (or it seems that way)

Well, we know Flo had a life away from everyone at Mel's Diner, she's always talking about her dates, going to the VFW dances, etc. We as viewers just didn't get to see those parts of her life.

The godmother to my son is a girl I met at work. We were paralegals at the same law office. I didn't care for her at first, but later on I came to love her as a sister. :lol:

I've carpooled with one of my co-workers, but that's about it. :lol: I like the people I work with, but I see them more than my own family!! :eek: :lol: Yes, it is unrealistic for them to ALWAYS hang out with each other, but since when are sitcoms realistic? :lol:

That's probably the one major problem with workplace sitcoms. They want to have storylines that include the whole cast, so unless they're in the diner for every minute of every episode, they try and have them together outside of work.

This is my problem with "The Office", in that everything has been done in the confides of that space. The characters have, but rarely go outside.

Barney Miller worked well with the office/enclosed format but I think it is because of all the guest stars and different situations.

Alice was not very real life anyway. For one thing, the woman stayed working there for like, what, 10 years? Usually people move on from that line of work to something more stable. Waitressing work in real life is difficult, how Mel's Diner never seemed that busy. The movie "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" is a much better depiction of that line of work.

This is my problem with "The Office", in that everything has been done in the confides of that space. The characters have, but rarely go outside.

Barney Miller worked well with the office/enclosed format but I think it is because of all the guest stars and different situations.

Alice was not very real life anyway. For one thing, the woman stayed working there for like, what, 10 years? Usually people move on from that line of work to something more stable. Waitressing work in real life is difficult, how Mel's Diner never seemed that busy. The movie "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" is a much better depiction of that line of work.


That's what I like about the Office, it's centered around the workplace and you never see the home of the characters. I agree about the ladies doing that line of work for so long and not moving an inch in 10 years. But I guess since Mel's Diner was the FOCUS of the show they had to keep the characters in that line o work.

Heck, I don't socialize with my co-workers off the clock! hee hee heee
I don't either, but I guess we'd hang out if we were on a TV show. :lol:

I don't either, but I guess we'd hang out if we were on a TV show. :lol:
Good answer. :lol:

If my life were a TV show, I'd be asking--"where's that laugh track and that spontaneous applause when I need it?" :lol:

If my life were a TV show, I'd be asking--"where's that laugh track and that spontaneous applause when I need it?" :lol:
:lol:

:lol:

Sometimes when people are different it made the best frienships, but of course it had to be that way since it's part of the show.

As far as the new waitresses, Belle had supposedly ALWAYS been around I think so they all knew her from the beggining I think. I know she used to work at Mel's a long time ago, so I assume they all already knew her.