2009: The Year Free Office Holiday Parties Went Bye-Bye

It seems the recession has robbed office workers of their traditional venue to blow off steam for free. Anecdotal evidence from the all-seeing eye of Twitter has found that a significant number of office parties have disappeared altogether or gone pay-to-play, Budgets Are Sexy reports:

I don’t know what you’re complaining about anyway. Look, none of your twitter friends are getting free rides:

* @pmmaldonado: Um, yeah. As a former NYC employee, I can tell you that we paid for all of our holiday parties ($50/food/open bar was norm)

* @yousuckatkijiji: Same deal at my company, ’til the “staff association” helped fund it. $25 per, plus cash bar. Times have changed…

* @JoeTaxpayerBlog: Same here. $30/head plus cash bar.

* @3princessesmomm: Our work party this time is a lunch in our break room and the company is supplying cold cuts for our potluck sub sandwiches

* @nicoledixon: Wow, that’s wrong – isn’t the point of a holiday party to reward employees for their hard work throughout the year…GEESH! (Editor’s note –
@nicoledixon doesn’t know what she’s talking about)

Office drones, how has the recession affected your workplace merry-making?

You should totally pay for your own holiday party [Budgets Are Sexy]

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