First Dates: Should the Guy Pay If He Makes More Money Than His Date?

There are many ways to handle who should pay on a first date; some go stag or dutch, some say whoever asks should pay, and some have a strict guy pays on the first date policy; whatever your feeling is, there is to my mind, one exception to all of these. And what is the exception? If a guy has a job which pays exorbitantly more than his date, he should cover the bill on the date; and the same for the reverse scenario, if the woman is willing to deal with that.

I must admit that I haven't spent much time thinking about this, I'm not one of those Rules girls, but an old friend of mine related one of her recent dating experiences while I was in New York City for a brief few day's visit, and I couldn't help but get a little ticked off. Sheesh, it's a tough world out there when it comes to dating and relationships, I'm thanking my lucky stars that, at least for the moment, I'm not looking for someone. As our conversation progressed over several aspects of dating, she got to telling me about a lunch date she had with a lawyer, needless to say he made considerably more than her. When it came time to pay the check, he paid his share and expected her to cover hers.

First off, I know where they went for lunch and it's not the Plaza -- why on god's green earth could he not cover the tab? Come on guys, $10 - $20 isn't going to kill you, and if you aren't prepared to spend anything, you have no business going out.

Second, a guy has at least some sort of general estimate idea of what a girl might make by the way she's dressed; take a minute and notice your prospective date. My friend of course is always stylish and well-dressed but a teacher's salary looks far different than a lawyer's when dressed up and out on the town. And guys, if you think you might not be astute enough to determine a ballpark figure of what she might make by looking at her, then try listening when she speaks because she has probably already told you what she does for a living before you ever set foot in the restaurant.

I don't mean to sound cold here, but I have heard a number of women complain about this and there just isn't any need for the resulting hurt feelings that a woman gets when a guy who can clearly afford it won't cover her tab on a first date.

So, for wealthy single guys out there, please make the classy move and pay for the first date or don't bother asking if you simply can't muster that.

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