My mom always says that if you have to ask how much something costs, you can't afford it. Which kinda bums me out, because by that measure I can't afford much these days, haha.

(1) the drink in question (bacardi and diet coke) wasn't a fancy cocktail. no place lists the prices for every possible iteration of mixed drinks. very few places list prices for liquor by the shot.
(2) if this girl's tab was $125 after tax, then she only spent $70.50 on these 7 bacardi and diets, not $84. (tax=$7.50, food=$32, beer=$15)
(3) in all likelihood, this was an honest mistake. was a "tall" drink ordered? or was it a "big" drink vs a "small" drink? in any case, after the $12.50 discount, she received 14 servings of Bacardi for $58. i find it hard to sympathize with her "plight".

They should absolutely list the prices; I wish more bars would post their beer prices, too. Obviously they're not going to be as outrageous as the cocktails, but why should someplace like Max's with an extensive beer menu be the only place where I know what I'm paying ahead of time?

Speaking of beer, it seems like you've started something with the watermelon beer - Pub Dog, Red Brick, and now these guys from SF... http://beerinbaltimore.com/2009/08/24/21st-amendment-beer-now-available-in-maryland/

I don't pay for anything until I know the price. Period. If I had unlimited funds, that wouldn't be a problem. I also think customers don't like to ask the price because they think they come off of as cheap.

They should have a price list. Discovery of costly or recently increased prices upon the arrival of the bill isn't a surprise that encourages repeat business or generous tipping above 15%, if*.
People are currently are watch cost and people I know work in various eateries say the volume of customers is down. Brillant move to antagonize those who are still coming.

* save your comments, life often isn't fair to this most convenient target.

One warning sign: There are, indeed, places that will adjust prices according to the time of day, day of the week, whether a band is playing, etc. I'm not talking "happy hour" necessarily; I'm talking places where the management hits a button on the register computers the second the band starts tuning up or the football game starts, and the prices go up 20%, or places that are happy to gouge the clueless weekend crowds. Furthermore, some places are rather poor at "advertising" their specials on Tuesdays, "Ladies' night," etc. so that a drink that may cost $6 may be $5 on Tuesdays or $8 during a weekend game.

I frankly don't object to a business covering its costs or seizing an opportunity to make more money; I simply ask for transparency across the board, such as mentioning happy hour so someone doesn't get sticker shock when the first beer costs $3 and the second one $4.50 or whatever.

I was at the Hofbrau Beer Garden yesterday.

It was good to see the prices on their menu, $7 for a half-liter of their house light (as opposed to dark) is kinda steep. But its really good beer.

There's also the issue of ordering by name. Some bars will automatically jack the price if you ask for a certain brand by name.
I always ask what the rail (rum, whiskey, whatever) is before ordering. It may turn out to be my brand of choice.
A "rum & coke" is often cheaper than a "Bacardi & Coke", even if both would have used the same Bacardi.

I've been around the world from Hawaii, all the way east to Russia, and for the first time, I cam across a drinks menu locally that had no prices. Of course, the waiter did not know but checked for me and stated the martini menu prices at Happy Hour wwere around $7 and could be more depending on the drink.
To me it's a way to make more money. People are too shy to ask, think they can't, but do you go buy a pair of shoes, a comb, a house, or a car without knowing the prices? My decision on the martinis was a big NO. So they lost on me. I'm 64 and have seen it all; and no prices takes the cake. And that phrase "if you have to ask you can't afford it" must've been written by a restaurant or bar owner to intimidate customers. No prices, I don't buy.