View Full Version : Umm, my club has been really slow.
kaiarose
11-15-2007, 02:56 PM
The economy sucks right now. I think people are afraid to spend money. My club is down to like 8 girls!!! We had about 20 a month and a half ago. Winter is going to be BRUTAL this year :(
britt244
11-15-2007, 02:57 PM
i just have to say i love my club. im doing pretty well. its like every other weekend if great, and the ones in between are just ok. but still nothing to complain about.
mollyzmoon
11-15-2007, 03:07 PM
So far, the energy and commodity related economic growth in Canada and Australia has been really spectacular, and the loss of profitability of non-energy based non-raw materials based Canadian and Australian companies is just now being noted by the 'global corporations'. However, you can be certain that these 'global corporations' are already making plans in regard to closing down car plants, appliance plants, software houses etc. as the rising Loonie and rising Aussie directly translate into higher production costs thus lower profits. This may take a few years to get organized, but it will lead to the same place that US industry now finds itself i.e. permanent loss of jobs and permanent plant / business closures.
!
I don't want to beat a dead horse, and I know you have good points. Personally, I don't believe the human race will live to see the year 2250, but for different reasons.
I just have to say that, based on my own experience and the widely reported experience of the girls I know around here, our shitty economy has never put strippers out of business. We were doing well ten years ago, when we were in the muck, and the better dollar hasn't translated into doing better...It's just the same, more or less. Same as always. Perhaps the types of customers are different, but I've never had an issue with dancing for Chinese or Indian customers. heh. Seriously, I've been averaging almost exactly the same amount since I started dancing three years ago.
Melonie
11-15-2007, 05:56 PM
^^^ well, that was my point really, that the Canadian economy is not in the same sorry state as the US economy. This may change eventually as the strong Loonie takes its toll on the competitiveness of Canadian export businesses, and/or when the prices for oil and metals drop as measured by the Canadian dollar. But so far Canadian businesses continue to earn decent profits selling oil and commodities to Chinese and Indian customers, who evidently have extra Loonies left over to spend freely in Canadian strip clubs.
Bridgette
11-15-2007, 11:47 PM
Would like to point out that, due to inflation, making the same money now vs X number of years ago is NOT actually the same money. Your actual spending power is still lower now than it was X years ago due to inflation. Which means you're actually making less now, even though your raw numbers might look the same.
As for emigrating, many of yall know I've wanted to do so for a long time. I get sidetracked, make other plans, etc, but that is always in my head. However my true ideal is some little tropical place like Costa Rica, but I totally wouldn't mind checking out Australia.... ;D
Lysondra
11-16-2007, 06:03 AM
^ I've got room and board if I can grab your boobs just once. Once. All I ask. :D
Taylorlila
11-16-2007, 09:32 AM
It was terrible at the club I was at lately. All summer I could almost always count on hitting $800-$1000 once a week, and if I made less than $400 I was going home with my panties in a bunch. Sept. came and if I made $400 I was working my ass off. From what I hear since I left it hasn't been any better. To make it worse, the girls come and go as they please, so with everyone making less money, everybodies coming into work more, which means more girls and less money to go around.
Victoryx0x0
11-16-2007, 10:41 AM
Here in jersey has been TERRIBLE slow all month WHAT is going on ive been at my club two years i have NEVER seen this!!
velvet
11-16-2007, 05:14 PM
yep last night i had a first. i walked with zero!
add to that november is traditionally my best month of the year! i don't think anyone but two girls made anything. the club was a ghost town on a Thursday night. i have been at this club for almost 7 years. i have never seen it that dead, even in summer.
Melonie
11-17-2007, 02:44 AM
Here in jersey has been TERRIBLE slow all month WHAT is going on
ummm, you don't suppose these minor details had anything to do with it ?
- increase in NJ state sales tax rate from 6% to 7%
- property / school tax bills just went out with typical 20% increases
- people filling home fuel tanks with heating oil prices up 15% last year vs last
- NJ real estate bust has lowered market prices by 10% plus, making it impossible for many NJ homeowners to refi away from resetting ARM mortgage payments as well as shutting off the extraction of any more home equity money
- massive layoffs in the homebuilding and financial industries have caused a lot of northern Jersey-ites to accept lower paying alternative jobs.
However, the biggest impact is probably psychological i.e. that investment banks / insurance companies / brokerage firms started making big announcements in October that they have been taking losses (related to subprime mortgage CDOs and other defaults) - which sent a real clear message to their employees that this year's 'Christmas Bonuses' are going to fall far short of last year's levels. This also trickles down to other businesses which would normally profit from bonus spending i.e. BMW dealers, big screen TV retailers etc. Thus everybody has adopted an air of caution re personal spending levels not knowing how this Christmas season is actually going to turn out.
~
Sophia_Starina
11-17-2007, 02:53 AM
^^^ Grrr.... wtf! NJ is supposed to be one of the richest states in the USA. I keep hearing that "per capita we are the wealthiest state around" or some sh!t.
Anywho... in manhattan it SHOULD be good, alas... there are also a bazillion girls to even things out.
What results? Same old same old.
So sorry... I'm cranky and only cash can put me in a better mood.
Melonie
11-17-2007, 03:06 AM
^^^ Grrr.... wtf! NJ is supposed to be one of the richest states in the USA. I keep hearing that "per capita we are the wealthiest state around" or some sh!t.
this is true, but NJ is also now one of the highest tax states in the USA too !
Along those lines, the recent election results may have hit home with NJ residents too ... i.e. they re-elected the same big spending Democrats to the state legislature. Even when NJ voters specifically voted down big spending measures like the 1/2 billion dollar initiative on stem cell research, Gov. Corzine publicly announced that he's going to go ahead with the project anyhow, with the funding coming from another source (i.e. a future state income tax increase). And of course the FAIR study just announced that there are now an estimated 480,000 illegal aliens living in NJ instead of the previously estimated 220,000, with many of them collecting social welfare benefits that will add to the future tax burden of Jerseyites as well.
The 'problem' with measuring wealth versus club earnings potential is that 1000 'middle class' guys earning $100k a year spend a whole lot more money in clubs than 900 'poor' guys, plus 90 'middle class' guys, plus 10 multimillionaires. NJ does undeniably have some EXTREMELY rich citizens. However this probably skews the 'median income' statistic to a much higher level making it appear that there are far more 'middle class' people living in NJ than there really are !
~
she sells sanctuary
11-17-2007, 07:26 AM
i don't think the economy is really that big a problem. but i think people are really scared right now at all the headlines and rising gas prices and all that...and they're really afraid to spend. it feels too dangerous.
once things start looking up, guys will start spending more, whether they're loaded or not.
i'm into astrology, btw. and according to that, our economy is gonna keep sucking through next year.
Victoryx0x0
11-17-2007, 12:29 PM
Melonie.... you are 100% right. :-\ maybe its just really time for me to relocate.
The economy is absolutely TERRIBLE right now, the taxes have skyrocketed recently, the mortgage business has flipped upside down due to the shadiness of the originators and the over-appraisers. Its like the great depression here- The ARMPIT of america.
JennaDee
11-17-2007, 02:40 PM
Well when I said he is limiting the number of girls who work, I think I phrased that wrong...What I meant was he actually was sending our girls home when they would come in the club to work. But my manager will hire any female who walks in the club, it's ridiculous. Even though business is slow, he still hires girls.[/quote]
This drives me absoloutly nuts! The issue of stage fees isn't doesn't even make sense at my club because we don't have them except for 1 day a week, which is Saturday. (And believe it or not, there are the least amount of girls this day because it is hectic and the club is filed with cheap college assholes) There have been more new girls hired at my club in the past month than there have been in all of the summer months combined. WTF!?
Melonie
11-17-2007, 05:16 PM
Melonie.... you are 100% right. maybe its just really time for me to relocate.
The economy is absolutely TERRIBLE right now, the taxes have skyrocketed recently
Well, considering that the vast majority of dollars earned by dancers are spent by middle class customers, there's really a major question involved as to which parts of the US still has a financially 'healthy' middle class ... and also has local laws / attitudes that allow for profitable strip clubs. About the only 'growth' area that I know of on the east coast is the Greenville-Spartanburg corridor in South Carolina.
You could also attempt to cross the east river and cash in with 'rich' customers rather than 'middle class' customers. However, to get access to the 'rich' customers you're talking about getting hired in a comparative handful of upscale clubs. Thousands of other dancers have undoubtedly already had the same idea. Also, these clubs are structured to extract a healthy slice of dancer earnings. Also, the competitiveness in these upscale clubs for keeping the 'rich' customers happy has elevated expected VIP contact levels to the point that many dancers would not be 'comfortable' providing. The one consolation about upscale Manhattan clubs though is that, for visiting foreign businessmen and tourists, the US dollar prices charged by these clubs are now a 'bargain' due to the depressed US dollar exchange rate.
There aren't any easy answers ... and the situation is also likely to get worse instead of better since there doesn't seem to be any chance that 'middle class' paychecks are going to be growing, or that taxes / costs of energy, food, insurance and other 'necessities' will be shrinking.
The ARMPIT of america
It ALWAYS was an armpit ... which is the reason that I moved from metro north jersey to upstate NY several years ago when I made the leap from 'house dancing' to featuring and magazine / website work ! However, several years ago, the rocking north jersey economy made the 'armpit stink' a little easier to tolerate. Apparently today all you're left with is the 'stink' !
i'm into astrology, btw. and according to that, our economy is gonna keep sucking through next year
whether you use astrology, the Wall St. Journal, some fancy financial modeling investment advisor, or simple common sense deduction, they all reach the same conclusion in this regard !
~
august
11-18-2007, 03:40 PM
Everyone be thankful you don't live in Michigan, What a sorry place this state is in.
velvet
11-18-2007, 05:57 PM
well after my all time worse night at my club on thursday. the weekend was pretty damn good. it seems the weekend are the only time we are really busy. so while my club is still ok. you better get what you can on the weekend.
needtodance
11-18-2007, 06:26 PM
sigh. And now i KNOW i wont be able to sleep tonight past looking up visa requirements... Between my health problems and health insurance problems, and the worsening economy making it difficult ot get a normal job OR make a living dancing....
moving WOULD be a ginormo PITA though... my family would kill me if i moved to australia...
miabella
11-18-2007, 07:59 PM
also, it's no panacea to move there. australia is quite strict about exactly who gets those generous social benefits...
Lysondra
11-18-2007, 08:47 PM
Like I said; worse comes to worse, work the mines for two years and get your citizenship. They're begging for workers and will sign you up instantly.
AlexxaHex
11-18-2007, 09:11 PM
So is health care socialized?
miabella
11-18-2007, 10:37 PM
Like I said; worse comes to worse, work the mines for two years and get your citizenship. They're begging for workers and will sign you up instantly.
yeah, a woman working in a dangerous, male-dominated industry for two years to get australian citizenship-- totally reasonable course of action!
australia is a perfectly decent country, but it's not utopia, and there are plenty of other options for women finding dancing unpalatable than running to J Random Country for 'free healthcare' (except that rationing occurs with the various non-american socialised healthcare systems too, just in different fashion than in america's mix of socialised healthcare and private healthcare).
for example, despite having an array of preexisting conditions, all my medical needs (including dental and vision) are covered in full, with all medications and visits completely free (no copays needed) for under 1k a year. doctors will see me pretty much instantly and i never have to wait on any procedures, since it's all private providers.
this is of course via private health insurance, and with my preexisting conditions, i'd simply be rationed right out of most socialised healthcare.
http://www.healthreform.org.au/
that's an interesting link...
Lysondra
11-19-2007, 04:39 AM
yeah, a woman working in a dangerous, male-dominated industry for two years to get australian citizenship-- totally reasonable course of action!
.
I did say earlier they offer desk jobs and female-orientated business offers.
I also said I wasn't completely saying move to Australia - just move out of America,
LatinaRose
11-19-2007, 10:25 AM
I wouldn't ditch the USA just because dancer earnings are in a slump right now. You said MAC eyeshadows are 30 bucks a piece in AUS!!!! I love in Toronto right now and CAN'T WAIT to move back home. Remember, the grass is not always greener...
For the record, I just left Vegas and money was pretty damn good. So no worries here...
kitty260
11-19-2007, 10:53 AM
yeah, a woman working in a dangerous, male-dominated industry for two years to get australian citizenship-- totally reasonable course of action!
Actually, it's not so bad. I worked underground as a haulageway labourer for two years in a gold mine. I was one of five women among 400 men and wasn't treated any differently because of it. If anything, you get treated BETTER. Spoiled, in a sense. And the money is fucking FABULOUS.
Damn you Lysondra! Now I wanna move to Australia and work the mines again!
miabella
11-19-2007, 01:07 PM
well, one would have to hear from the other 4 ladies, or the overall majority of women directly working in the mines, rather than one isolated example of someone saying 'i personally didn't have any problems, therefore there are no problems'.
i mean, there's already a bunch of comments in this thread about how individual girls are doing fine and that since THEY still make money, anyone saying 'the club is slow' or 'money's harder to earn since i started' is just lazy or doesn't know the proper hustle techniques or whatever.
LatinaRose
11-19-2007, 04:38 PM
Lysondra, how much does it cost you if you wanna fly home for the holidays??
Lysondra
11-19-2007, 04:46 PM
Hehheh, for the most part my suggestions were tongue-in-cheek, but when people were taking it seriously - hey, I'm not NOT offering my bed to a bunch of hot strippers. Durrrr.
And MAC may be thirty bucks, but minimum wage is $18. ;)
Lysondra
11-19-2007, 04:46 PM
Lysondra, how much does it cost you if you wanna fly home for the holidays??
Whoops, missed this page.
It costs about a thousand dollars.
Lysondra
11-19-2007, 04:48 PM
well, one would have to hear from the other 4 ladies, or the overall majority of women directly working in the mines, rather than one isolated example of someone saying 'i personally didn't have any problems, therefore there are no problems'.
i mean, there's already a bunch of comments in this thread about how individual girls are doing fine and that since THEY still make money, anyone saying 'the club is slow' or 'money's harder to earn since i started' is just lazy or doesn't know the proper hustle techniques or whatever.
Or lordy, stop taking everything so seriously! It's the internet. My post isn't going to make people move to Australia unless they already wanted to.
All I was really trying to do was point out economy drops and compare them to an economy rise to show my idea of what was going on. People asked questions, it turned into a threadjack. (sorry!)
miabella
11-19-2007, 09:44 PM
^^^^^
uh-huh.
unless you want to suppose we're all AIs and not humans, at the end of the day we're all still people talking to each other, just not face to face all the time.
i cannot say whether that's 'serious' or not, but i always keep in mind there's faces behind the keyboards, and not just avatars in the net-ether.
helps preserve a healthy perspective on things and keeps one from getting too excitable and potentially misleading about the benefits of one's particular lifestyle choices.
i will get back to chillaxing before vacanza...
twisterinAZ
11-19-2007, 10:39 PM
MY money is down for sure. Big time. At this time 2 years ago, men were throwing money around and I almost always would walk with $700 and up. $1500 dollar nights were not unusual. Granted I worked a lot of hours,double shifts but still....
Now I am working my ass off and am thrilled to make $500 if that. VIPs are down and even the slammin hot porn star I work with has been bitching about money. She's agressive as hell and how do I say this nicely...she's um permissive. My point is shes a walking gold mine and if she's having trouble it's worrisome.
Thank God I have a couple good regulars. I wish I had more.
twisterinAZ
11-19-2007, 10:43 PM
Would like to point out that, due to inflation, making the same money now vs X number of years ago is NOT actually the same money. Your actual spending power is still lower now than it was X years ago due to inflation. Which means you're actually making less now, even though your raw numbers might look the same.
As for emigrating, many of yall know I've wanted to do so for a long time. I get sidetracked, make other plans, etc, but that is always in my head. However my true ideal is some little tropical place like Costa Rica, but I totally wouldn't mind checking out Australia.... ;D
I have been dying to check out Australia. Maybe a little stripping tour ?
StrayStripper
11-20-2007, 01:50 AM
My club has been so DEAD lately (atlanta). So dead that girls are quitting and my manager is limiting the number of girls that can work. This is so unlike my club.
Anyone else experiencing this? I heard clubs were slow everywhere for some reason....WHY?!
LC, did the po-po visit your club this weekend? There's an article in the newspaper about how they are cracking down on permits and "lewd" behavior. In Dekalb, they hit 22 clubs, both regular and strip. I don't know how many they got in Fulton. Way to scare off customers. Anyway they are calling it Operation Hammer Time.
So this Monday was my worst shift ever. Not many girls walked with over $30.
miabella
11-20-2007, 02:35 AM
the name of the operation is both funny ha-ha and funny sad.
slamming both nightlife in general plus stripclubs sounds like a recipe for disaster if they feel called to do it regularly the next few months.
it would be interesting to track the historical patterns of such 'compliance sweeps' for stripclubs specifically, if such data is available.
StrayStripper
11-20-2007, 11:15 AM
^^^
Again, this is why I travel light. I move when the money dries up.
i mean, there's already a bunch of comments in this thread about how individual girls are doing fine and that since THEY still make money, anyone saying 'the club is slow' or 'money's harder to earn since i started' is just lazy or doesn't know the proper hustle techniques or whatever.
I said it because we tend to talk about how shitty it is and how much shittier it will become. I've been reading SW since 2004 and it's the same "it's only going to get worse!" over and over again. Was it easier to find money in 1995? Maybe. I'm not accusing anyone of being lazy. Where you work has a lot to do with how much you earn. My money has been steady mainly because I am willing to move. And I don't stress out as much when business is slow because I know that I always can switch clubs, or if push comes to shove, leave the city. I realize that many women don't have this luxury.
I definitely not saying that factors like war, police raids, massive layoffs, etc. don't effect business, because they do. They effect all businesses.
LuckiCharm and I work in the same city. I think business is slower because of crappy local politics. We have to grind our teeth until the situation sorts out. And it will sort out.
kitty260
11-20-2007, 11:33 AM
well, one would have to hear from the other 4 ladies, or the overall majority of women directly working in the mines, rather than one isolated example of someone saying 'i personally didn't have any problems, therefore there are no problems'.
Actually, I knew all the other girls and no, there weren't problems. The only time you got hassled working the mines was if you were useless. That went for everyone, male or female, 'cuz you weren't getting respect if you weren't doing the work. It's just the same as the girls who rip apart the "lazy strippers" on here. If you can't hack it, you can't hack it. End of story. It doesn't matter what industry it is.
Anyways, slow clubs are a sign that the economy is taking a crap....again. It's happened before and it's going to happen again. It's doing the same thing up here. Remember the Alberta oil boom? When everyone and their dog went running up there to make their fortune? Yeah, that train has just about stopped too, but not before it jacked up the price of a Calgary starter home to $400 000 that nobody can afford to pay now. The point is that moving to another state/country/continent isn't going to solve your problems forever. You need another reason to jump ship besides a temporary dip in the economy.
Fabulous Disaster
11-20-2007, 11:50 AM
sigh. And now i KNOW i wont be able to sleep tonight past looking up visa requirements... Between my health problems and health insurance problems, and the worsening economy making it difficult ot get a normal job OR make a living dancing....
moving WOULD be a ginormo PITA though... my family would kill me if i moved to australia...
Moving is a huge pain, I am trying to find a place 650 miles away that will take my dog and my cat. I could always use a roommate! ;D
LuckiCharm
11-20-2007, 04:27 PM
StrayStripper- Yeah they did hit my club up!!! And they're supposedly coming back too. You're right about politics here too...That could be a big reason for slow business. I didn't think of that.
Well yesterday at the club (Monday), girls were being offered to go home early because it was so dead. Thank GOD my regs came in. Alot of girls have barely been making tip out lately. I'm literally living off of my regs right now.
StrayStripper
11-20-2007, 10:07 PM
^^^^
Did you see the new Pony photos in club chat? Argh. I think your club will not see much of a difference in business because guys go there for a more comfortable, laid back atmosphere. At The Cheetah, they expect wining and dining and I'm sure they are just as curious about PPS as I am. My club may take a hit. I would totally deal with the hit if it weren't for police visitations. Dammit.