View Full Version : For girls averaging less than $250-$300/night
Foxey
10-01-2005, 04:01 PM
I read on some website some guidelines that I agree with it. It said if you are working at a:
divey/out of town club: you should make around $150 a night, on average
middle of the road club: you should make around $200 a night, on average
upscale club: you should make at least $300 a night
I think these guidelines are realistic. I've only ever worked in middle of the road and divey/ out of town clubs but that's always been true for me. Right now I'm working in a divey club The Sportsman Inn in Providence RI and I'm averaging about $150 a night, 200 - 300 at least once a week and I'm happy with that because it's a shit hole. I know that the reason I'm stuck in that type of club is because I'm overweight for a dancer so I'm losing weight. I've lost 16 pounds so far and have another 19 to go to get into my healthy weight range. At that point I'm going to go audition at the better clubs in town and hopefully work my way up. Personally I know the only thing standing in my way is my weight, and I am changing that.
As I have always said what a dancer earns is dependent on a lot of variables. Just because a club is "upscale" doesn't mean the money is better there than a less than upscale place.
A Hole in the Wall or average looking club may be the only type of club in the area. In that case, some customers with fatter wallets will be in the mix of customers because there is not upscale competition.
What are the laws in an area and how stringently are they enforced. As the girls from Richmond VA said, their clubs are all stage and that town has strictly enforced no contact rules. Even if a club is luxurious looking, in that type of legal environment, the dancer income will most likely be under $150 a night, maybe less than $50 at times.
Is a club flooded with dancers. more than customers? If so, even in a high end club, girls may experience more $100 days than those over $250 because there is not enough business to go around.
I have worked in some clubs that are somewhat shabby in appearance and had more $100 to $200 spending customers than in the glitzy clubs where girls are tripping over each other to get to potential customers.
EVERYTHING needs to be weighed out when looking at money potential. I will tell you right now that if you give me ten girls who are 9's, friendly, and good hustlers, I can refer them to clubs that seem to be HIW's, where they can double what they make in the glitzy places with minimal hustling, simply because the guys in those areas are hungry for pretty new faces to spend their money on.
colleen
10-02-2005, 08:14 AM
I was jsut reading over this hread, and the one JadeLondon started about the suggestion box. She is in the same area I live in, in a club I would have given my eye teeth to get past the front door. I know her earnings potential is much higher in her club, but so is the BS level. Also, it is a nude clube WITH alcohol--I don't want to even imagine the problems a person could have in that enviornment!
I usually bring home between 150-300 for about 6-10 hours. I do my own thing, make my own money, pay out a flat show fee and a few small tips, and have a great time. I like most of my custies (mostly blue collar guys and middle mamagement, like me, so we get along well). We don't have any fees for anything. If you get caught behaving inappropriately, you get sent home. It's that simple.
I have amost NO stress in my club. Nobody is concerned about my nail color or whether my dresses reach a certain standard. Nobody cares how many dances I sell because I pay a flat fee. If I am late, there is usually somebody who is happy to pick up an extra half hour if it is busy; if it is not busy, nobody cares anyway.
I used to teach school at the per diam of $119/day, half of which was taken out for various fees, taxes, pension fund (which I will never see) etc. I had to pay for child care and all my own classroom supplies. It was also incredibly stressful, political, and frustrating. Thanks to the No Child Left Behind Act, Chicago Public Schools eliminated my position and offered me a substitute teaching position for $60 a day! After I paid for child care, there would be no reason to go to work!
Now I work while my child sleeps and my husband is my babysitter. I make more than I did teaching and with a hell of a lot less stress.
A bad day at the bar is STILL better than a good day teaching school, so I am happy with what I make.
High $$ potential is not the only thing in life that is important!
BigGreenMnM
10-02-2005, 08:29 AM
(quote)A bad day at the bar is STILL better than a good day teaching school, so I am happy with what I make. (/quote)
Man that statement freekin sucks,mostly because its so true imo!
Gynger
10-02-2005, 09:22 AM
It is true.
I mean, I will use myself as an example here. I retired for a reason. I am tired. My knees hurt, I have an old injury from a fall, its not that I can't do it, its just that I think my body just finally screamed at me and said, 'HEY!!! Remember me?? You need to take care of me!".. also my location... its not that I wouldn't go back, I would if I were in a different region geographically.
But, in terms of money... I have that paper.. I might as well kiss my earnings good bye for the next thirty years because unless I go to professional school, I will not be able to pay my loans off. Paralegals in my area begin somewhere at 23-25K, with a max earnings of 35k, our cost of living is comparable to Northern California, homes selling in the millions becuase we've become Californicated. (no offense but true). My grandparents just sold 30 acres of land for an ungodly amount of money to people who won't even build on it, they just bought it for an "Investment".
Anyways, to stop my rambling short, working 8-5, commuting, placing your kids in child care, and then add the stress, the deductions for insurance, penison etc.. I'm lucky to bring home a whopping $740 every two weeks... when I danced, I made this in two days.
At some point, one has to face reality and realize that you can't dance forever and live goes on.... you have to start from someplace.... its frustrating, its heart wrenching, but then you have the pros with the cons on either side... for me, its not about money, its about balance.. although lately, I wonder at times, if going back would be easier, making my own schedule, doing my own thing and not having to answer to someone else.
I have figured out that I don't do well with authority... at least not in the workplace. I like to do my work, keep to myself and go home... somehow, that's a problem where I am... I'm constantly being asked what my deal is, why I'm so anti social (not that I am, but I don't trust many in the workplace)... many a talks of me on one side of a desk and a suit on the other saying, "Your work is exceptional.. we just don't like you"....
So, to sum it up, take the good with the bad, and if you're happy be thankful. One day at a bad job sucks, one day at a good job rocks.
dedancer
10-02-2005, 10:15 AM
The way i do it is depending on what night of the week it is i make a goal for myself. But its never less then $250. That would only be for a monday. tuesday thru thursday its 400 to 500 hundred and friday and sat depending on the time of day i work it can be 500 to 1000. The club i work at is funny in start of the week. its alwayz dead as hell. But at the end of the week its so packed you can hardly get around.
erica131313
12-14-2005, 04:58 AM
jenny, i so agree with you. when i complained to my friends and boyfriend that i ONLY made $200 on a day shift they looked at me like i was crazy. it really got me thinking they have to work two weeks at a min. wage job doing a job that is a lot harder than mine to make that. one thing that sickens me about stripping is hearing the girls in the dressing room complaining that they only made $500 on a day shift. what the hell is wrong with these girls? don't get me wrong if a girl can make over $500 a day good for her but you should never be ungrateful for what you made. i remember one day i worked six hours and made a little over what my dad makes in one week at his hard job. it made me realize that i should never look down on the money i make in one day, because there are people in the real world that are busting their asses for months to make what we make in a three days. many of the girls at my club who bitch about only making $300 a day are the girls that will be dancing forever. they quit dancing and come back when they realize they can't live with out that money. they can never get a normal job because they got greedy and expect to find a job that will pay them like working at a strip club does. when they can't find that kind of job they come back. when ever i make over what a regular person makes in a day i very grateful because i know it won't last forever. stripping is hard but compare to what other people do in the world like working at factories, or manuel work or jobs that put your life in danger, it just can't compare. strippers should be grateful for that money they get even if it "ONLY" $300 for a six hour shift. go tell that lady at the factory with the five kid and working 40+hours and making min. wage that you only made $800 in one night. grow up, stop spending your money on stupid shit and getting into debt and stop bitching and be grateful, girls (im sorry i got mad but it really kills me) :'(
erica131313
12-14-2005, 05:26 AM
It's Me Again. I Started To Read The Rest Of The Replies About This Subject And It Really Made Me Sick. I Really Can't Believe How Greedy Some Of You Sound. How Can You Look Down On Others Who Make Less Than You At The Club When The World Looks Down On Us For Being Dancers? "i Won't Work At A Club For Less Than $600 A Night" Grow The Hell Up. I Bet If You Are Not Over Forty You Will Be Over Forty And Still Dancing Because You Can't Work At A Normal Job And No Real Man Wants To Marry A Snob Like You All. Don't You All See What Is Going One In The World? People Are Starving And Are Living On The Streets. How Can You Complain About $300? Some Strippers Live In A La La Land. It's A Job Not Your Life And Career. Well, I Guess I Would Be Mad To If I Did Extras In The Back And Only Left With $200. I Joined This Site To Talk About The Club And Dealing With Customers But After Reading All This Crap Forget It. Stripping Is Not Hard Labor, We Dance And Grind And Talk With Guys. How In The World Is That Hard. " Ow, I Walk Around In Clear Heels All Day And My Back, Knees And Joints Hurt Pity Me" Grow Up Maybe You Are To Old To Dance Anymore. You Guys Really Need To Take A Hard Look At Your Selves. You Guys Are Too Snobby For People That Grind On Laps All Day. You Should Really Hear Yourselves " I Only Leaving With $800 Dollars" God, I Hope That One Day You Snobs Have To Work Hard Jobs For Little Pay And Then Maybe You Will Shut The Hell Up. Thanks You Guys, You Really Made Me Feel A Lot Better About Myself And Fell Better About Quitting Stripping Today!!!
MeganS
12-14-2005, 07:00 AM
Holy crap-a-load! I didn't read too much of this thread, but Erica13.... you're no better than "so called snobby bitches" posting before you. Personally, I "love" the whole stereotype of a "so called normal job". Good for you that walking around in clear heels all day is a cake walk for you. Apparently you are one hell of a strong willed individual to deal with all of the emotional baggage stripping brings. Shit, I guess I also didn't realize the poverty and hunger around me because of my flippant, stripper ways! WTF!?!?!? Woman, take a deep breath, acknowledge the world around you, and stop being ridiculous! But I guess that's not a problem since you quit this sleazy, geedy, lifestyle. Enjoy the peace corps.
MeganS
12-14-2005, 07:19 AM
Also, in all honesty, the money is going to vary from region to region, state to state, county to county, town to town!!! I've made from 20 bucks a night, to a 1000! That's the single most stressful thing about being us; NOTHING is predictable. We just make do.
kitana
12-14-2005, 07:30 AM
" Ow, I Walk Around In Clear Heels All Day And My Back, Knees And Joints Hurt Pity Me" Grow Up Maybe You Are To Old To Dance Anymore.
This is the only part of your post I think is wrong.
I work with a 19yr old who is going to have knee surgery soon. Is she TOO OLD TO DANCE? I sure the fuck hope not since I am TEN years her senior!!!
Everyone gets hurt, everyone has a clumsy day, anyone can wake up and hurt from sleeping wrong, or overexerting themselves. Get the f**k over it already.
And what's with the caps for every word?
callista
12-14-2005, 12:05 PM
I agree with you to some extent, but it's a little hard when the economy has completely gone to shit, like it has in Detroit. I'm working at Flight Club, which is the top club in the area, and I'm definately fit, educated, trimmed, good costumes, and well groomed. The fact remains, though, different areas do better at times. Detroit is bad right now. Enough said.
skyy_blondie
12-14-2005, 12:39 PM
^^def agree about detroit....
Bridgette
12-14-2005, 12:46 PM
Erica hunny, with that attitude, YOU are the one who's wrong for this industry. For all the crap we put up with, including constant risk of injury (with no insurance to back us up), ever-increasing fees, extremely limited careerspan, social and public negativity, lack of marketable career history...and I could go on - we NEED to make as much as we can all the time. It's not greed hunny, it's more like hazard pay.
If you're so grateful for what you make and concerned about the difficulties other people have, why not donate your earnings to those poor suffering souls? I'll bet you don't do a thing to help them do you, with all that money you're so grateful for ::)
Don't come here on your high horse preaching and insulting us, and expect anything but a negative response. We can get all the preaching and insults we want elsewhere.
Jenny
12-14-2005, 01:18 PM
Yeah, I agree. Back in 2002 I posted that 300 a night was good. And it is. I am damn sure that it is more than the national average for dancers (in both Canada and the States). And I don't think that most dancers are spitting all over $300 a night. However - wanting the most that you can make doesn't make you greedy. Insisting on working in a club that maximizes your potential earnings is not greedy. Wanting to make more than minimum wage is not greedy. This is all just sensible. Incidentally, I think stripping is hard labour. I think it is low skilled, not easy.
littletassle
12-15-2005, 12:37 AM
I know I'm very new, but I think it's more on your instinct quickly figuring out what the guy likes and wants to hear. You have to quickly realize who he is what he likes and then become exactly what he likes. I made the mistake of having an "intelligent" conversation with one customer and revealed that I have a BA, ambitions, etc. and he all of a sudden got really turned off. Oops. I could tell he was there for fun and did not want to talk about anything related to anything serious and he got really turned off by the idea that I'm not some bimbo, lol. If I were to have pretended to be a bimbo I could have gotten more $$ out of him, boo. :P
I think a person can make whatever the fuck they want be it 100 a night or 1000 ..as long as they dont mind why should anyone else?
Not all clubs have that much earning potential.
and not everyone is so fucking greedy that they sob over not making more then 300.
kitana
12-15-2005, 02:50 PM
I think a person can make whatever the fuck they want be it 100 a night or 1000 ..as long as they dont mind why should anyone else?
Not all clubs have that much earning potential.
and not everyone is so fucking greedy that they sob over not making more then 300.
WOW, talk about hitting the nail right on the head.
I couldn't have said it better myself.
Helle
12-15-2005, 08:41 PM
I think a person can make whatever the fuck they want be it 100 a night or 1000 ..as long as they dont mind why should anyone else?
Not all clubs have that much earning potential.
and not everyone is so fucking greedy that they sob over not making more then 300.
!!
I love you.
And.... agreed.
Bridgette
12-15-2005, 10:20 PM
I think a person can make whatever the fuck they want be it 100 a night or 1000 ..as long as they dont mind why should anyone else?
Not all clubs have that much earning potential.
and not everyone is so fucking greedy that they sob over not making more then 300.
Missing the point. The point was that we "greedy" bitches have every right to want to maximize our earnings, just as much as the "lazy" bitches have every right to be content with low earnings.
I put those terms in quotes because to call a girl greedy for wanting to maximize earnings is erroneous, as much as it would be uncool to call the other girl lazy.
Furthermore, girls come on here all the time asking how they can make more money. The original point of this thread was to give them pointers! If you don't want to make more money, then just ignore it.
AudreyLeigh
12-17-2005, 04:05 PM
I read on some website some guidelines that I agree with it. It said if you are working at a:
divey/out of town club: you should make around $150 a night, on average
middle of the road club: you should make around $200 a night, on average
upscale club: you should make at least $300 a night
I think these guidelines are realistic. I've only ever worked in middle of the road and divey/ out of town clubs but that's always been true for me. Right now I'm working in a divey club The Sportsman Inn in Providence RI and I'm averaging about $150 a night, 200 - 300 at least once a week and I'm happy with that because it's a shit hole. I know that the reason I'm stuck in that type of club is because I'm overweight for a dancer so I'm losing weight. I've lost 16 pounds so far and have another 19 to go to get into my healthy weight range. At that point I'm going to go audition at the better clubs in town and hopefully work my way up. Personally I know the only thing standing in my way is my weight, and I am changing that.
Dont know how true this is... I tend to make more at little dive bars than at the more upscale clubs here... almost double. Now, I dont know if this is because the dives sell alcohol and the others dont... or because the nudes tend to have the prettier girls...more competition... I just know that I feel more comfortable at the nude clubs (go figure) but when I do work at the "dives" I make more...
Nephy
12-17-2005, 08:04 PM
I know the original post is old, but I just have to say..
6 months or less education to become a paralegal? uh huh.. Tell that to my 60 credits required to earn the degree. 6 months my foot!
Angel1112
12-18-2005, 08:17 AM
that's right and i agree with your post 100% !!!! ........as for me i have learned this many many years ago and applied it to my life/career/.... and thensome.. ;)
You know I found in "dive bars " but every one has a different term of dive bar..you can actually make a LOT of money. But ..and this is a strong BUT ... you have to be one of the girls that stick out...stick to the rules blah blah ( you know the lady all custys respect. )
Usually in dive bars you hve more extras... shittier mgmnt kinda thing. So it's more stress then anything else to stick around. I worked at one for ages because it was comfortable ...no schedule ... Only me and a few others made great earnings...but then the 'rumors " of the club ..made working then really bad.
Middle of the road is probably the best . Low house fees ( thank god! ) decent tip out ... and djs actually might play your sets always! lol. Lots of perks with this.
Im getting ready to go " upscale" at the VIP in chicago. And im worried. Gown club only..air dances ONLY. tip out is HUGE. :sigh: It worries me.
Truly ... at a dive I made no less then 600 ..but earning more then 1200 a night was a bitch since the VIP was just in shambles and not so private.
Middle of the road which is where I work now... avg night is back to 500-700 ( because of the nice vip .. nice girls... good waitresses. ) and location is everything! I mean everything.
I've topped my avg all week long ..how i dont know? Luck i assume. this is the worst time of the damn year.
Location wise: First club ..west side. use to be nice. now it's run down. Airport isnt what it use to be since ATA no long has a hub there. Factories being shut down. All we are left with is the "norms" ..regulars... who have their girls or see the club more as Cheers.
The club i'm at now. Only one downtown, all corp guys. very very few regulars. Which is sorta nice because you get great turnover. Most on corp charges... with groups. so its' a mass earning for lots of ladies.
i am nervous on earing in a large scale because it seems that making ..say 1200 a night as I do in this club lately ( learned the hustle there after 45 days finally. ) ... is going to NOT work at the VIP.
How do you guys do it at say Deja Vu ...Crazy horse... Cheetahs etc. Do you just tour there? or actually are house girls?
Just curious what the tips would be for earning or typical earnings in clubs as such.
:)
Susana
12-19-2005, 01:36 AM
Low skilled job? Try to keep yourself safe among dozen of drunk men for 8 hours while dressing just a G-string or a mini-mini skirt, or to avoid being fingered without permission while privately & smailingly lapdancing (or even biten while refusing to permit that), and performing four times a 3 songs show each night artisticly and energetically, and workout to be able to climb the pole, and stretch up to be able to do floorwork, and to makeup and hairdress yourself, and be always-always nice, and maintain your cute look even when obligated to drink-hustling, and make possible profits and earnings for club owners, cab drivers, waiters, mamys, security personnel and so on...!!!!!!!!!!!
No low skilled job at all, nor always well paid neither! I just made 430 for the past 2 nights in a new club that is attracting a lot of men, with all those supposedly flying christmas bonus around here... and you know that? I swear any and every cent I made!
And you know what else? I`m graduated, I`m a bellydancer, I`m fit, I`m pretty, I know about music, I really listen to the customers, I smile, I`m kind, but I just work in Mexico and have "just" a natural breast 34-C.
Bless,
Susana
This is just for me ... I dont intend for this to judge any other dancer or her earnings. Ilive in a small town n Ark. So ... earning potential is some of the lowest in the country. Ark has one of the lowest cost of livings in the U.S. And it is a small town. I averge between 2 and 3 a night. I dont htink all the girls at me club make this. A few make more ... a lot make less.
Lets all do this. I pay 550 a month for rent. In this area, I could live in a shit hole for 2or 3 a month or live in a nicer place for 7-9 a month. I live in a nice area in a nice 3b 2 bath house iwth a garage. i pay 550. ok ... with that being said, A pretty good night for me is 5-6. An awesome night is a grand. No matter where I live, If I can not make rent on a pretty good night, I will find some where else to work.
Living in Manhattan, If i were to pay 1500 for rent and averaged what I make here, I would move!! Either move to a different club, house or town.
I like to go out of town and so so often. Have been lots of places. If I am not averaging 5-6 or more out of town, to me it isnt worth the travel. I am not going to travel to make what I can make at my home club. I want to make better ... thats why I went out of town.
I know this depends on your living style, but your living style should match your earnings. Too me ... If I can not make rent in one night an a pretty good night, i dont wanna workd there. Rent should be made in two average nights .. for me ... two average night is around 5-6. rent is 550 ... I think I am doing well. Business has been bad and getting worse for a while, but honestly, I still aveage the same amount of money.
I keep track of how much I make every night on a calender. At the end of the month, I total it up, figure out how many nights I worked, then calculate my average.
In fact, I jut looked at my averages for Sep, OCt, Nov, for 2004 and 2005 ... and I actually averaged MORE money this year then last.
I feel like I am making less moeny this year though.
In my opinion, everyone should keep track of there earnings in a similar manner as I do, only because it helps keep things in perspective. A few weeks ago I felt like I was doing HORRIBLE. It was very discouraging, so I went to my calender and totaled up my weekly earnings. I compared them to lots of other weeks throughout the year. I was doing GOOD. I ahd a few REALLY bad nights, but my average and my weekly totals were on the high side. If all the other dancers tracked there money like I do, they may find that they make less or more then what they thought they did.
velour1141
12-19-2005, 04:48 PM
I dance at one of those clubs where $200 a night is awesome! Here's my problem... I've been dancing for 3 weeks and the most I've taken home in one night is around $120. Trust me, I am not even close to being satisfied with that. The average night after tip-out is around $80. I dance in TN which is sort of a screwed up state regarding strip-clubs. See, I dance in a club that is fairly small, but it is a clean and safe club. I would love to go work in Nashville (as it is the same drive time for me) but they just passed a bunch of laws that restrict the dancers (NO lap dances, 3-foot rule, dancers must register with the state). I figured with no lap dances the girls weren't making any money! So, I'm just stuck and I don't know what other option I have! Any suggestions? PS: I've been told many times at at my club that I should go somewhere else and work as the guys feel I have a look and personality that is more attractive than the other girls (not being conceited here)-as the other girls are what we call "white-trash" with some sort of drug addiction and at least 2 kids. Help!!!
paintgoddess
12-19-2005, 09:00 PM
Lady, we share a similar point of view.
I also keep track of my nightly earnings and then figure up what I earn in an average shift for the month. That's the only way I can know if I'm being consistent or earning more or less than my average. It also helps to know my average in the sense that it keeps me only competing with myself, and screw having to know if someone did better or worse than me. Its all about what YOU need, what YOUR financial obligations are, and how many nights YOU are willing to put in to meet your financial goals.
I also earn my rent in two average nights of work. It's a comfortable feeling for me to be able to do so, and a good gauge for me to evaluate if dancing is worth it or not to me.
pinupgurl2k6
05-17-2006, 04:48 PM
As long as I average more money a night than let's say a girl waiting tables at a 5 star restaurant I am happy.
The average where I live for a woman waiting tables is 5 dollars to 185 dollars a night, and if you think
of 250 to 300 dollars a night as being average money most people make that for a 40 hour a week job
that pays them around 9 dollars an hour. I agree you have to invest in yourself to make money, how many
of us have implants? I know I spent a pretty penny on my implants but they were sooo worth it.
I would rather make 250 to 300 a night then be trapped in a cubicle again anyday..
I guess what I am trying to say is when dancing it's normal to make over a grand a night
but sometimes it's good to remember the reality of what the rest of the world makes for
doing the job they do. (shrug)
Pinupgurl2k6
lildreamer316
05-17-2006, 09:23 PM
AARUGH! This thread is SO OLD. Please drop this already. The person who started it has been banned; to my knowledge; or was at least seriously called out. This does nothing but start discord. Let's let it die.
BTW;I STILL know how to hustle and am a decent looking girl. The crap that I have to put up with to make even $200 is ridiculous; with these damn young girls giving it all away for a dollar. So there.:O
(Sorry; not going to sleep with you for two couch dances. Fuck off)
miabella
05-17-2006, 09:58 PM
i kinda am glad this thread was revived, albeit by some spammer, heh. the fact is that even many of the girls on this site who are top earners are struggling more and more often to make 300+ per shift. there's a reason plenty of girls will tell a newbie not to travel if she is consistently taking home 300 a shift or more after tipouts. and that reason is that it's simply getting to be extraordinarily difficult to make lots of money without at least some (often 2-way) contact in most parts of the country.
JuliaPDX
05-18-2006, 08:06 PM
Do you know how many dancers in such areas with high concentration of clubs such as PDX make less than $300 per week doing four shifts? It would make you sick or sad. That's why I retired twice and have done almost everything I cannot to go back to dancing since I married. I'd rather live broke on his income and cut coupons to tell you the truth. However, I met a Vegas girl lately and that was something of a tease.
cinammonkisses
05-18-2006, 08:14 PM
Do you know how many dancers in such areas with high concentration of clubs such as PDX make less than $300 per week doing four shifts?
Hell, I'd get an office job if it were that bad. All that stress, frustration, and aggrevation..:-[
miabella
05-18-2006, 08:27 PM
300 per week?! omfg. that's just absurd. for me an abysmally shitty week is 800-1200 in 4 shifts, and that is pretty abnormal, honestly. if a dancer is making less than 500 in 4 shifts a week, there is honestly no point in bothering with dancing. and really she needs to be averaging 1k per 4 shifts minimum for it to really be worth it, to me.
colleen
05-19-2006, 02:52 AM
Whether any given dollar amount is good or bad is all a matter of perspective. If you are working 4, 4-hour shifts a week and bringing home $300, consider that a guy making about $9 an hour will make that much for 40 hours. (More or less. my math may be slightly off, but the point is still valid.) If you really only want or need to make $300 a week, that is a pretty good deal.
I myself make about as much in a night as my husband makes in a week. By some of your standards, that is still not a lot. For us, it is pretty damn good money!
Also, not everyone hates dancing as much as the last couple of posters seem to. I actually love it. I loved it when I was making $20 a night more than I made in a day of teaching school. Now that I make about 2-3 times that a night, I love it even more.
I really don't understand the arrogance that is coming through in this thread. Some of the posters seem to think that anybody who isn't making as much as they are (or at least as much as they think dancers should make) is in some way defective, or else just stupid. Do we really need to berate each other that way?
miabella
05-19-2006, 03:07 AM
believe me, i often feel pretty stupid because i'm not making 500+ in three or four hours on a shift like some SW members do. i guess to me if a girl only needs 300 a week, it's hard for me to see why she should have to do 16 hours of what stripping entails for it.
from my perspective, making 50 an hour stripping is not an unreasonable average to aim for, ideally 100+ per hour. once you drop below 30-40 an hour even, you're at a level where so many other jobs can make you the same money with (again, to me) significantly less stress. and i like being naked and being around men all night. so many girls hate even the getting naked part and feel they ought to have money just for taking (some of) their clothes off. so of course when i suggest earning levels, i'm acknowledging that most dancers simply don't love dancing enough to want to make only high-end clerical wages doing it. i guess i think of aggregate groups rather than random assorted individuals.
because there are plenty of SWers who work 4 times a month or less and are just BOGGLED that anyone would show up to work for less than 800 a shift. and then there are girls who make 100 a shift and just love dancing so much they are completely cool with that. the 1k a week over four shifts really sounds like a perfectly acceptable middle ground suggestion.
Torry
05-19-2006, 04:35 AM
I would say I am happy if I have about a 100 a day. I travel an hour to get there. Some days I make 250- 300, other days 100. As long as I make about 500-800 a week I'm pretty happy! But I don't have many bills since I live at home and I am dancing because I like it and it's fun and the money is great. I guess we are all dancing because it's quick money and we know that if we look good we can make money.
I do agree about the appearance. I remember just last night when the shift was changing from day to night, some girl asked how I did, I said very well and then I asked her and she said "oh terrible." But that is because she wears the same green thong, the same dress, doesn't trim her hair, needs a boob lift and is worn out and tired looking and gives customers sad stories all the time. And another girl who is overweight and talks non stop was complaining how she was walking out with 53 dollars. She runs customers off and should not be dancing, you're right she should look for another job. But other days she'll sell bottles of champagne, which I have yet to do... I may have hung out with VIP champagne people but have not sold one.
Torry
cherry_sin
05-19-2006, 06:03 AM
Here's the thing, as well - I only make around 600 a week, granted. (though a lot of weeks I do a lot better!) But I live in Tulsa, OK. I have all my bills paid in my first week and the rest is free money. The money is somewhat proportionate to the standard of living.
anomar
05-20-2006, 01:46 PM
I've been dancing for about a year and I still sometimes think it's really cool that people pay me money to get onstage and express myself artistically and physically. My rent is only $335 and I budget $500/mo for all of my fixed expenses.
The entire system of hustling and couch dances, where the majority of my money comes from, is certainly more of a job than stage shows are (which I genuinely enjoy). But considering that I JUST got out of college and it's unlikely I could make more than $12/hr doing anything else (and more likely around $9/hr), averaging $20-100/hr is far preferable. And those nights where I limp out, after tipouts, with $20? Those nights just remind me how much I harder I can always, always work.