View Full Version : Lap dances banned at my club -- good or bad?
Melonie
09-02-2006, 01:31 AM
And if the customer count drops significantly, the club loses its stellar reputation and the big spenders might migrate to the new hot spot strip club.
however, this is a non-linear function. For every one new 'rich' customer the club attracts, the customer is likely to spend $500+ ... meaning that a dancer will probably wind up with $300 and the club will wind up with $200. For every 'low budget' customer the club attracts, the customer is likely to spend $50 (or less), with the dancer probably winding up with $30 and the club winding up with $20. For every 'free show' customer, the dancer might get $10 in stage tips and the club might get $10 in door cover and drink profit. So you do the math ... how many 'low budget' customers can be lost to counteract the profitability of one 'rich' customer ? (answer, about 10 !) How many 'free show' customers can be lost to counteract the profitability of one 'rich' customer ? (answer, ALL OF THEM !)
Also I have no idea where the analysis comes from that by losing 'low budget' customers and/or 'free show' customers that a club's reputation will be harmed. If anything, having fewer 'low budget' and especially fewer ' free show' customers will make 'rich' customers worry less about what's happening to their Mercedes or Lexus in the club's parking lot, will eliminate 'rich' guys having to dodge spilled drinks or flying fists inside the club, and will eliminate 'rich' guys having to worry about the cops busting the club while they're in it !
Remember when Scores NYC thought it was untouchable
Yes ... up until the moment that Penthouse Executive Club invested $10 million dollars to 'steal' the 'richest' Manhattan customers by being even more upscale than the original Scores! Up until the moment that Scores decided to make up for lost 'quality' by increasing the 'quantity' i.e. opening up Scores West with a middle-class business model in the same block as a bunch of 'ordinary' clubs. Up until the moment that Scores 'richest' customers saw the publicity about the ridiculous customer credit card overcharges at Scores and Scores owners being investigated for tax evasion. Up until the moment that Scores started franchising its name to fairly ordinary clubs in other cities, firmly cementing the idea in the minds of non-New Yorkers that Scores in Manhattan is not much different than Scores in Chicago or any other city with a franchise club.
Scout
09-02-2006, 01:42 AM
^^^
We may have free show peepers but we don't have low budget custies. Our custies come in with at least $300 to drop, not enough for a VIP room but enough to keep themselves entertained and the dancers happy.
We have a valet service, which scares off anyone not willing to spend a few hundred.
Melonie
09-02-2006, 01:48 AM
We have a valet service, which scares off anyone not willing to spend a few hundred.
Let me get this straight ... your 'free show peepers' spend more on valet parking, cover charge and drink minimum than they do tipping the club's dancers ? Hey, at least you clubowner is smart enough to extract 'free show peeper' money before the dancers get a chance at them !
Bridgette
09-02-2006, 04:27 AM
^^^
We may have free show peepers but we don't have low budget custies. Our custies come in with at least $300 to drop, not enough for a VIP room but enough to keep themselves entertained and the dancers happy.And those custies will soon stop coming to your club, in favor of other clubs that will still allow them to get the entertainment they used to enjoy at your club. Because they don't have the budget for the now-mandatory VIP rooms. And all those girls they used to keep happy will either be stuck at your club fighting for the remaining high rollers, or they'll have to move along to the other clubs with those custies!
Scout
09-02-2006, 09:59 AM
Let me get this straight ... your 'free show peepers' spend more on valet parking, cover charge and drink minimum than they do tipping the club's dancers ? Hey, at least you clubowner is smart enough to extract 'free show peeper' money before the dancers get a chance at them !
Free show peepers are a weird lot. Occasionally, they will harrass me at the stage, waive a dollar in front of me, take it away, and say that they'll give it to me if I tell them my real name and give them my number.
Other free show peepers claim to be the dancers' "home base" if the girls are having a bad day. Of course, they are only looking for pussy. And the girls fall for it, thinking that they are "friends." LOL! One "home base" guy tried to rape me OTC. He was "friends" with most of the dumbass dancers at that particular club (not The Cheetah), and they stood by his side when I filed a police report.
Stupid bitches.
If there were a way to kick out free show peepers, fuck yeah, do it. They suck dancers' time, cut into club earnings, and take away from a real spender's experience.
Scout
09-02-2006, 10:08 AM
And those custies will soon stop coming to your club, in favor of other clubs that will still allow them to get the entertainment they used to enjoy at your club. Because they don't have the budget for the now-mandatory VIP rooms. And all those girls they used to keep happy will either be stuck at your club fighting for the remaining high rollers, or they'll have to move along to the other clubs with those custies!
Bridgette, I think we are doing more than preaching to the choir. We are singing the chorus!
One immediate result of this change is that couples are not having fun anymore. When a fun man and a fun woman come in, they are NOT doing VIPs. They want dances from lots of girls. (If the woman likes you, you get tipped big time.) Now that the women can't get sensual table side dances, what's there to do for her? She doesn't want to watch a table top dance where all she can see is my pussy. She has a pussy of her own. And if she ever wanted to see pussy, she can simply angle a mirror and look at herself.
I'm really depressed, y'all. I love The Cheetah to death. High class, great customers, no punks, and low fees. The minimum nightly tip out is $32. I tip $90, just cause. Sometimes more if someone helps me out. I don't think I've ever forked over $200.
Although I've never stepped foot in PEC, I consider The Cheetah the best in the country. I can not write enough good things about it. But if my money goes down, I'm going to cry my eyes out as I look for a new club.
Melonie
09-02-2006, 10:18 AM
Bottom line is that my gut is telling me that, with the trends already in motion in the US economy, if the Cheetah can successfully make the transition to a super-upscale club that this will be one of the few clubs in Atlanta where dancers will be able to earn REAL money a year from now - i.e. your 'real spender's experience'. When this happens, and when Atlanta dancers realise that it has happened, every girl in Atlanta will be trying to get hired at the Cheetah. Like the super-upscale clubs in Manhattan, this will put the clubowners in a position of being able to pick and choose maybe one dancer out of every 10 or 20 that will want to work there.
There is always some element of 'employee loyalty' that comes into play in such situations, meaning that if a particular dancer decided to ride out the transition (and perhaps lose some money in the process vs jumping ship for a different club) that she will definitely have a leg up on the competition a year down the road i.e. girls who now work at other clubs trying to make the move to the Cheetah - and two legs up on any girls who left Cheetahs during the transition and then try to get rehired a year from now when Cheetahs could be the only Atlanta club left with huge earnings potential.
Of course, loyalty only goes so far, and clubowner's memories can be self serving, so if I were in your situation I'd be asking myself the question as to how I 'measure up' against the top 10% of dancers in every club in Atlanta. If all of this does come to pass, and if Cheetah winds up being the only club that is thriving on 'rich' customer spending a year from now, it's extremely probable that all of those top 10% dancers are going to be looking for work at the Cheetah. If you've got the 'goods' to hold your own in that sort of environment, then staying with Cheetahs through the transition makes a lot of sense.
But if a totally objective 3rd party viewpoint shows that, when the top 10% of girls from other Atlanta clubs start knocking on Cheetah's front door a year from now, you're going to be outclassed in terms of appearance or personality, then you might as well start making different plans right now. By leaving Cheetahs now you would avoid taking the financial 'lumps' of the transition period, only to be fired next year for some reason or another as a steady stream of top 10% dancers from other Atlanta clubs line up at Cheetah's front door trying to take your place. There are plenty of examples regarding Penthouse Exec Club, where the club was 'grateful' for dancers who were willing to take some financial lumps while the club was first getting started, but the club didn't hesitate to 'give them the boot' when the club became well established and a steady stream of the area's 'hottest' dancers from clubs all over NY/NJ started lining up at PEC's front door hoping to cash in on the club's 'rich' customer base.
As somebody who has been at both the Cheetah and PEC, let me put it this way ...if you took the top 1/3rd of current Cheetah customers, cloned them, booted out the bottom 2/3 of Cheetah's cheap-ass conventioners and locals, and then tacked on the top 5% of 'rich' customers that presently go to other Atlanta clubs coming to the Cheetah instead, that's what the typical clientele at PEC is like - and what Cheetah's owners are hoping their clientele will look like a year from now.
doc-catfish
09-02-2006, 10:27 AM
If there were a way to kick out free show peepers, fuck yeah, do it. They suck dancers' time, cut into club earnings, and take away from a real spender's experience.
I'll agree you on sucking dancers' time, and perhaps on taking away from a real spenders experience, but unless the seats that they're occupying would otherwise be filled with a higher spending customer (and during busy times, that could be the case) the peepers aren't really cutting into the clubs earnings. In the clubs eyes, if he pays the door cover, and fulfills (or better yet exceeds) the drink minimum, he's a paying customer. The cheap customer isn't desirable to them, but he's still better than an empty seat.
Let me get this straight ... your 'free show peepers' spend more on valet parking, cover charge and drink minimum than they do tipping the club's dancers ? Hey, at least you clubowner is smart enough to extract 'free show peeper' money before the dancers get a chance at them !
Which exemplifies my earlier point. Clubs letting those small fry in is okay when what they spend their comparitively meager tiprolls on stuff that goes largely if not completely into the clubs coffers. If a peeper came to admire the eye candy, but can't get a lap dance anymore, he might as well buy another round of beers, right?
:beer:
Melonie
09-02-2006, 10:32 AM
the peepers aren't really cutting into the clubs earnings. In the clubs eyes, if he pays the door cover, and fulfills (or better yet exceeds) the drink minimum, he's a paying customer. The cheap customer isn't desirable to them, but he's still better than an empty seat.
As my financial analysis already showed, this is NOT the case. Losing 10 'peepers', but gaining 1 additional 'rich' customer, and then having 9 empty seats actually results in more revenue for the club and for the dancers ! A single 'rich' guy dropping $500 on VIP puts say $300 in a dancer's pocket and $200 in the club's pocket, not counting dancer tips or cover charges or bar profits. Ten 'peepers' put maybe $20 each in the club's pocket from cover charge and beer profit, and put maybe another $30 in dancers' pockets via tips and the occasional table dance - but generate zero VIP revenue.
The point that has to kept in mind is that a super-upscale club isn't just about the club's building or the 'hotness' and 'classiness' of dancers working in the club - it's also about the other customers that 'rich' customers have to rub shoulders with, the 'risk factors' that 'rich' customers have to worry about, the 'mood' of the club etc. Allowing 'peepers' to fill up the empty seats is likely to drive some 'rich' customers away.
Scout
09-02-2006, 10:33 AM
^^^
You are totally right.
I will not burn bridges with this club.
I believe with all my heart that the owners and managers take great pride in the club. They are always looking for ways to make the club more awesome. To their credit, most of the changes that have been made in the past year have been for the better -- for the customers, the daners, the club, the staff, the hosts, etc. And many changes there were. It is only this one change, the anti-floor dance ordinance, with which I disagree.
I've got it good at The Cheetah. The environment rocks and the earnings potential is outta of this world.
I'm sticking it out. I'm a trooper.
Well, ask me again in a few months. LOL.
Scout
09-02-2006, 10:45 AM
I'll agree you on sucking dancers' time, and perhaps on taking away from a real spenders experience, but unless the seats that they're occupying would otherwise be filled with a higher spending customer (and during busy times, that could be the case) the peepers aren't really cutting into the clubs earnings. In the clubs eyes, if he pays the door cover, and fulfills (or better yet exceeds) the drink minimum, he's a paying customer. The cheap customer isn't desirable to them, but he's still better than an empty seat.
I prefer the empty seat.
Here's why:
Moron dancers will sit with these losers and ignore the customers who are itching to spend a few stacks. The big spenders get rooms, buy expensive liquor, eat at our 5-star restaurant, pay with credit cards (those lovely service fees!), and tell their big spender friends what a great time they have at The Cheetah.
I remember last week one table was ignored. My friend said hey to them, and they went immediately to the most posh room we have. She grabbed me of course. In all, they spent $5,000+ that night and had such a great time that they came back the next night with more friends and spent $6,000+. Imagine how much the club made off that one group.
Melonie
09-02-2006, 10:59 AM
^^^ best of luck. You're last comment clearly shows that you've got the 'goods' to understand how a super-upscale club's cash flow actually will work !
I will throw in a parting comment, however. Based on PEC's experiences, if in fact a year from now Cheetah does manage to become the one and only super-upscale club in Atlanta, competition among dancers is going to be like nothing Atlanta has ever seen before. The 'hottest' girls from every club in Atlanta are going to be lining up trying to get hired at the Cheetah, and girls already working at the Cheetah are going to have to worry that they could very easily be 'replaced' by a new girl who is more beautiful, or 'hotter', or 'more socially upscale' thus offering greater appeal to a 'richer', 'more socially upscale' customer base.
Some of the current Cheetah dancers, like some of the early PEC dancers, are going to be taken by surprise next year when they find that being 10 pounds overweight, or having droopy boobs, or a lack of 'socially upscale' manners and vocabulary (which is perfectly acceptable to club management at the moment) is suddenly going to get them a one way ticket out the club's back door when a steady stream of top notch dancers from all over the Atlanta area start knocking on the club's front door.
I'd recommend that if you're prepared to make a long-term commitment to working at the Cheetah as a super-upscale club, that during the club's transition period you might make use of the opportunity to make yourself as competitive as possible ... workouts, cosmetic surgery, polishing up your upscale social skills etc. Doing this certainly couldn't hurt your earnings potential in any case, but it could make sure that you don't wind up on next year's clubowner's list of existing dancers who should be 'cut' from the roster once a steady stream of 'talented new players' suddenly becomes available for hiring.
Scout
09-02-2006, 11:51 AM
I'd recommend that if you're prepared to make a long-term commitment to working at the Cheetah as a super-upscale club, that during the club's transition period you might make use of the opportunity to make yourself as competitive as possible ... workouts, cosmetic surgery, polishing up your upscale social skills etc. Doing this certainly couldn't hurt your earnings potential in any case, but it could make sure that you don't wind up on next year's clubowner's list of existing dancers who should be 'cut' from the roster once a steady stream of 'talented new players' suddenly becomes available for hiring.
We are definitely on the same page.
Melonie
09-02-2006, 11:55 AM
^^^ it sounds like you've got all the ingredients necessary to bank big time in the upscale end of the business ! If you save and invest smartly, you'll be able to comfortably retire 10 years from now (like I just did LOL !)
atlcheet01
09-02-2006, 06:50 PM
Scout, I am at the same club. So far, I haven't noticed a difference either way as far as money goes. I mean, of course money has gotten a little better since the summer is ending now (thank God!) but as far as the dances out on the main floor go....I've done ab the same number. Most of my VIPs have been either from the dining area or from people pulling me off-stage. Eh....guess it'll take longer than 1 month to figure this out.
Scout
09-03-2006, 12:00 PM
^^^^
YAY! Another Atlanta dancer!
It's good to know that you are doing fine with the change.
I have to adjust my hustle. If I was not doing VIPs or hunting for one, I targeted groups of men and worked the table. I usually got 1-2 from each. If there are 5+ men, $$$$$$$ because they tipped nicely. Now when I approach them, I do 1-2 dances on the table and that's it. Not so much $.
I still need to figure out what to do with couples. If I have them sit in the mezz or den (VIP areas that overlook the main floor, $25 extra cover, up close and personal dances allowed), they are more ignored than they would be on the main floor.
I actually had a woman come to my stage, show me her money, and say something like, "This is what I want to spend tonight. Why are you girls ignoring me? Don't you want it?"
I'd really like to think of something for the club to be more couples-friendly with the new table top rule.
atlcheet01
09-03-2006, 01:17 PM
Yeah, I know what you mean ab the female customers. Sometimes they've said to me, "You know, I didn't think I was going to be able to get anyone over here....." b/c they're female. Sometimes I try to explain to them that I simply don't approach a table with a woman first bc I don't want the rejection or uncomfortable tension. I've found that if they first approach me (i.e. tip me onstage and tell me to come on over) Or if the woman is older than, say, 30 or 35 then it all works out great! It's the younger 20 somethings that seem to give the most attitude and seem to think we really want their boyfriend....you know the looks when we're onstage and they have their arms crossed over their chests w/ a scowl-not very friendly! Lol! But anyway, on a second note, I've found that the tabletops dances work best with groups of guys and that if you just keep your energy up (for example, "Whoooooo! This is fun!!!!!" when you're really thinking to yourself "Oh shit, I just almost fell...") then they usually want you to stay up there for a bit. It never hurts when your dancing up there with other girls either-the more the merrier! ;)
Bridgette
09-03-2006, 02:15 PM
Looks like it's all pretty much been said in this thread. I must admit I'm a little jealous of you ladies currently working there, because I would loooove the chance to try out a vip-only club. I was quite good at getting vips when I worked in clubs that had them...
But alas, I am stuck in the armpit of the US for strip clubs :(
Good luck to you ladies working there - I agree that yall should do whatever you can to make yourselves as upscale-marketable as possible and polish those selling skills. You could stand to really make some serious money over the next few years as a result.
leogirl876
09-03-2006, 02:53 PM
Scout, I am at the same club. So far, I haven't noticed a difference either way as far as money goes. I mean, of course money has gotten a little better since the summer is ending now (thank God!) but as far as the dances out on the main floor go....I've done ab the same number. Most of my VIPs have been either from the dining area or from people pulling me off-stage. Eh....guess it'll take longer than 1 month to figure this out.
I've seen it harder to make money the past 2 weeks! Over the summer, for the most part, I did really well! I work 3 days, and I'd always have 1 really good night, and 2 medium nights and every now and then 1 bad night. I don't know if the change I"m seeing is because it's back to school time or if it's the table dance rule. But I have noticed a lot of bored looking customers sitting out on the main floor. Not watching the stage, just this blank, bored look on their face. And especially couples. On Friday night, I went up and approached every single couple on the main floor, talked to them, asked them if they were having a great time, asked if they'd like me to join them and I got the "We're doing fine right now". So it amazes me that couples are saying they're not getting girls approaching them!!!! Then a couple hours later I saw the exact same couples looking unhappy and bored out there, not smiling, not having a good time, just looking out into space with an unhappy look. What do they expect us to do? Force them? It's so funny, sometimes I think customers expect us to be mindreaders. Some get mad for not approaching and then some get mad for approaching. Sometimes we can't win! Maybe it's just this past weekend which was really really weird!
Scout
09-03-2006, 08:15 PM
Looks like it's all pretty much been said in this thread. I must admit I'm a little jealous of you ladies currently working there, because I would loooove the chance to try out a vip-only club. I was quite good at getting vips when I worked in clubs that had them...
But alas, I am stuck in the armpit of the US for strip clubs :(
Then come on over! We'd love to have you.
Bridgette
09-29-2006, 03:51 AM
That's about what I was thinking would happen. Of course, the girls who remain and can sell the vip will be better off. But when alot of customers get up and leave it's hard to keep enough money flowing to support many girls. I reckon it's still possible that after the initial shock things could level out and be cool. Unless you're simply not making money anymore, it might be worth it to give it a bit more time...if you can make your vip-selling skills top-notch, you could really bank there with vip-only.
Melonie
09-29-2006, 04:02 AM
^^^ well, that is the 'calculated risk' that the clubowners are taking (as well as the dancers who decide to persevere through the transition period) by 'pricing out' average blue collar customers in the hopes of retaining upscale rich customers, enhancing the club's reputation as being THE upscale club in the city, and hopefully attracting even more upscale rich customers away from other clubs. Basically, PEC in Manhattan has proved that this concept can be viable. However, the transition period can be a bitch. This is particularly true if you happen to be one of the dancers whose major appeal was towards blue collar customers (who are now leaving), and who isn't being selected very often by the upscale rich customers who are staying (or new upscale rich customers who are starting to come in). These sort of customers tend to have very particular 'tastes'.
leogirl876
09-29-2006, 09:24 AM
All of you Veteran Dancers, IYO, could this come out on the good side or do you think it's a matter of time before the club is doomed? I've been sick all week so I've been unable to work but apparently, it's gone from bad to horrible with girls taking home $45 per night, this comes from a girl that always banks, even when everyone does horrible, she always manages to find the spender and get every penny out of him. I'm very concerned right now because if she isn't banking, then what is that saying about the club right now? Apparently about 100 dancers just left the club and went to another club that's pretty much "next in line" and now they're not taking anymore dancers because their roster is full.
Melonie, in your experience when PEC went through the transition period, how long did that transition period last? Hell, nobody can afford to do this forever! I sure as hell won't take my clothes off for $45 per night! I'll go babysit first!
Melonie
09-29-2006, 02:08 PM
well, PEC was a bit of a different situation for two reasons. #1 there was already a Manhattan club, the original Scores, that had established the concept of an upscale show club that catered to the rich and famous - and up until now at least, Atlanta has never really had an 'exclusively' upscale club. Thus you're guess is as good as mine as to whether Cheetah is going to be effective in establishing a club that will become the 'haven' for rich and famous Atlanta customers, how many such customers they'll be able to attract, and how long it will take to attract them.
#2 when PEC first opened, in order to fill the roster, they were more or less forced to hire some girls who really didn't "measure up" to top shelf standards. At the same time, when PEC first opened up, they got a lot of 'average' customers who just came in to see what all of the media hype was about ... but these curiosity customers quickly discovered that they were priced out of being repeat customers ! As the rich and famous customers did start to come in, they gravitated toward the few top shelf girls who seemed to meet their 'very particular' requirements, leaving many of the other girls with lower and lower earnings potential as the curiosity customer percentage dropped. With PEC, the head count of rich and famous customers rose rapidly once word of mouth got around. This attracted more top shelf girls from other clubs to work at PEC ... and when this happened the remaining original dancers who weren't cutting it with the rich and famous customers were 'priced out' of staying at the club when the club raised nightly stage fees to the point where these girls actually stood a chance of leaving the club with less money than they were required to pay to work there.
If Cheetah is successful at pulling off this transition, it will result in whatever small percentage of big spending customers who are currently patronizing other Atlanta clubs to migrate to Cheetah. This is likely to cut the earnings potential for 'top shelf' girls working at other Atlanta clubs (as happened in Manhattan with Scores girls) and provide an incentive for them to move to Cheetah along with their former customers. At that point, any Cheetah girls who are not 'top shelf' are likely to be driven out of Cheetah in order to make room for the 'top shelf' girls from other clubs (as happened in Manhattan to some original PEC girls). And at that point, Cheetah would have virtually all of the big spending customers, plus virtually all of the 'top shelf' dancers, plus no openings for any dancers who are less than top shelf, plus no need to hire back dancers that quit when they come back looking for work because the earnings potential in other Atlanta clubs has dropped noticeably (by Cheetah attracting virtually all of the big spending customers). However, getting to that point may take 6-12 months.
I would also add that the skills and personal 'package' necessary to extract maximum money from 'average Joe' customers is not necessarily what upscale white collar / rich customers are looking for. Thus just because a girl is able to bank with blue collar and mid-level white collar customers does NOT mean that she's automatically going to be successful doing the same thing with upscale customers.
From what I remember about Cheetah and of Atlanta clubs in general. the only club that ever really catered to upscale rich and famous customers was Gold Club (before the Big Bust) - and then it was not the ONLY customer base that the Gold Club played to. Cheetah typically catered to mid-level conventioneers with a couple of hundred dollars to spend. Obviously, with the new setup, Cheetah has chosen to price out their former 'bread and butter' mid-level customers that most dancers depended on, in favor of trying to attract more upscale customers who will buy dinner, champagne, and bring 2 or 3 girls over to his table. Whether they can actually pull this off or not in the city of Atlanta remains to be seen.
My own personal theory is that, like nuclear physics or the stock market, there is a necessity of building a sufficiently large 'critical mass' in order to make a big change happen. If Cheetah can reach such a 'critical mass' then their financial future could be very bright. On the other hand, if they fail to achieve 'critical mass', then the future might be gloomy indeed.
~
Scout
10-14-2006, 01:46 AM
No surprise here. I moved to a new club.
The thing is I LOVE The Cheetah. It's beautiful. I had awesome customers. The money was excellent. I was fairly adept at selling VIPs. Even with the lap dance ban, I made money. Still, my average fell because I relied on $100-$300 on single floor dances before I headed to the VIP and picked up 2-4 hours. Take away my floor dances and ...
... my average fell about $150. I worked 4 days/week so the hit was about $600/week. I made more in the summer. That is not right.
Many girls only did dances, no VIPs, by choice. Banning the lap dance stole their source of income.
And now, the competition and desparation to sell a VIP is down right nasty. The girls, who all got along a few months ago, resent those who make money and feel superior to those who don't.
To have a $200 night, you must sell one VIP. If you do not sell a VIP, you go home with less than $100. It's not worth it.
FYI, The Cheetah runs 60-80 girls per night. Even on Mondays. It's fucking nuts. How can all of us sell VIPs?
I couldn't handle the stress. I was taking Xanax after Xanax, wondering if could go through the motions and get lucky. My good friend was smoking too much pot just to deal with it. This is not the way we wanted to live.
Do the customers like table top dances? Hell no.
When the floor dances return and 80% of the girls don't go home broke, I will return.
******
Just for my own sanity, this will be my last post for a long while.
Bridgette
10-14-2006, 03:29 AM
Sorry babe. I hope it works better for you at the new club. You will adapt ;)
Scout
10-25-2006, 11:46 AM
I delete, I repost, and I don't know if putting this info out there will be to my detriment. But here we go. I wrote this last week:
I have something to say before abandoning this topic forever.
Bridgette, you were right. Deep down, I knew it too. I couldn't admit it because it was my club. I think the club is making more money at our expense. Here's how:
1. Customers generally know whether they want a VIP before they come in, especially when they are in groups. For those who want rooms, they no longer have a reason to linger around the main floor and are hustled to the back at alarming speeds. This makes for a faster turnover of rooms and hence, more rooms sold for that day.
2. The dancers who aren't lucky enough or are not good enough friends with the waitresses to get a crack at the VIP prospects become downtrodden and drink all night. Again, more money for the bar. I'm not sure this was an intended effect, but hey, if I notice it ....
3. The club has no bouncers. We have floormen who, along with the 2 housemoms, run the entertainers. They are all super busy and they honestly don't have time to supervise the dances. I doubt they have time to pee. The girls are excellent at policing themselves. I've never seen a "dirty" dance on the main floor, but I guess to ensure that all dances were no contact, the management decided to put them on top of the tables. I rather would have paid an extra $5 tipout to a 6'9" 400 lb man with excessive facial hair to walk around the club and give the customers shit for trying anything. $5 x 60 dancers = $300 minimum pay for the scary dude. I doubt there would be a shortage of applicants.
4. If a customer wants a regular floor dance, he must pay an extra $25 to the club to go to the regular floor dance area. The dancers only get $10 for each dance. Still, no contact or if there is, it's light one-way, no grinding or boobs. And by being in the regular floor dance area, she is missing out VIP prospects by sticking with a guy in a semi-secluded area who clearly only wants $10 dances.
5. Why is the VIP $250/hour at a mega upscale club? It should be at least $400/hour to the dancer. For a room, the dancer gets paid $250/hour and the club charges $200/hour for use of the room. The customer pays about $450/hour total. A dancer only gets about 56% of the money for selling a room.
6. Breast touching is rampant if not encouraged by the girls, and the floormen don't seem to notice. I heard a dancer tell her trainee that breast touching is okay with her because she has implants and doesn't feel it.
I could be wrong about all this as I am no expert. I'm just a dumb ass stripper.
Favorites being played is more obvious. I know that they have always existed. It's just that before, I was too busy to care, even if I wasn't in the VIP. When I was continuously doing dances, I was a happy girl.
When certain waitresses figure out that a table of guys has decided to go VIP, they pimp out their girls. These girls generally sit at the bar until a waitress gets them. I have no idea how the arrangement works. I just know that my tips aren't high enough or I'm not pretty.
One on occasion, a group of men asked me to join them in a room. 2 of them fought over who I was to be with. It was darling. I was flattered. While in the room, one of the dancers informed me that it was in my best interest to tip the waitress $50 for not giving me the boot. Can I get a WTF?
Another occasion, I found a table of 2 who pretty much said, "VIP now." I had to find another dancer and asked the waitress for one that I knew she and I could agree upon (ie one of her friends). Lo and behold, she brought out 2. The dancer that I had requested told me that the intention was to butt me out, but she said she couldn't do that to me and she convinced the 2 guys to take 3 girls, including me.
This one time, at strip camp, a waitress came to my table of 2 guys, 2 girls and told my customer that ABC dancer was waiting for him in the VIP.
No, there is no way to get in good with the waitresses. It takes more than money to talk to them.
So this bullshit is fine when the club is busy and everyone is making money. It's slower now (mind you, it's October, not July, October) and I've had lots of time to watch this shit happen and become a bitter girl.
My earnings are/were still pretty high. However, the $150/night pay cut amounts to a $30,000/year loss. Less earnings, more stress, can't do it.
I'm reallly upset. The Cheetah had been the best club I ever had the pleasure of working. I consider it one of the best in country and now I have to go somewhere else. I hope that I don't burn my bridges by making this post. When the floor dances are brought back, I will be knocking at their door.
What's funny is that the very afternoon I decided to leave, I received emails from 2 of my regular clients informing me that they will be in town. I am comforted that they are willing to follow me to a new club. I really am. My work means something to them. I am appreciated and it feels so fucking awesome.
Twin Tattoo
04-30-2007, 12:24 AM
Very interesting thread. Can anyone give an update on the Atlanta club scene?
Chrissy68
04-30-2007, 01:11 AM
im so glad i found this thread...
today at a dancer meeting, CH2 decided to ban the lap dance on the floor. 20/table dance aka low contact lap dance. no grinding, feet on floor at all times (at least one if not both), no head btwn the legs simulating sex. i think it will be a good thing as it urges customers to use the 3songs for 100 vip which is fairly affordable. i think that this will send the awful girls elsewhere and make us more upscale. i think it will be better off. but after reading what scout wrote, i begin to wonder about whether things will get way too cutthroat. we shall see!
Bridgette
04-30-2007, 01:43 AM
::) Dood. Just go do your own research. It's your JOB after all. -- ETA, talking to Twin Tattoo (who apparently has decided to use SW/SCJ as his own personal intern) here.
Chrissy, are you saying they won't allow ANY $20 dances anymore?? Because that may just make the place even slower. Fewer customers isn't good. And then there's the whole cutthroat issue.
If they're just wanting to lower the mileage on the floor, that's good. Still a teaser available, but more incentive to buy the more expensive dances.
Twin Tattoo
04-30-2007, 06:49 AM
"Dood"ette (a.k.a. Bridgette), I'm not currently in Atlanta, it isn't my job yet (just a strong possibility), and I am seeking others' input.
liberator
04-30-2007, 06:36 PM
This sounds like the Cheetah which is an upscale club that tries to operate in a way not to attract vice cops.
Bridgette
04-30-2007, 07:57 PM
"Dood"ette (a.k.a. Bridgette), I'm not currently in Atlanta, it isn't my job yet (just a strong possibility), and I am seeking others' input.Then just chill with the questions already. It's gotten annoying and I am NOT the only one.
MonicaF
04-30-2007, 08:10 PM
Just my opinion, but I feel your management is right on this decision. Exotic dancing has the potential to come back full circle to being an actual "show" and form of "sexually charged entertainment" rather than being just one step away from prostitution.
I'm a firm supporter of the "look but don't touch" policy. Especially being down here in South East florida I'm sick and tired of hookers who masquerade as "dancers". There needs to be a clearer line between a show girl/exotic dancer and a prostitute.
Monica