How normal is it for a manager to tell you when you can leave?
New to dancing and I see girls tired, hungry and just sitting there wishing they can go home. They tell me "they wont let me leave yet" even though it was 3:30 am, club closes at 4:00 and there was 2 guys left. Is this normal? Then asking for atleast 7 hour shifts twice a week? Like I am dancing cause I want the flexibility and not a traditional job but if its this strict might as well get a traditional job.
Re: How normal is it for a manager to tell you when you can leave?
Some managers have supposedly iron-clad "no leaving early" policies so they can get you to tip them to leave early. And just because they ask for two seven hour shifts weekly doesn't mean you have to do them. Basically every club has a disparity between its stated rules and its enforced rules, so it could be beneficial to stick around and see how things really work there.
Re: How normal is it for a manager to tell you when you can leave?
It depends on your contract. In NOLA, mine said 6 hr shift minimum. In Las Vegas, it's 5 hr minimum at one club, and 4 at the other.
Re: How normal is it for a manager to tell you when you can leave?
Yeah some have a "minimum" amount of hours but usually you just have to make the time up or pay more. I started at a pretty upscale club and did more than 8 hours and had the manager literally tell me I had to stay another hour/hour and a half because after a certain time he didn't want the girls to leave until the end. I obeyed the first time but the second (and last) time they ran up to stop me from walking out and I just laughed and went to my car.
I can't stand anyone telling me what to do. I would never obey a rule like that. When I want to go, I go. When I want a break, I take one. I'm too spoiled by my home club I guess.
Re: How normal is it for a manager to tell you when you can leave?
It's not really that uncommon. Some clubs may want a certain number of girls on the floor at all times. I've also seen/heard of scenarios where management is concerned about possible prostitution OTC if a girl shows up for a short amount of time then leaves.
A few years ago I was working in a mid tier, fairly large club during day shift. Two girls who were friends came
in together, talked to two guys for about 20 minutes, and when the guys left the girls left shortly after. The girls were new to the club and the manager became suspicious and sent a bouncer out to check the hotel parking lots across the street. Sure enough, there they all were!
I think the main reason managers do this is because we DID sign a contract saying we will work X amount of days for a certain number of hours.
OP, it sounds like in your case the manager doesn't want to miss out on any potential $. Even if it's just two guys at 3 AM. I know it sucks, but stuff like this can just come with the territory unfortunately. I wouldn't necessarily give up dancing because of this though! Don't forget all the benefits and unlimited earning potential this job can bring :)
Re: How normal is it for a manager to tell you when you can leave?
I've worked at clubs that were very strict about taking breaks, leaving early, having set schedules and then I've worked at clubs that didn't care at all. I really don't mind the strict clubs because it forces me to work more. I feel like with all the money that you can possibly make a few rules are nothing. Yeah you can go work at a vanilla job but you'll have to work a lot more for way less.
Re: How normal is it for a manager to tell you when you can leave?
It's cruel, but it happens in other industries as well. I recall one time I wasn't allowed a break to eat a bit after 8 hours of work. After 10.5 hours I was asked to toss away a cutting board full of chocolate mousse. Ate it all with my bare hands. (Best chocolate mousse I ever had tbh). Wasn't allowed to go home until 12h45mins into my shift. One of my legs was so inflamed I was serving ice on one leg. Strangely, that wasn't even the most horrible job I ever had :-\
Re: How normal is it for a manager to tell you when you can leave?
In Vegas I have a 6 hour min but can show up whenever but my home club I come and go as I please. Depends on your club and contract.
Re: How normal is it for a manager to tell you when you can leave?
I've found you can usually buy your way out of the club early, even in the "strict schedule" clubs. Test the waters by handing your manager $5-10 while asking to go home early. It is really hard for them to say no when you are paying them. Decide how badly you want to leave early. Offer him more to see if he is feeling a bit more motivated, but don't exceed your limit that you set based on how badly you'd like to leave. I top out at an additional $20 in tip outs for the privilege of leaving early. Anything more than $20 to convince a manager I need to leave early isn't worth it in my club as the money isn't that great.
Mostly, I'll just find someplace to hide out in the club until my shift is over if I just can't deal with the customers anymore that day.
Re: How normal is it for a manager to tell you when you can leave?
I worked at a club like that and eventually quit. My manager used to charge us high fees and try to tell us when we can leave. I quit when he let new and traveling dancers have their way and pay low fees... I worked at this club more than four days every week and felt I was appreciated, so I said deuces. Stick around to see how things work, but DONT let him play you because you're the new girl!
Re: How normal is it for a manager to tell you when you can leave?
I've had varying experiences with this. We had set shifts at two of the three clubs in Atlanta that I worked at (Phoenix was a whole different can of worms.) Night shift ran from 8-4 (3 on Saturday/Sunday) and we couldn't hit the floor/start working the crowd til 7:30. (I always waited til my first stage set was over before hustling/dances to be courteous to the day girls.) Because I helped to pick up the slack with LOTS of stage sets at the beginning, before most of the girls came in, and frequently came in on days off, I usually got quite a bit of leniency. YMMV - every city is different every club is different. Typically though, IME everywhere that I didn't have a 'x-hour minimum' but an actual 'night' shift, I was stuck there pretty much til all the drunk assholes left the club, and then the parking lot.