is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
is being a stripper the same as working in retail?
you know, like, the customer is always right?
Not allowed to talk back to the customer and getting reprimanded or fired if you do?
Always have to have a friendly smile on your face/a friendly demeanour?
Wearing a smile/being polite even when the customer is being difficult/rude?
Having to get called in or do overtime?
Cover for other staff?
Is there a set scheduled time that you must show up as?
Sorry for all the naive/stupid questions. I ask these questions because not all clubs are supportive towards the dancers, in that regard.
Part of the reason of my desire to do stripping is to escape from retail from those reasons I listed, so that's why I asked.
Thanks!
Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
Depends on your locality.
I believe everywhere except California has us as independent contractors, meaning we aren't supposed to be told what to do by the club. Some clubs still try to give out schedules though.
In my area, we have no schedules except sometimes the less attractive girls being relegated to dayshift. Sometimes they try to enforce a set number of hours you have to work, usually 4-5 max here, but it's rarely enforced if you're a good earner and not a troublemaker. Sometimes they just charge a higher house fee to leave early.
I have never seen anyone get fired for being rude to a customer. Some managers will wag their finger at you if you're a habitual offender or were REALLY awful to the guy. You're not obligated to talk to anyone so you can just get up and walk away from rude customers. It helps your sales to be friendly and smiling though so I try not to be an asshole unless the guy was really asking for it.
Otherwise no, it's not like retail. In retail, the customer is always right. In the strip club, the customer is almost always wrong.
Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
oh thank god, thank u so much! <3
I've had such a bad experience in retail so it's good to know that it's different at a strip club
Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
Yeah it is but don't hinge all your hopes on dancing. The industry is fucked right now because of covid. Even in normal times I'd say 10% of girls are still there 6 months after starting. Don't quit your day job.
Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
I don't think so. In retail most of the time the annoying stupid rules are not from the person who runs the store. It's from corporate & the reason why "the customer is always right" is because the store owner/manager is afraid corporate will find out if you tell the customer to F off.
In the club you're not part of a corporation. I know plenty of managers/owners that would side with a dancer before a customer.
Sure you'd have some owners take the customers side if they are loyal and have a lot of people that come because of them. But def different IMO.
Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Selina M
Yeah it is but don't hinge all your hopes on dancing. The industry is fucked right now because of covid. Even in normal times I'd say 10% of girls are still there 6 months after starting. Don't quit your day job.
wow, that's so sad, but that's the unfortunate reality. Thanks
Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
softpetals
wow, that's so sad, but that's the unfortunate reality. Thanks
It's not for everybody. You have to be able to take BS. Not afraid to have the spot light on you. It can be a crazy atmosphere job. I've seen clubs get raided. But it also is a great job for some people in terms of being able to provide for their family. It's helped me give my daughter a better xmas and birthday.
Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
From my experience, absolutely not! Stripping is a very liberating kind of job, its what women do when they are tired of the corporate rat race and having to follow stupid vanilla job rules. Not that there arent any rules in strip clubs; there are. But for the most part, you are in control of how you work. You don't have to put up with customer's BS, you can walk away if someone is being rude. The club will usually have your back and protect you, as long as you're working at a good club. The potential for money is unlimited although I will agree with previous comments that COVID has drastically made stripping much more difficult.
Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
Retail, in the sense of working at, say, Kohl's on an hourly basis and pretty much being there to halfassedly guess at which of two or more similar products might suit a customer's needs? No, not like that. But you could certainly compare it to a commissioned sales job... particularly, one in direct sales. It's a lot like when I sold Cutco, albeit with more success as a stripper. I never could get all that enthusiastic about Cutco products... my whole upbringing was focused on me becoming the ideal little housewife, so I know a thing or two about cutlery, and Cutco to me wasn't all that impressive. Decent, but nothing life changing.
Customer is always right? Fuck no. If I tell a custy where they may not touch me and they don't abide, no, they're not fucking right. End... of... motherfucking.... story. I'm not an extras girl, and that's all there is to it. Likewise, if a customer's conversational skills are to act like an asshole, I won't tolerate it. More likely, I'll walk away and ignore them for the rest of the night rather than get into it with them.... kinda kills the vibe for the other customers. Let the bouncers deal with it.
Any club that places such an expectation on you deserves to be razed to the fucking ground.
You as a stripper have to decide your own persona. Whether you want to be all smiles and giggles and flirty or whether you want to take the 'ice queen' approach... that's up to you. You need to figure out which works for you. Me, I'm pretty good at reading people and I'll switch it up accordingly. I won't tolerate someone acting like a shit towards me.
Rigidity in scheduling... that'll vary by club. I've always done it part-time and on an even more casual and occasional basis now, as I have a lot going on between two jobs and a business that's picking up.
Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
EastCoastDancer01
From my experience, absolutely not! Stripping is a very liberating kind of job, its what women do when they are tired of the corporate rat race and having to follow stupid vanilla job rules. Not that there arent any rules in strip clubs; there are. But for the most part, you are in control of how you work. You don't have to put up with customer's BS, you can walk away if someone is being rude. The club will usually have your back and protect you, as long as you're working at a good club. The potential for money is unlimited although I will agree with previous comments that COVID has drastically made stripping much more difficult.
Totally agree about liberating job! I never thought I'd get into this and here I am overall happy.
Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
A lot of us have worked vanilla jobs that we've felt are extremely similar to sex work. I was briefly a massage therapist, and very much felt like an underpaid sex worker, lol. And many women on here have expressed that stripping and the nursing field have a lot in common.
I think it all comes down to money, boundaries, and communication. And these are factors you'll have to negotiate and balance in every job you'll ever have.
Some people experience sex work as liberating, which it definitely can be, but privilege plays a part in that experience. And your approach and mentality will affect your experience of it. When i first started dancing, i went from making $5/ hour at Hallmark to being able to make $600+/ shift in my little college-town dive, so that definitely affected my attitude about it. I also didn't need the money i was making, so i had a lot of freedom to be myself and set firm boundaries. But i don't think this is the case for everyone. It can be a very disempowering gig sometimes, like when you're working on a dead night, and you're working your ass off to try to get old ugly guys to tip you a dollar on stage while you're trying to keep a smile on your face. Moments like that aren't empowering. But every job has moments like that. And most people don't expect cubicle workers to feel empowered at work, so it's funny how many times sex workers get asked about empowerment. Anyway, lol...
Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
thanks everyone! I greatly appreciate all of your valuable advice!! <3
Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
No. Not the same. In stripping, you don't have to take nonsense from customers. Maybe at the top rail when dealing with drunk guys and those bastards that slap hard on your butt.
Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
EastCoastDancer01
From my experience, absolutely not! Stripping is a very liberating kind of job, its what women do when they are tired of the corporate rat race and having to follow stupid vanilla job rules. Not that there arent any rules in strip clubs; there are. But for the most part, you are in control of how you work. You don't have to put up with customer's BS, you can walk away if someone is being rude. The club will usually have your back and protect you, as long as you're working at a good club. The potential for money is unlimited although I will agree with previous comments that COVID has drastically made stripping much more difficult.
Yes, this.
Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
I’ve gotten into verbal and physical sprawls with rude customers. Meaning they tried to grab my pussy and I had to kick a guy in the junk. It depends on the club. Every club is different with it rules and clientele. Really depends on bouncers. Good bouncers will keep that shit from happening. A good club will keep rift raft out and keep the drama low. I worked at upscale clubs and while the customers were more polite I still had to defend myself from the girls and the customers.
It is a sales job in selling dances and rooms.
Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
charlie61
A lot of us have worked vanilla jobs that we've felt are extremely similar to sex work. I was briefly a massage therapist, and very much felt like an underpaid sex worker, lol. And many women on here have expressed that stripping and the nursing field have a lot in common.
I think it all comes down to money, boundaries, and communication. And these are factors you'll have to negotiate and balance in every job you'll ever have.
Some people experience sex work as liberating, which it definitely can be, but privilege plays a part in that experience. And your approach and mentality will affect your experience of it. When i first started dancing, i went from making $5/ hour at Hallmark to being able to make $600+/ shift in my little college-town dive, so that definitely affected my attitude about it. I also didn't need the money i was making, so i had a lot of freedom to be myself and set firm boundaries. But i don't think this is the case for everyone. It can be a very disempowering gig sometimes, like when you're working on a dead night, and you're working your ass off to try to get old ugly guys to tip you a dollar on stage while you're trying to keep a smile on your face. Moments like that aren't empowering. But every job has moments like that. And most people don't expect cubicle workers to feel empowered at work, so it's funny how many times sex workers get asked about empowerment. Anyway, lol...
Hear you on it being disempowering when the money is slow. Feels like "Why bother?" There was this guy when I was semi new to dancing that would always come in and wanted me to play a school girl who laid across his lap and got spanked on the ass. I didn't want to feel humiliated with the bouncer watching me so I'd always refuse every time he came in. A slow night for me came around, and I finally took him up on the offer. During it I remember thinking "WTF am I doing?!" as the bouncer sat there watching through the dark glass.
Dancing can be emotionally exhausting.
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Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
In my experience the only difference between sexual harassment at walmart vs the strip club is about $200, a mountain of paperwork and a swift kick to the genitals.
Re: is the stripping industry like the retail industry?
I would kill myself if I had to be nice to disrespectful or game playing customers. Nothing like customer service.
I get to call them names and do violent things to them :)