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My Predictions for first few months of 2003
A. we will be at war with Iraq before the end of January
B. business profits will continue to suffer through at least the first quarter, tanking Wall St. yet again
C. personal and business bankruptcy rates will go even higher than current record high levels
D. local, state and federal governments will be looking under every rock for sources of more money, taxes, fines ...
E. even more conservative state and local governments in line with the more security less freedom movement, and
F. weaker US$ will cause increasing prices of gasoline, higher utility bills, more expensive food etc.
... which very likely will lead to ...
1. 100,000 + young guys being shipped out of the US ( and no longer spending money in US clubs)
2. 1,000,000 + new unemployed/underemployed American guys ( who can no longer afford to spend money in clubs)
3. 200,000 + bankrupt guys ( who will no longer have ANY money to spend)
4. higher income and property taxes for everybody (reducing discretionary spending for those who still have jobs)
5. increased crackdowns by law enforcement and the IRS
6. higher everyday living expenses for everybody, including dancers
The only pieces of potential good news I can find might be that housing prices and rent levels may come down as less people can afford to buy new houses or keep up with rent/mortgage payments, and as more and more homes are foreclosed on and more behind in their rent tenants are evicted. Also, late model used car prices should also come down as people are no longer able to make payments, repos increase even more, and less people can afford to buy new vehicles. However, new foreign car prices will NOT come down (eyeing a deal on a new Audi TT Quattro!) because foreign cars (or for that matter anything made in Japan or in Europe) are actually priced in Euros or Yen so their prices will INCREASE in terms of US dollars.
I'm seriously thinking of retiring, or at least saving my energy over the next 3 months! All in all, it looks like another record bad year for exotic dancing in general is on the way.
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
Hmmmm, Melonie. Lots here does depends on location too, when it comes to making good money dancing. My equity is going up and up in my home! Great news. The war will go on forever. Very sad. We do have some coming home, (my sisters husband.) The world has always been on "highs and lows," All in all i see the economy hit an all time low, i have hopes it will return again. It always has. I don't see the clubs suffering around here. Lots of business! But don't toss the towel in yet Melonie...we have our older guys, who do spend a generous amount of money on dancers!
Everything you mention is news that has been happening along time, off and on . We will and are starting to slowly rise again. Keep your head up! You are beautiful, and there is money for you to be had!!!!
If you retire soon. Lotsa luck to you, as the industry will miss you. Pamela ;)
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
Pamela,
I truly enjoy reading your positive posts. It's really nice to have someone like you on this board. :)
Hugs and Happy New Year to you,
Candice
PS Guess who else is living and dancing in Florida now?? Me!!!!! I'm back home in Sunny South East Florida! I'm feeling so Positive!! It's great to be home.
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
Pamela,
I also enjoy reading your posts. You somewhat remind me of my mother. Are you by chance an Aries? My mother has always been the one positive person in my life no matter what. If life gave her lemons she made lemonade and we had a party ;D
I think your Attitude has alot to do with your earning potential and with this uncertain economy it can definitely make or break you.
For myself if I read the papers, constantly listen to the news and chat with the other dancers about the economy I start questioning whether I should go to work tonight, should I set my nightly or even weekly goal lower because of the economy.
I agree with you Pamela about the older men spending large sums of money in clubs. If we already know the age groups of males being sent off to war then we already have the insight to maybe concentrating more on investing time now getting to know the older guys who have businesses and the extra money to spend.
*My predictions for the first few months of 2003*
1) I am currently in the market for a house and since I worked my ass off last year (working 220 days sometimes 11,12 hour shifts) saving money for a house I am going to benefit from the prices of the homes because of the economy in the next 3 months.
I will definitely find a home priced just for me. ;D
2)I think when we talk in terms of making money in this profession it is all relative. I have been in this industry almost 3 years. I have friends that have been in the business 8,9,10 years when an average nightly earning was 8,9,$1000 and $500 was a bad night. I was never dancing back when so my lifestyle does not require making that much money. Just 2 1/2 years ago I was grossing $25,000 2002 dancing I made 4 times that saving half of what I made. I have always made a conscious decision to live off only half of my earnings instead of spending it all as I made it.
3) Because of my discipline I predict the next 3 months because of my great attitude and regardless of the economy I will make just as much if not more money then I made the first quarter of last year. I wish you all the same.
Stay Positive.
Tori
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
Now some predictions from a patron of the fine art of the strippers:
1) I agree with Pamela a little bit in that the economy is not in as bad a shape as a lot of you might think. Assets and equity keep going up although at a slower rate. Home equity and 401ks make up a lot of this and as long as you own a house and save for retirement, those numbers will continue to rise.
2) The big question is employment for the guys. The unemployment rate has never been extremely high in the last several years (6%?? That means that 94% are working)
3) The big question for the strippers is men's disposable income. What are they willing to spend their entertainment cash on? As a single male, I have several options in this area: dining out, theater and movies, bars and strip clubs. I choose strip clubs. Granted the entertainment cash may suffer, but we all need to be entertained. Your job as strippers is to see that those entertainment dollars are spent on you!!
4) I think the war threat is overblown personally. War is threatened to get what you want. I think reality will set in on all sides and actual war will be averted. Just my opinion.
Callguy
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
Candice, welcome back to the Sunshine State!!! Thank you for your comments. I try to stay as happy as i can. I always look for the good in everything, and everyone! My upbringing i owe that to.
Tori, i am a Pisces, very close to Aries!! I always will do my best to surround myself with happy people. And people like me. If i can't be with someone who is smiling, i will do stupid things (yea...duh.) I like to make people feel good. I do my best on the phone with people i never meet in life. And at the club i am a ham, but very serious. The combination seems to help me with down times. I work at a hospital too where you see lots of sad people. i have to talk with them..and i can't at times do that. I fail them by getting all emotional. So i enrolled in Customer service classes to help further me along.
And Callguy, nice to hear from you! Keep in touch.
Thanks all...if i have a bad moment i just curl up in bed with a book until it passes. :-/ Pamela
THATS RIGHT GIRLS..LETS PREDICT WE WILL DO BETTER THIS YEAR!!!
Have fun, stay healthy, and make more $$$$ to buy the finer things we work so hard for and deserve!
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
Melonie makes more sense than Alan Greenspan and the Wall Street Journal combined.
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
I guess we are split 50/50 here....I also prefer to keep a more positive outlook. Although what Melonie said is all valid.... :-/
MissB
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
i like positive messages as well. this industry needs optimism!
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
Since the 9-11 issue is starting to fade away even the more I think tourism might pick up greatly esp in cities that have been affected. So 2003 I'll be making more money and I have feeling everyone earnings will increase. I hope. So good to you all. :D
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
Also Pamela my mom and bf is a Pisces no wonder why I like you personality. I get along with Pisces well. Scorpio here :-*
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
We dancers may need optimism, but what this industry needs is more customers spending more money, less clubowners trying to make up for lost profits by charging high stage fees and then booking twice as many girls as the club really needs, and less desparate dancers trying to make up for low customer spending by offering higher and higher levels of contact.
I agree with Pamela that certain types of clubs in certain areas will virtually always provide decent earning potential for dancers. In every big city there are people with big money, and even if a guy lost a million dollars in the stock market last year he probably still has 9 million left. Celebrities ALWAYS have money and always will! But not every club in the big cities appeals to high rollers and celebs. Also, the clubs that DO appeal to high rollers and celebs are usually extremely picky about the type of dancer they will hire, meaning that dancers who are '8's like me have had very little chance of getting a crack at these customers, and will have even less of a chance in the coming year.
My thoughts about taking the next three months off stem from the fact that, at my age, I really don't have the physical stamina to make an all out effort 5 nights a week anymore and still be able to look and perform my best. I also have years of "burnout syndrome" stored up inside which comes out every time I have to deal with the issue of competing with girls who are now willing to provide extreme levels of "sleaze" in order to earn decent money. This is also the worst time of year for road trips because of weather and new airport security measures (the security guys seem to want to check my tits every single time I go through!). There are also a lot of new mayors, sherriffs etc. just coming into office now as a result of last Novermber's elections, making the chances of club busts higher than ever. There's nothing more frustrating than having an absolutely great $1000 a night week on the road, but having to spend every dollar of it on future legal fees!
Pamela, please let us know if things still look as rosy in April in regard to club earnings levels, property values etc.
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
Hmmm...
My prediction is that with the economy failing in some ways, my only customers with money will be the ones that are above worrying about the econom (in other words, have a lot of money). So I predict that dancing for these customrs instead of the mix of blue/white collar, I will make the same money or more (but I've changed to a more white collar club that tends to be frequented by "famous" sports players and people with lots of money).
Lena
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
Melonie, sorry to hear you are having burn out. And with your age competing with others as you say..i understand. I am going to be 33 this march, and i am in Florida as you know, i work different than you, webcam, the service is different i am sure, i get paid an hourly as well as for private sessions (and set my own private session price.) And phone sex never slows down, when you have done it for years! You have the customer base there that adore you! Always adding that new guy to the list, (hopefully.) I am in a different location, i am not you, i have invested quite a bit that is starting to go back up, slowly, but going. And my property sits very close to a major hospital and they are wanting the land soon (well of and on now for a couple years,) so they will pay top dollar to be able to expand the hospital. Otherwise i keep my home. But equity is going up, nicely. Sure i put money into it, but the payback is much higher in return. Loads of people move to Florida to retire! I don't see dancing (here) being hurt at all!
PS, I don't understand how you can predict my future for April. Pamela...sorry to hear you may be having a hard time, honestly. I don't want to argue the fact. Lotsa luck to you, no matter what path you chose. No matter what Melonie to me you will always be a fellow dancer!!!!!!
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
I'd have to say that while Melonie makes sense logistically, I can't put money on all of it coming to pass.
I will say this. I work in a club that is literally 3 blocks from Ground Zero- we re-opened in Nov; 2 months after 9/11. The businesses were in dire straits, to say the least. Many businesses closed, some struggled through the year, and very very few opened. One of my best months was that December. Who would have thought it? Many girls left the club with the expectation of there being little - to - no business, but customers in this industry can prove themselves to be unpredictable in certain circumstances. Sometimes, when all around the economy and quality of life is seemingly down ( or literally, however you choose to see it), people choose to escape their problems and issues and spend some time in a strip club.
If things change and business slows down drastically, hopefully the club owners will lower house fees, cover charges, and drink prices. They did choose to do this in our club after 9/11, by dropping house fees (though I can't say they did that for cover or drink charges).
Personally, I work only 3 nights a week. If things slow down, I'll add one night on the slow weeks. WE all might need to tighten the belt a bit until the economy stabilizes - but keep your heads up, girls - we make more money than the average joe, even when things are slow!
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
I have been back in Houston for the past 2 weeks working at my old club during the holidays and trying to get a grip on declining club business.
For any of you who have danced over the last 7-10 years you honestly know of the downward trend in dancer earnings. I have spoken to numerous people regarding what has changed most in this business and here is what I have found:
Club spending is down because businesses increasingly ARE NOT allowing higher up corporate employees to write off club expenditures beyond food and drinks. Customers used to ask for receipts they are not doing that anymore. In Houston the decline started about 2 years ago. Several of my friends have been making in 7-8 days of work $1400 where they used to make that in 2 or 3 days.
Business spending has PLUMMETED due to scandals with Th Gold Club in Atlanta and problems encountered with professional atheletes to where the leagues STRONGLY advice the players to STAY OUT of strip clubs.
Pull up www.stjamescabaret.com and look at the layout of the club. This is by far classier than virtually any club I have ben to in the entire United States and many Dallas and Houston clubs come close to this upscale atmosphere and apparance but don't have as many big spending businessmen coming in and dropping C notes as in the not so distant past.
That is why many of you girls can travel from city to city looking for the earnings of seveal years ago and NOT find them. Guys can't afford to spend out of their salaries what they spend out of the bosses wallet.
So many of you who have never danced before are searching for the club momentum and free spending of 3or so years ago and it DOES NOT EXIST ANYWHERE!!! Granted you may have a decent night here and there but with no consistency.
A friend of mine who worked at Baby Dolls Dallas until the raids of 2000 hit ws making $2500 to $4000 a week working 5-6 nights a week. She travels around like I do now hitting $300-$400 sporadically mixed in with $100 nights mixed in and is constantly looking for somewhere new to work. She owns a beautiful home in the Dallas Metroplex and is hardly there as she doesn't want to risk being busted for the 3rd time and says none of the clubs have the business they had prior to the new millenium in Dallas/Fort Worth.
What Melonie is saying holds merit. With Republicans in office that is negative for this business plus the overseas problems, and company spending and the stock market not doing as well as they could, don't look for any improvement in theis business in the near future. Club business may not get drastically worse, but it won't drastically improve either.
I have said this before and I will say it again,DON'T LOOK FOR YOUR EARNING TO BE DRASTICALLY HIGHER FROM ONE BIG CITY TO ANOTHER. DON"T TALK ABOUT A $200 NIGHT LIKE IT IS SHIT ANYMORE. MAKING $200 AFTER TIP OUTS AND HOUSE FEES IS LIKE GETTING A " B " AVERAGE IN SCHOOL.
68 girls were working at 2 PM today. If it is slow one day for the girls they come in the next day hoping to make up for it.
Guys ARE NOT spending $200 on one girl and turning around and spending another $200 on 1 or 2 more in the clubs anymore as they were 3-4 years ago.The Heyday is over and all the new dancers lured to this business by stories of $500-$1000 a night from girls working prior to 1998 that you saw on TV or heard fom friends ain't happening anymore.
As the saying goes "the early bird gets the worm" . If you want to make substantial earnings in ANY business you must get in on the ground floor because by the time you hear about how good something is from someone else, the money is gone!!!
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
There is a lot of truth to what is being said, especially here in Seattle. The clubs suck anyways, and it is now REALLY hard to do well.
However, of the girls that I know dancing, the ones that have been doing it for a few years, they are reporting not that much difference. My one friend said that an average night is still $500 or so, but that sometimes it is $300. Before, The average was around $600. But, she said those once in a while nights of only clearing $100 happen with the same regularity that it did. She also has lots of regulars though.
At the busiest club here...the girls still bank. BUT, there is often a lot more contact. Only the hottest girls can refuse that contact and bank.
My friend also only works 4 hours at a time now. She doesn't go into the club until about 10 pm, and has to pay out $150 a night. She would probably have a higher average than $500 if she was there a few more hours!
Yvonne
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
Wow!!!! Tina 68 girls working the same shift? That may have something to do with their earnings ..no? Thats alot of girls on one shift. Wow!
pamela
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
There is always the good and bad in any scenario. I had not workd in Houston since the end of May and since i came back for the holidays decided to work.
There are no schedules here and no day or night shift.I just walked in the friday before Christmas and paid my payout andwent to work.
No scheduling is good as far as being able to pop in and work when you want but bad if you have a glut of girls. In May before I left it sems like there were about 15 girls less during prime hours than now.
I like to work where there are no schedules but when the economy is bad there seem to be more girls competing for the business and the clubs keep hiring so they make up for what they lose on customers with extra house fees.
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
i think i chose a bad year to start. :-[
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
Quote:
i think i chose a bad year to start. :-[
Don't feel so bad.. You don't know how things are going until you are in the club and actually working. NYCJacqueline is right. We do make more than the average US citizen. All we need to do is just save our money and spend wisely. A few of my friends always reminisce about the good old days when you could walk out of a club with a G without even breaking a sweat. Nowadays they complain because they actually have to ask guys for dances and dance on stage.. It's funny to me since I am used to performing to make my tips.
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
Well, believe it or not we've managed to come to sort of a concensus as to what changes will help maintain or hopefully increase dancer earnings in 2003. As Lena said, if possible migrate to upscale white collar clubs since the tourists and businessmen who frequent these clubs tend to have more class, more money, and less sleaze. As several of you have posted, it probably won't pay to stick around in a city that is an economic basket case or that is the subject of club bust crusades on the part of local politicians and cops. Continued business from regulars will probably the best source of regular dancing income this year, so if you are in a tolerable club in a tolerable city and you have an established base of regulars it probably won't pay you to travel in search of greener pastures.
Certain "niche" markets should do well also. As NYCJacqueline posted, she found herself at the right place at the right time being 3 blocks from the WTC ... with half the other dancers leaving, with the club reducing stage fees, and with Manhattan cops totally occupied chasing terrorists and not poking their noses into VIP rooms this was a formula for success in the midst of tragedy. Pamela has found a similar "niche" in eastern Florida which has plenty of white collar clientele and no legal troubles. I also seek out "niche" clubs on the road - one of my favorites is the only club in a Michigan fishermen's paradise town which I plan on hitting again once the snow melts below a foot!
While nobody has posted about this directly, EVENT based club business can be extremely profitable while popular events are taking place in certain cities - Super Bowl, Conventions, NCAA polayoffs are all coming up.
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Re: My Predictions for first few months of 2003
Well, believe it or not we've managed to come to sort of a concensus as to what changes will help maintain or hopefully increase dancer earnings in 2003. As Lena said, if possible migrate to upscale white collar clubs since the tourists and businessmen who frequent these clubs tend to have more class, more money, and less sleaze. As several of you have posted, it probably won't pay to stick around in a city that is an economic basket case or that is the subject of club bust crusades on the part of local politicians and cops. Continued business from regulars will probably the best source of regular dancing income this year, so if you are in a tolerable club in a tolerable city and you have an established base of regulars it probably won't pay you to travel in search of greener pastures.
Certain "niche" markets should do well also. As NYCJacqueline posted, she found herself at the right place at the right time being 3 blocks from the WTC ... with half the other dancers leaving, with the club reducing stage fees, and with Manhattan cops totally occupied chasing terrorists and not poking their noses into VIP rooms this was a formula for success in the midst of tragedy. Pamela has found a similar "niche" in eastern Florida which has plenty of white collar clientele and no legal troubles. I also seek out "niche" clubs on the road - one of my favorites is the only club in a Michigan fishermen's paradise town which I plan on hitting again once the snow melts below a foot!
While nobody has posted about this directly, EVENT based club business can be extremely profitable while popular events are taking place in certain cities - Super Bowl, Conventions, NCAA playoffs, Snowmobile races are all coming up. There is hope for exotic dancing this coming year, but it's going to be an uphill struggle.