My input may be a bit different. Most of the time I find the housemoms to not be very helpful to me, however that doesn't mean they aren't helpful to others. After so many years of dancing I literally have everything in my bag that I could possibly need: make-up, food, band-aids, sewing needle & thread etc. I will say it 100% annoys me when I am expected to tip a house mom who isn't of use to me. Again, that's not her/his (yes, I've had multiple house "dad's too particularly in CO) fault, it's just that I'm VERY prepared. I'd say make your tips optional, it will keep older veterans from becoming annoyed at feeling like they have to tip for a service they don't use.
On the few times that I have used something the housemom had, I tended to pay for food. The pasta bowls left open in the dressing room taunt me with their fumes... so I'll admit to breaking down to eat, pay the cost, & then feel guilty later for going for the carbs. Bring in healthy food that the girls won't feel guilty about & don't overprice it. The housemom at the Penthouse in Denver used to bring in those peanut butter & jelly uncrustables by Smuckers... I think I paid something like $6 for one, which was ridiculous! Keep the prices reasonable.
Don't become part of the entertainer's clique, it will cause others not to trust you. I know who the good entertainers are & who the bad ones are. When I hear about a house mom hanging out with one group of entertainers & getting involved in their gossip, I tend to steer clear of the housemom even more. I don't talk to a lot of people about my business anyhow, but I don't need anyone gossiping about me, so I will stay away at all costs if I see these signs. As the housemom you should act more as a care-taker to ALL of the girls equally. Spruce them up when they feel bad & focus more on the new entertainers.
Know how to actually do hair/make-up. House-moms should know how to do both. New girls come in all the time needing this, & I often get pulled off the floor to help out... but isn't that what the housemom is for?! If you don't already know, take classes in this so you help out the new entertainers or those who want someone else to do this for them.
Here's some things most house moms don't do that I WOULD tip for:
- Healthy snacks/meals. I like to eat & the food I keep in my bag can get boring. However, I'm more likely to actually look forward to a housemom if they bring in stuff that I won't feel guilty eating.
- Have a manual out with common etiquette in the strip club. Offer it as reading material to new entertainers or just have it out by your stuff. This will make it easier for the veterans to respect them if they aren't always doing things that we consider rude. I HATE when I'm about to close a sale & some new girl comes over, sits down, & interrupts my sale thinking she's going to "join us". She's actually interrupting & causing me to lose or postpone a sale.
- Watch the entertainer's things. If you see girl's messing with stuff that isn't their report it to the manager! Again, not being part of one group's clique matters here because I don't even trust the housemom to do this if she's part of a set group.
- Help keep the dressing room clean & report issues to management. A lot of clubs don't have enough lockers or have lockers that don't work. The dancer's get tired of reporting this & it's helpful to have someone else on our side, so remind management to get things fixed. Make sure whomever is in-charge of the trash cans empties them as needed. Remind girls to pick up their things... I don't need to see latex that some girl just pulled off her nipple sitting on the counter - tell them to trash that stuff! If girls are putting their stuff in places where everyone is tripping over it, ask them to move it.
- Update girls who have been gone awhile of any changes to the club. I've had clubs literally change their entire set-up, change prices, plan parties, etc & I had no idea! You could even make a little bulletin of announcements to keep in the dressing room.
- Let entertainers know about anything else they might want to be aware of. When does the costumes lady come in next? What big events will be coming to town that will bring in money? What stores have sales going on that entertainers would be interested in? Whose birthdays are coming up in the club?
Some of these things I've never seen a housemom do, & I have no idea why. If you want to stay useful to veterans then find ways to do so that are "out of the box".
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