Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: Trying to turn around Outskirts in Sparta, WI. Any ideas or help would be awsome

  1. #1
    Curious Guest
    Joined
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Sparta, WI
    Posts
    1
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    My Mood
    Busy

    Default Trying to turn around Outskirts in Sparta, WI. Any ideas or help would be awsome

    Trying to rebuild the clubs reputation pretty much from the ground up. Before I came here we had a horrible reputation for being a run down dingy strip club. My girlfriend and I both started working here months ago, she's a stripper and I bartend/bounce/DJ/assistant manager. We are making it our goal to turn this place completely around, we have already gotten rid of all of the nasty and low life females(no offense to anyone but they were horrible employees) and have spent countless days there when closed cleaning and remodeling it. On top of that the owners are in the middle of building a brand new club attached on the side of this one, sparing no expense in the building, and once its finished hopefully in the next few months we are tearing down this place.

    Now here is where we are sitting;
    1. We are quite a ways out into the country
    2. Right across the street there is another strip club so there is alot of shit talk back and forth which hurts business.
    3. Since over the years it has received a negative review, our customer base has significantly fallen.
    4. We also only have THREE!!!! girls that work there.

    I need help trying to get (decent) girls in there, promote the business to draw back a huge customer base again, and advertise how much better it is there now.
    Over the last month I have heard alot of good things about how much its already changed and a few people are coming back. The only problem is we need to be careful on how we advertise because when the new place opens we will be advertising all of that as the "brand new" Outskirts, but before it opens I want some girls in there so they can be well trained and get a good customer basis back.

    Any ideas?

  2. #2
    God/dess rickdugan's Avatar
    Joined
    Apr 2010
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    4,570
    Thanks
    4,406
    Thanked 7,481 Times in 2,715 Posts
    My Mood
    Amused

    Default Re: Trying to turn around Outskirts in Sparta, WI. Any ideas or help would be awsome

    In all honesty, I think that a DJ and a single club dancer are fairly limited in what they can realistically do to promote the club as a whole. The owners have to make the time and capital commitments to do it right. There are a number of things that can be (and are) done by clubs to get customers and dancers in the door, but most of those things require financial decisions of one sort or another (promotional stuff like free food, happy hours and discounted LDs, kicking out to hotel clerks and cabbies, waiving house fees for desirable dancers [such as the top earning dancers from across the street], radio ads, free entry and a few drinks to a few people to shill for the club on review sites, etc., etc.).

    I strongly suspect that a bad review is probably not to blame for the lack of business. I'm guessing that the conditions you described - run down dive, nasty girls and only 3 working, have more to do with it than anything else. I'm also guessing that there were some other bad decisions made along the way. Clubs rarely get that bad unless owners just don't give a shit or if they start making really bad business decisions.

    In any event, good luck!

  3. The Following User Says Thank You to rickdugan For This Useful Post:


  4. #3
    Featured Member Aurora14's Avatar
    Joined
    Sep 2012
    Posts
    1,060
    Thanks
    1,974
    Thanked 2,010 Times in 704 Posts
    My Mood
    Happy

    Default Re: Trying to turn around Outskirts in Sparta, WI. Any ideas or help would be awsome

    Since your GF is a dancer, does she have any dancer friends she can call in favors to? When my owners started cleaning up the club (or when there was an event) our dancer manager (vet dancer) called in favors. A few of her friends from Indianapolis (My club was about an hour south) actually became regular dancers on certain nights. You definitely need more girls. Yes, too many can be a problem, but you need to have a decent selection to keep the customers.

    If you are trying to change your image, you may need to change the club name if your reputation is that bad. Sometimes a reputation is unrecoverable and that is the only option, to "start new".

    Our club also has free cab service for customers and dancers, to or from the club, on the weekends as long as it was within a certain distance.

  5. #4
    Banned Melonie's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2002
    Location
    way south of the border
    Posts
    25,932
    Thanks
    612
    Thanked 10,563 Times in 4,646 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3
    My Mood
    Cynical

    Default Re: Trying to turn around Outskirts in Sparta, WI. Any ideas or help would be awsome

    from a purely economic standpoint ...

    A, there simply isn't enough potential customer 'discretionary' spending money available in your local area to fund a 'classy' strip club. The median male income in Sparta WI is under $30,000 ... and the median household income is under $38,000. Both are well below national averages.

    B. in terms of percentage of highly paid local jobs which could provide a subgroup of potential customers with high incomes that could translate into high customer 'discretionary' spending on such things as private dances and VIP's, only 3.4% of local jobs are in the 'high tech' sector. This is also well below the national average. With a population of only 10,000 or so, that would leave a total of 34 theoretical high earning customers to support a 'classy' club ... but ... more than half would have little or no interest in patronizing any type of strip club.

    C. In order to persuade relatively low pay rate potential club customers whose paychecks are already almost fully committed to mortgage / rent payments, grocery bills, heating bills, etc. to spend money in a strip club instead of on these 'necessary' expenses, the dancers are going to have to offer lots more than a 'classy' stage show and a low contact lap dance !!!

    D. In terms of 'classy' top quality dancers needed to perpetuate a 'classy' club image, there simply isn't enough economic 'pie' available to attract or retain such top quality dancers. Yes the clubowner could 'subsidize' some top quality dancers for a short period via extraordinary measures ( i.e. paid for transportation / lodging, guaranteed shift pay etc. ). But given the economic base available in Sparta WI such a 'cost' being absorbed by the clubowner would never result in a sustainable 'classy' club business model that generates a net profit ... just ongoing 'losses'.

    Your goals and efforts to clean up this club are worthy of respect and admiration. But the dollar signs say that Sparta WI simply doesn't have a large enough / good enough local economy to support a 'classy' strip club. And that situation is made even worse by the existence of a competing club being located right across the street. Thus, like other 'investments' which experience changing economic circumstances which 'erase' profit potential, the clubowner's best move is probably to 'cut his losses' ... close the club ... sell the building etc.

    The other realistic economic alternative is for the clubowner to allow dancers to provide customers with major league 'extras', so that low income customers can be persuaded to neglect this month's utility bill / car payment in favor of paying a club cover charge plus drink minimum plus private dance price plus 'tip' to the dancer in exchange for 'extras' provided !!

    As disheartening as this may seem, your goal is basically a version of the old adage 'if you build it, they will come'. Unfortunately, in today's 'new' economy, if they do come they won't be bringing enough money with them to generate a profit for the clubowner, or a reasonable income level that could retain 'classy' dancers !!!
    Last edited by Melonie; 01-08-2014 at 09:22 AM. Reason: '

  6. #5
    God/dess rickdugan's Avatar
    Joined
    Apr 2010
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    4,570
    Thanks
    4,406
    Thanked 7,481 Times in 2,715 Posts
    My Mood
    Amused

    Default Re: Trying to turn around Outskirts in Sparta, WI. Any ideas or help would be awsome

    Melonie, I'm sensing a bit of big club/big city bias in those comments.

    The reality is that there are a lot of clubs in areas just like Sparta. The economics just work a little differently.

    For the owners, it is basically just a bar with strippers and most of the money they make comes from alcohol sales. After all, if you sell 30 $5 shots from a $30 bottle of booze and beers that cost you less than a buck for $4, then you are going to make money if you can generate a little volume. Remember that the overhead costs in these types of areas are very light, since land tends to be very cheap and staffing requirements for these smaller clubs are lighter. Heck, I've seen clubs staffed entirely by people (bartenders and DJs who also double as security) who work primarily for tips. A lot of these clubs also charge nominal entrance fees in order to defray the overhead costs.

    For the dancers, these types of places charge little, if any, house fees, and have lower tipout expectations, so almost everything made by a girl in stage and LD money is upside. Now of course big city expectations on earnings are not realistic, but the cost of living in these areas also tends to be very low. IMHO the draws for the girls that dance in these places are one or more of the following: (1) flexible scheduling; (2) it beats their next best options, which are often low wage work; and/or (3) the ability to work despite criminal issues or other past problems. I have traveled all over the country and have encountered some very attractive dancers in places like this who worked in them for any or all of the reasons listed above. Not every girl is mobile, with family and other issues making it difficult or impossible to relocate to higher money areas.

    And yes, while disposable incomes tend not to be too high in these areas, the reality is that the club and the place across the street are probably about the only exciting entertainment options in the area. In particular, these rural clubs tend to fill up on Friday and Saturday nights, which is when the dancers and owners tend to make most of their money. During the week, the clubs are often much quieter, catering to diehard regulars and business/tourist travelers (and yes, it would seem that there is a little tourism in Sparta) and are often staffed accordingly.

    So I wouldn't write off the club just yet, though it sounds like they have some work to do in order to overcome their reputation issues.

  7. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to rickdugan For This Useful Post:


  8. #6
    Moderator
    Joined
    Jun 2013
    Posts
    901
    Thanks
    635
    Thanked 1,519 Times in 585 Posts

    Default Re: Trying to turn around Outskirts in Sparta, WI. Any ideas or help would be awsome

    And its a strip joint so probably 30 $10 shots.....

  9. #7
    God/dess rickdugan's Avatar
    Joined
    Apr 2010
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    4,570
    Thanks
    4,406
    Thanked 7,481 Times in 2,715 Posts
    My Mood
    Amused

    Default Re: Trying to turn around Outskirts in Sparta, WI. Any ideas or help would be awsome

    Quote Originally Posted by oldster View Post
    And its a strip joint so probably 30 $10 shots.....
    LOL. Not in the middle of nowhere WI it ain't, at least of the owners have a lick of sense.

    But that raises an interesting point. I've seen a couple of clubs over the years that went into the toilet precisely because the owners got too greedy. IMHO you need to manage expectations about realistic income from a club in a location like this. Melonie was 100% right in pointing out that most of the customer base will have limited discretionary income, so pricing structures need to be sensitive to that reality. A club like this in an area like this can provide a damned decent income to its owner(s), but it's probably not going to make anyone obscenely wealthy.

    IMHO shit gets bad in a hurry when club owners in places like this get delusions of grandeur and start trying to squeeze customers and dancers. I'm not sure if that is what happened here, but who knows.

  10. The Following User Says Thank You to rickdugan For This Useful Post:


  11. #8
    Banned Melonie's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2002
    Location
    way south of the border
    Posts
    25,932
    Thanks
    612
    Thanked 10,563 Times in 4,646 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3
    My Mood
    Cynical

    Default Re: Trying to turn around Outskirts in Sparta, WI. Any ideas or help would be awsome

    Melonie, I'm sensing a bit of big club/big city bias in those comments
    Maybe. I took the OP's comments at face value ... meaning the need to attract 'decent' dancers from out-of-town to re-staff a 'classy' club. Those sort of girls obviously have 'options', and are unlikely to be satisfied with a 'small town club' earnings potential to the point of 'sticking around' for long. I've worked in a whole bunch of 'small town clubs' over the years , and can count the number of clubs I was happy to return to on one hand. And pure earnings potential wasn't my primary consideration either !!! 'Starving' dancers typically don't lead to a pleasant working environment ... and especially so when an attractive new dancer walks into the dressing room ready to ( out ) compete for what little customer money is actually walking in the club's front door.

    Granted that the scenario you mention, i.e. 'decent' local dancers who have their 'reasons' for working at a low earnings potential 'small town club', is a possibility. Of course, even if such 'decent' local dancers exist, this club would still have to win them over versus dancing for the competing club across the street.

    Also, reading through SCL comments about the club across the street ( Barrons ? ), business seems to be 'slow' despite the fact that Outskirts isn't operating at 'full capacity' and the fact that the club across the street apparently has quite a few 'decent' dancers working there. Thus I'm still of the opinion that the strip club customer dollar 'pie' available in this town is too small to be divided up into any more 'slices'. Thus to be financially successful, Outskirts needs to offer customers something that the club across the street does not ( i.e. major league 'extras' ), in order to 'redirect' customer dollars currently being spent across the street.
    Last edited by Melonie; 01-08-2014 at 02:12 PM.

  12. #9
    Moderator
    Joined
    Jun 2013
    Posts
    901
    Thanks
    635
    Thanked 1,519 Times in 585 Posts

    Default Re: Trying to turn around Outskirts in Sparta, WI. Any ideas or help would be awsome

    Damn I gotta move to Wisconsin these 8 dollar beers are gonna kill me.......................not

Similar Threads

  1. Racers in Sparta, KY
    By questella in forum Club Chat
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 02-12-2013, 06:04 PM
  2. Sparta
    By ColetteCalahan in forum Music Mix
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 08-13-2008, 02:25 PM
  3. Racers in Sparta, KY
    By Nakita Kash in forum Club Chat
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 07-21-2008, 12:12 PM
  4. Seeking Info on Racer's in Sparta, KY
    By ThaiLynn in forum Club Chat
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 07-02-2005, 09:07 AM
  5. Turn OFFs & Turn ONs
    By Vyanka in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 10-23-2004, 03:17 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •