It really depends on A. how large the stage fee is in relation to potential earnings, and B. how effectively the club is using the stage fees collected to create conditions which will benefit dancers later.
I'm working in North Jersey this weekend, and the combined cost of stage fees and tipout is about $60. However, the club is not advertised or promoted heavily as far as I can tell, although it has recently been remodeled and they did do some grand reopening promotion. Given that this amount of stage fees and tipout is in the neighborhood of 10% of average earnings potential, which I do not consider it unfair.
In contrast, about 5 miles away is a well known Manhattan club which charges a $240 stage fee. The club is beautiful, receives promotion from a well known shock jock etc. meaning that this money or some portion of it is being used constructively. However the stage fee alone represents at least 25% of average earnings potential, which would seem to be a bit steep for all except the very 'top earning' girls.
I guess the bottom line is how much money you actually walk out of a club with at the end of the night/week, after paying all stage fees and tipouts, income taxes, travelling and accomodation expenses etc. I would certainly not mind paying $500 in combined stage fees, tipouts, and splits with the 'house' if I could still walk out with $1000 after taxes and expenses because the club 'invested' previous stage fees into promotion, remodeling etc. to attract high rolling customers. Even though this might represent a 33% 'cut' for the club it would be worth it compared to paying a 10% 'cut' to a different club but only walking out with $500 after taxes and expenses.
If you're a 'top earner' (which I'm usually not), stage fees, tipouts and splits totalling several hundred dollars are merely a cost of doing business - it takes money to make money. But if you're not a 'top earner' and are still being charged the same several hundred dollar amount for stage fees, tipouts and splits, this can certainly become financially oppressive to the point where it makes sense to switch clubs. This is the whole point of some clubs charging very high stage fees and tipouts in the first place, though, to assure that only the 'top earning' girls with the most to offer the club's customers can afford to work there.
If I'm given a choice of paying a low tipout and netting $500 after stage fees, tipout, income taxes, travel and accomodation expenses etc. versus paying a high tipout and netting the same $500 after all is said and done, I'd naturally choose the club with lower stage fees - but then again that's just me. Other factors come into play for some girls such as the club's 'status', or the degree of contact (or lack thereof), or the presence of celebrity customers, or other 'intangibles'. But for me it's strictly a cash equation.



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