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Thread: Paying the stage Fee

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    Default Paying the stage Fee

    When dancers pay the house the stage fee and the house's take on dances, when do they usually do it? I presume it's at the end of the shift or at the end of the night. What is the procedure? Do the girls all line up and hand the manager piles of cash? Is it done more discreetly? How is the house money handled?

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    Default Re: Paying the stage Fee

    Hey Mopey, Why do you need to know this bit of information.

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    Default Re: Paying the stage Fee

    When dancers pay the house the stage fee and the house's take on dances, when do they usually do it? I presume it's at the end of the shift or at the end of the night. What is the procedure? Do the girls all line up and hand the manager piles of cash? Is it done more discreetly? How is the house money handled?
    Depends on the operational policies of the club. Some may demand it before you begin the shift, before some arbitrary point in the shift, or before the shift is over.

    Clubs that take a percentage of your off-stage earnings have some method of "accounting" for how much they're taking. It could be as simple as having a security person with a functional memory, a click counter, or a clipboard keep track of your every off-stage move if dances are done in a main room or open area. Clubs that use an electronic card or token system keep track of how many times you swipe the card or how many tokens you're issued to enter an accessory area with customers. More elaborate tracking systems are available through POS terminals using CAS or other industry-modified software (CAS is the only one I'm familiar with).

    House money goes into house coffers. Consider yourself lucky if you ever see a valid receipt for a dime of it. It comes back to you in the way of a new fan for the dressing room. Mandatory payouts to other workers presumably go quietly into their pockets until you get wind of complaints about under-payment for some inconsequential thing are another.

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    Default Re: Paying the stage Fee

    Candice;

    I'm curious about these things because I'm researching little derails for my comic book. Often it's the little details that most people never think about. I have in mind a scene at closing time of the club, so I wondered if that might be the time dancers have to pay the house its cut for dances or settle the drink tab or tip out to the DJ and stuff. I know much of what dancers have to pay out is a percentage of what they take in on any given night, so it makes sense that it would be at the end of the shift.

    Anyways, I'm just really curious about what closing time is like, after the customers are long gone and the lights come up.

    Thanks.

    paul lee

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    Default Re: Paying the stage Fee

    Hi Paul,

    It depends on the club. At really classy clubs in big cities, you pay a set stage fee before you start.

    At most clubs, you just find the waitress/security/housemom/DJ towards the end of your shift and tip them out. Sometimes there's a set amount ($5-10), sometimes it's whatever you want to give them. Tipping tends to be slightly competitive.. the girl who takes the best care of the waitress will sell the most drinks, the girl who takes good care of the DJ will have the right music and lighting, someone who doesn't take care of the DJ might not make it up on stage as often as they should, or have crappy music.

    Then there are some places where they collect the money for dances and pay out to you at the end of the night, and some places where you collect the money and pay out to them at the end of the night. Either way they usually have a clipboard showing how many of each kind of dance you've done and you have to sign saying you've received the money, or they have to sign that they have.

    The club I work at now isn't the most normal club in the world, but I'll tell you how closing time goes there anyways. At the end of the night when the bartender calls last call last dancer, whoever isn't dancing has to go upstairs and get dressed. There are always a couple girls still doing dances after the club is closed. Then we wait around for the Manager to finish counting money and tallying dances. Usually there are a couple girls sacked out on the couch, a couple girls playing on the little stage we have upstairs, a couple girls bitching about customers, and everyone bitching that we have to wait soooo long.

    Then the manager opens the door and one at a time we go in and give him ten percent of our tips for the night, and sign something saying how much money the club owes us. Then we go downstairs to leave, and if there are still customers in the club or parking lot the bouncer will make us wait upstairs until they leave.

    So that's an example of how some clubs are.

    Lena



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    Default Re: Paying the stage Fee

    I work at a lower-mid echelon neighborhood club, so we do things a little differently.

    Our set-up is as follows:

    All our money that we make on stage is turned in all night long, after every set. it is usually put in an envelope or a bank-bag, with opur name attached, after both us and the bartender on duty have counted it. This is kept behind the bar next to the register.

    All lap dances are paid for in advance to the bartender, and out of the $20 price, $15 of it goes in our envelope. This and the stage tips are all duly noted.
    \
    At my club we also double as waitresses, but any tips we are given while just walking aorund or waitressing are ours to keep - no reporting them or turning them in unless we want to.

    We do last call at 10 minutes til 2, and everyone gets thrown out at 2:30. During this time, those who are not still dancing get dressed and start working on picking up drinks and cleaning the club up. After everyone is gone, the bartender goes through and starts tallying the oney in everyon's envelopes, and matching that to the figures recorded on each girls chit. Then $10 or 10% - whichever is higher - is automatically pulled from each girl and put aside for the DJ. Another $5 or 5% - again, whichever is higher - is removed for the doorman. The only exception is if a girl came in after 9 PM, in which case her tip-outs are $5 or 5%, and $3 or 3% respectively.

    After all the girls have changed and done their share of the cleanup, and after all the money has been figured, each girl sits at the bar and is given her envelope of money and chit, where she can count it all and go over the figures. It is understood that she agrees it is correct, unless she speaks up to say otherwise. At that point, she knows that she is then clear to go home. After all girls receive their money, the bartender pulls her register and cashes out for the night and does all her other junk.

    Our only other costs are a tab if we were drinking on one, instead of drinking what was bought by customers - that gets pulled before our tip-outs. And if you were supposed to be scheduled in at a certain time, and were late, you have to pay a $10 late fee out of your tips. If you had a previous night when you were to work and never showed up, you are also docked $40 for a no-show fee.

    We do not have to tip out to the bar, and we do not have a stage fee.

    So you can see that clubs can handle this dramatically different from place to place.

    McCain

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    Default Re: Paying the stage Fee

    It's very simple at my club, at the end of the night we all line up and sit at the bar. The board marker has been recording our dances on a clipboard and in the computer all night. So he punches up the numbers, ringing in a $20 house fee and a $5 drink fee. The computer automatically tallies the club's cut of our dances, about 1/3 of the cost of each dance ($7 per $20 dance, for example). So he says, "Alyssa -- $87." She pays him, they both sign her receipt, then he rings in the numbers for the next dancer and says, "Sydney -- $316."

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    Default Re: Paying the stage Fee

    wow all very intesiting diffrent ways of paying tip out. at the last club i worked at we paid at like 12 to a bouncer that came around with a clip board...(15) and at the end of the night as we were leaving the bouncers lined up and we gave them whatever and of course our dj before that no set minimum for either. now at the club im at now we pay house plus security plus manager all at once your dj is extra. so in this case a set fee to the house and at least 10 to the dj. wow i have worked in a lot of diffrent clubs and they all have been diffrent somewhat but never as strict as having to give all your money to a bartender/manager and collecting at t he end of the night. wow just goes to show you how diffrent it is around the country
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    Default Re: Paying the stage Fee

    Well, at the club I worked at until tonight because I got FIRED, the slimy bastards wait until 1:00 a.m. and announce to the girls, "anyone who hasn't been extorted yet, please see Danny" (I wish)
    If you don't pay then, you pay an extra 5 bucks. the fee is $25.

    I just have to say that I"m fucking FLABBERGASTED that so many of you have to pay out on your dances. I think this is really really disgusting. I"m so so tired of these people sucking our sweat and stealing from us.
    Following you around with a clipboard?????????
    Computers to make sure they don't lose that precious seven dollars?????????????
    I'm ready to blow up a club folks.

    Does anyone else remember when we used to get paid for working? AHHHHH, glory days.
    FUCK.
    christ, I can't wait to take over the world

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    Senior Member Tori's Avatar
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    Default Re: Paying the stage Fee

    I have to say that I am somewhat fortunate to not have to be a freakin accountant to figure out how much I have made each night. Here in New York where I work our table dances were $20 per song until about 2 months ago they are now $15. Those changes were said to be made because of the economy. Most regular customers still pay the $20 and consider the extra $5 a tip.

    All money goes directly to the dancer's hand not a bouncer, manager, bartender,etc.

    The house fee is free on Sundays, $30 Mon-Wed. and $50 Thurs. - Sat. The house fee is expected by midnight but if you don't pay by then there's no extra fee. If you haven't paid by midnight the DJ will call you to the DJ's booth and you automatically know what for.

    The DJ gets a minimum $15 due at the end of your shift or it is much appreciated that you tip him before last call, which is around 2:45 am during the week and 3:45 am on the weekends.

    We rarely tip the bouncers unless they point you in the direction of $$$ or he takes care of a situation for you.

    We also have a house mom. Here minimum tip out is $7. I tip here $8 because I like even numbers. She brings in snacks, toiletries, blow dryers, curlers,etc. She also sells outfits (dresses & gowns) only because that's the dress code here. Unless, it is Wednesdays, which is Theme Day, you can wear whatever. She also does makeup, waxing, hair, alterations and does all the food ordering.

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    Default Re: Paying the stage Fee

    Count your blessings, girls. The system Belinda and Tisane posted about is headed your way sooner or later! But what Belinda and Tisane didn't post is that the clubs have more than likely been keeping track of all of those nightly payouts to each dancer, and the dancers will more than likely find 1099's in their mailbox before the end of the month where the clubs reported those nightly payouts as dancer's income in order to take a deduction for those nightly payouts as a business expense on the club's tax return. I hope you've been paying your estimated taxes every three months throughout last year, girls!

    I also agree with Lena that at upscale clubs in big cities, it's cash up front before they will let you on stage or on the floor. In the case of the most famous upscale clubs like Scores, the nightly stage fee can be $200+. If a girl has a bad night, it's entirely possible to walk out of the club with less money than she walked in with!

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    Default Re: Paying the stage Fee

    At most clubs I've worked in, house/stage fee is generaly required at some point before you leave and you have to chase down the housemom, manager, DJ, etc, to tip them out. Some managers/DJs/housemoms will wait around at or near the door to say goodnight and hopefully collect their tips. Some DJs will bring your CDs to you after your last set or at closing, and you tip him then. House fees and tipouts are almost always cash, and you never see a receipt. At better clubs they have some sort of computerized system where you check in and out, and they do give you a receipt for your house fees and funny money fees. Bar/wait staff are generally tipped at the time of service, unless there is another protocal or they helped you with a customer and you got the customer to tip them.

    At some clubs, they had a fairly elaborate system of checking in and out with the cashier where you signed in with your dancer name and number, and the time. You would cash any funny money and pay house fees to the cashier at checkout, and there was always a line to do this at the end of the night. At one club, we also had to wait until the bouncers made sure the club and parking lot were totally clear of customers, then we lined up with our checkout slips in hand ready to get signed by the manager (and give him his $5 tip) as we walked out the door. At clubs where we are allowed to come and go as we please, we usually have to get a checkout slip from either the DJ or cashier, signed by a manger before we can actually check out to leave. If someone takes off without checking out, the computer shows it next time she tries to check in, and she either gets fined or fired.

    At my current club, we are supposed to pay the house fee before 1am, but on Sunday and Monday nights we get free house fee if we sell a certain amount of dances or VIP's so no one pays until closing on those nights. Anyway, at the end of the night, anyone who's not in private dances or VIP gets dressed upstairs, get funny money and tips ready, then head to the office to cash the funny money. All private dances/VIPs are paid to a bouncer assigned to that area for the night, and we get a ticket for each sale, so we also cash our dance tickets at that time. After cashing out, we wait for the doorman to let us out and hand out any remaining tips on the way out. The DJ keeps a tip jar in the booth, so we just tip him little bits through the night. Some girls put $2-3 in the jar after every set, some put a certain amount after the last set, and I just put whatever I made (minus any big bills) after the 2nd or 3rd set.

    I tip bartenders $1 every time they serve me (when I buy), and I tip waitresses depending on the situation. When a waitress or bouncer points me to a customer, I tip him/her about 10% of whatever I make there, usually right after I finish with him. When I go to VIP, I always have the customer tip the VIP waitress, and if she helps me sell VIP extensions, I tip her accordingly. Anytime a guy I'm sitting with buys drinks, I encourage him to tip her if I see he's not doing so on his own. If I'm with a customer after closing, I tip the bouncer who has to stay late to monitor a few bucks, depending on how long we stayed and how much I made. All this I do right after finishing with that customer, so I don't forget and so it's obvious to the staffmember what they're getting tipped for. I don't tip the manager at my current club, because it is discouraged - manager gets a good salary and a small percentage based on sales. I tip a few dollars to anyone who does something out of the norm for me, at the time of service.

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    Pamela
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    Default Re: Paying the stage Fee

    I tip everyone out at the end of my shift always! Only one club do i have to pay upfront, and at times that can suck. Means more hustling for me, and much more floor work to find customers for a stage dance. End of night, my call on tips. I do tip on the spot for a soda, and customer direction. Pamela
    As i only do stage shows... mopey123

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    Default Re: Paying the stage Fee

    I've never danced but am strongly considering it and this info is very helpful but I have to say, I think it's total [email protected]#%t these clubs make the dancers pay out so much. I totally agree to tip out for good service but a tip is for when people do a really good job or go the extra mile and earn it, not demand it! If it weren't for the dancers, these people wouldn't even have a job there, IMO, most people go to strip clubs to see the girls. Why is it, the dancers are the only ones in the club that have to tip out the other staff? Does the other staff ever tip out the dancers? Like if a dancer helps the bartender make a ton of tips on getting patrons to buy more drinks and to tip the bartender really well? It's not fair that the dancers are working so hard, killing their feet, legs & back for their money and then have to give it away. I hope I don't offend anyone, this is just my opionion, I just think tips should be given when deserved and that goes for all staff members. IMO it should be like the EOE concept, if that makes sense?

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    Default Re: Paying the stage Fee

    Why is it, the dancers are the only ones in the club that have to tip out the other staff?
    Two reasons ... #1 the dancers are usually earning money directly from club customers, whereas the DJ, bouncers etc are not, and #2 the club is usually too cheap to pay the DJ, bouncers etc. a salary unless it is collecting a major percentage of customer private dance / champagne room money up front in order to do so.

    It's not fair that the dancers are working so hard, killing their feet, legs & back for their money and then have to give it away
    Well, there are lots of different potential pay structures where the customer money doesn't go through the hands of the dancer first ... instead the club collects customer money at the cash register, keeps say 50% for club expenses and DJ/bouncer salaries, and then pays the remainder to the dancer. Psychologically this may seem better than directly collecting customer money and then sharing the wealth via tipouts and/or stage fees, but in the final analysis, all that matters is the net amount of money that a dancer leaves the club with at the end of the night.

    To play devil's advocate, your definition of 'their money' is arguably less than objective. Clubowners would contend that in order for a dancer to be able to earn any money at all from customers, a club building with equipment must exist, a DJ and bouncer must be present, the electric and heating bill and property taxes must be paid, a merchant account with credit card processing capability must exist etc. - all of which cost the clubowner money. Therefore the clubowner, and indirectly the DJ and bouncer, are entitled to a share of the dancers' earnings in exchange for the facilities and services which they provide.

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    Default Re: Paying the stage Fee

    Not just the dancers. I waitressed in a club where the wait staff tipped out $25.

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