Price Increases and What Mandates Them

27 comments

• Ghostbuster360

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  13 years ago

  Wow...too bad a snitch had to interfere with the free enterprise system. We should boycott the snitch!
• yankee428

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  13 years ago

  1) you write like a stuck up snob, esp with the caps 2) If you are looking for empathy, I think you are in the wrong forum 3) What the fk is up with the dueling unicorns. it's just about the gayest picture I've every seen.
• CTQWERTY

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  13 years ago

  A little hostile on the unicorns. Hope a flame war isn't about to start up. Would that be the same management who needs the music louder than a jackhammer to "create a party atmosphere"? I've been to the Platinum Plus. It's an upscale club with cheap drinks and a Waffle House just down the street--what more could a guy want? Too bad the dancer I had an interest in was servicing everyone else but me! Anyways, several other gals stopped by to fish for business, and they ranged from those discounting to get the business going to some seeking $30 or $40 per song because I was a newbie and they had a high opinion of themselves. Oh well. I wound up watching football on the big screen, the acts on the main stage, and the action in the VIP. Could there possibly be a better setup anywhere?
• snowtime

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  13 years ago

  I have been going to PP for about 4 years. For the first 3yrs. it was common to get dances at a very reasonable 2 for 20 or 2 for 25. As a result most of the cute dancers stayed busy all the time. During that time I saw some very cute (yet very stupid) dancers who wanted $30 or $40 per song. While the 2for20 girls were very busy the 30 and 40 dollar girls were sitting by themselves making no money at all. I must add that my visits were during the daytime only. I am sure that the night girls have always been able to charge a premium. During my recent visits I have noticed the prices creeping up. I was able to get 2 for $30 without much trouble. I can't speak for others, but if the dances become more than 2 for $30 I will not be making my regular 400 mile round trip drive from Atlanta to visit PP. There are more than a few guys who regularly visit PP from Atlanta and I suspect several of them might also reconsider. We can now get very good, fully nude lapdances in Atlanta at several clubs for $10ea. Not a lot of incentive to travel if PP keeps the prices up. Also, I am somewhat puzzled why management would want the price of dances to increase. As I understand it, they do not get a cut of any dances in the lap dance areas. As such, they are only decreasing the amount of dollars a customer has to spend on drinks or the Champagne room for which they do get a cut. In addition, their door revenue will decrease if previous customers like myself decide to go elsewhere. Doesn't seem to be any reason management would want the dance prices to double or more.
• gsv

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  13 years ago

  I know that in some clubs management wants to regulate prices to prevent competition between girls on a price basis - this results in more complaints from the girls, which they're simply trying to avoid.
• Jmoney007

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  13 years ago

  gsv is right, i think in this case its the girls thats sitting around not getting dances at the 30-40$ price that is complaining to managment is what cause the price hike, this is nothing new in the SC world. girls who give out extras face this all the time, they do extras and guys come looking for the ones that do extras but since the extras stripper may be busy, guys then try to talk the non extras strippers into giving extras, witch then puts pressure on non extras strippers to provide said extras when they dont want to. so what the non extras strippers do is instead of going with the flow or just leaving well enough alone, they all get together and force management to crack down on extras strippers so that they all have to play by the same rules, this way all the strippers who are loosing money for not providing extras can rest easy knowing that the extras strippers cant provide extras anymore if they want to keep working there, so the non extras strippers can once again do what they do best and give air dances and rip us off. i know that this wasn't about extras being provided but if you look at it in that prospective then it all makes sense, just replace extras with extra dances and it comes together like a 4 piece jigsaw puzzle.
• Rlionheart

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  13 years ago

  Hey Avalons07 Thanks for the insight Contractors have to operate within the limits set by the business. I bet you are still a bargain a 1:20 Rl
• Alucard

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  13 years ago

  "1) you write like a stuck up snob, esp with the caps 2) If you are looking for empathy, I think you are in the wrong forum 3) What the fk is up with the dueling unicorns. it's just about the gayest picture I've every seen" You are UNREAL (Caps ON purpose)!!!
• minnow

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  13 years ago

  "No girl should be performing dances for less than $20, period". Regular LD's 30-40?? Seems to me that dancers who just charge $20 will still get more dances than those who stick with 30 or 40. Mons Venus, one of the top 10 clubs, has a posted, "dances $20-$30, negotiable. Many dancers will charge 25 or 30 for single dance, but offer a volume discount, with anywhere from 3-5 dances triggering the $20/dance price point.
• avalons07

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  13 years ago

  Glad to see that so many of you have posted comments regarding this topic. I certainly hadn't expected such a platitude of remarks regarding the poor innocent avatars also known as the unicorns. All things beings considered, I appreciate the feedback. Minnow, Jmoney, and Rlionheart seem to be big picture thinkers in the grad scheme of things. It is certainly true that dance prices do vary from place to place city to city. However, what one really must consider is what kind of dance is a person getting? Is it contact, is it merely a table dance? Are the dances that you are receiving truly comparable? When I say comparable, by that I mean for example some time ago to my understanding it was a common occurence for dancers at PP to give 'table dances'. That is now a rare occurence. Does that mean that table dances are no longer performed or offered? Absolutely not! It just means that the DEMAND for PRIVATE lap dances has INCREASED! So, therefore prices and the NEED for PRIVACY has increased. I have performed at PP for 1.5 yrs in that time, I have only performed a total of less than 10 total table dances. In fact, table dances are very frequently, if ever requested. As far as volume discounts for preferred regulars, that is completely up to the girl and the client. As far as mgmt. intervention is concerned, when you have 'bottom tiered girls' who are newbies or are new hires who are willing to wheel and deal to the detriment of others then obviously something has to be done to keep things on an even playing field. Happy Lapping! I mean having said that, in certain clubs in Vegas (Diamonds and Little Darlings for example) they do $1 dances as 'teasers' to entice the custies to go to the bk room a.k.a. the champagne v.i.p. room. How would I know? Because I have worked there. It is like a 10 second dance and then the d.j. cuts the music off and then you switch to the next guy and musical chair type thing, so this goes on for like 3-4 minutes like a 2-1.
• rob0411

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  13 years ago

  I've been coming to PP Columbia for pretty close to 6 years now. In my early days, it truly was 2 for 1 - $20 for a single dance, $20 for 2 dances. After awhile it was $20 for 1, $30 for 2 - not truly 2 for 1, but something less than $20 per dance. Now it's 2 for $40, or back to $20 per dance. I'll ignore the young ladies who ask $30 or $40 per dance, because I also ignore them in the club. Like many of the customers that are afternoon attendees, I'm retired and on a fixed income. I set aside some amount for every visit, and that's what I spend. The amount includes a rental car for the 400+ mile round trip, gas, drinks and dances. The 33% increase in prices just means I get 1/3 fewer dances. When the number of dances no longer makes it worthwhile to make the trip, I'll stop coming to the club. I'm not sure how supply and demand drives the price increases. My observation is that both supply and demand have decreased over the years - there are not as many dancers and not as many customers. I think economics has driven the demand (customer base) down; and if girls can't make money because of lack of customers, they find other employent, driving down the number of dancers - and it's a vicious circle, less dancers result in less customers. It looks to me more like price elasticity is the issue, and it looks like the industry is bumping up against some limits there.
• snowtime

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  12 years ago

  I don't understand your statement that DEMAND for lap dances at PP has gone up. I suspect that if anything it has gone down in the 4 years I have been going. I agree with you that tableside dances are rare at PP. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen one. However, I fail to see what the lack of tableside dances has to do with the demand for lap dances. No connection between the two since tableside dances are almost non existant. I also have a problem with your statement that new hired girls are charging less than other girls. Why is that a bad thing? I thought that in America competition was supposed to be a good thing. If these girls are not attractive or provide inferior dances then they will not affect your income at all because the customers will not use their services. Sounds like you want a union like atmosphere where the wages (i.e. dance prices) are artificially inflated by union ([view link]) regulated prices. I suggest you consider the auto and other highly unionized enterprises which have seen their business evaporate because of artificially high wages. I hope you will reconsider the notion that capitalism (i. e. competition) is such a bad thing. In the end, supply and demand will on their own set prices at the proper level. My guess on the PP plus situation is that the regulated dance prices will not last. I think that the club will realize after a few months that customers will find other venues or reduce the number of trips they make to the club. In the short run the dancers may benefit from the higher dance prices, but in the long run I think it will hurt the better dancers rather than help them. In summary, I would suggest that the reason PP has been the "go to" club in Columbia is because the club offered attractive dancers, cheap admission, and cheap lap dances. That is a formula which has worked for them for many years. It is the very reason many of us drive several hours to visit the club. I would suggest that if the formula is drastically changed that the business will suffer. I suspect time will tell how business is, or is not, affected. I certainly have no evidence to support my argument but I can say that two other regular PP visitors that I know have also suggested they would limit their club visits if the new prices continue.
• mmdv26

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  12 years ago

  .....no girl should be performing dances for less than 20 a dance period. End of question. Do I understand that management is suggesting that you inflate your price to $40 per dance so as to net $20 during a 2 for 1?? That's pretty crazy thinking. Why not just eliminate 2 for 1's...and the DJ as well, since then he'll have no purpose whatsoever. What is being peddled in a strip club is not dances, but rather some degree of satisfaction. It includes the vibe between the custy and the dancer, the dollars being exchanged for it and a whole lot of other things like how cold the beer is and when was the last time the guy...well, you know. There is no sticker shock! Guys will not pay more than $20 for a unit of satisfaction...never have and never will :) So throw out your BS about supply and demand, because here is how it really works: if the rate for the amount of time (song) goes up, then the concentration of satisfaction delivery must go up as well. This doesn't mean dancing faster, it means adding extra "satisfiers", to the performance. If you raise your rate to $40, your demand for a soft chair to sit on will go up because your supply of custy laps to sit on will go down. Remember that the chair has no money.
• shadowcat

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  12 years ago

  From my last Platinum Plus review "I'll just touch on the dance pricing. They are up! Apparently the fuglies and low mileage dancers, who were not making good money, complained to management that they were being undercut price wise. Management being the wusses that they are gave in. Under the threat of firing. the girls are now told to not do dances for less than $20 a piece. As a result MOST dancers are now quoting one for $30 or 2 for $40.Some negoations are still possible and there are some dancers that apparently did not get the word and are still charging 2 for $20-30. The bad new is that the good dancers are making the higher prices and the bad dancers are still not making good money. The best that I can say about this is that at $20 a dance it puts the club more in line with prices nationally. For me personally it has lowered the clubs value to me and I may start making fewer trips there. I have clubs in Atlanta that are now offering greater value along with high mileage."
• Clubber

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  12 years ago

  avalon, I have seen the $1 dances once, in Austin, TX. I was surprised I'd never experienced or even heard of them. I have to say I liked the idea. In a span of one song about 5-6 dancers would dance a bit then move on. I told one to come back when she could. She did and that $1 dance got her 4 regular ones, and they were overpriced for what I am used to in S. Florida. Speaking of S. Florida, I can faintly hear Key West calling out, Avalon, oh Avalon, please visit down here! :)
• crecat03

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  12 years ago

  I'm another of the Atlanta people who visits Platinum Plus semi-regularly (although mostly during business trips) and was there this afternoon. Prices seemed to be the same as they've been in the 2 years I've been going. I got excellent 2 for $30 dances from 2 girls and my total newbie friend paid 2 for $35. I was afraid he would get ripped off because he went innovative with someone before I told him to insist on 2/30. If dancers quit offering that price or lower the contact, I may only visit once per trip instead of twice.
• bang69

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  12 years ago

  be ware of the ROB"S
• uscue13

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  12 years ago

  Clubber, I actually saw the $1 dance at PP a month or two ago but only once. It was new to me, but the girls just went around for $1 table dances for about 30 seconds in a musical chairs thing. Avalon, did you suggest that? I've met Avalon and she's a great dancer with a personality to go along with it, something that's becoming more rare in my opinion. I agree with shadow's review of the club in general, my recent trips have seen that my normal 2/20 is now mostly 2/30 instead of the mandated 2/40. Along with what seems the rest of the guys, driving the price up for the same service is only going to make me spend less that I previously was. I used to go to the club and get dances from a lot of different girls all day. Now I'm more selective in who I get dances from and when I get them. Instead of trying out new girls to me and spreading the wealth, now I'm sticking with one or two that I know I enjoy and leave it at that. Avalon, since the management set their rules, have girls (in general, no need to speak about your personal experience) seen an increase in revenue? From what I see, the club is a lot more bare than it used to be, people are tipping at the stage VERY RARELY, and people are getting dances a lot less. It is very different from what I was used to seeing there a year or two ago. I noticed PP has implemented a lot of new nightly specials with the new year to try and get those customers back - there seems to be a different drink special every night starting in 2012. But will the dancers benefit from this or just the club with people buying drinks and still not biting on 20/dance.
• Bonesbrother

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  12 years ago

  Supply and demand does regulate a lot of prices, but ONLY and I repeat ONLY on 'purchases of staple items' not 'services'. And prices should not be regulated on 'strip club services' because it is not a necessity of life like 'staples'. Same goes for massages. We can live without massages. Unfortunately, we can live without strip clubs as far as that goes. These type of "nicety" type services should be going DOWN in price instead of UP because people aren't going to pay more for something they can do without! If anything, clubs should be looking to advertise 2fer1s or even 3fer1s every hour on the hour, in addition to extending happy hours, reduce or eliminate cover charges, etc. Management makes their money from the bar and cover, not the girls (unless there is a one time house fee to dance). Let the dancers settle their own price negotiations. It could only help us, the clients. And an INDEPENDENT dancer (being independent) should be able to charge what SHE wants, not the contractor!(club) There will always be "snitch" dancers in any club. Either rough them up a bit to stop or learn to work with them! It all comes down to one thing. Certain dancers does not want to put out more for the higher prices. So, let the sleazier (mileage) dancers continue raking in the money!!! Avalos0-7 speaks of 'new hires willing to wheel and deal'. That's the name of the game!!! These dancers are self-employed and have every right to wheel and deal. It's their living!
• shadowcat

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  12 years ago

  Isn't price fixing illegal? Imagine the uproar if all gas stations suddenly put a minimum price of $4 on a gallon.
• snowtime

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  12 years ago

  Yes, Shadowcat price fixing is illegal if a group of businesses get together and decide to set a minimum price. The case involving dancers in a stripclub is a little bit different since it is unclear whether the dancers are employees or independent contrators. This issue is being litigated in many areas and in most cases the result is that the dancers are employees. If they are indeed employees then the employer DOES have a right to set dance prices just like he sets the adnmissin fee and drink prices. That being said, I see NO reason the owners of PP would want to regulate dance prices, since they receive NONE of the money from them. Based on the other comments to this article I suspect the club will not continue to set minimum dance prices if the customers tend to reduce their number of visits because of the higher dance prices. Simple supply and demand. If the demand (customers visiting PP) falls, then the prices of dances will go DOWN not up.
• janetren69

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  12 years ago

  If girls charge too little for dances, not only is it silly because the girl is worth more than that (not to mention the time and money we GOOD strippers put into our hair, makeup, dancing skills, freshness down there, conversational skills, nails, super soft skin, dancer outfits, dancer shoes, house fees, tip outs, late nights, etcetera), it is unfair to herself and the other girls. There has to be a minimum. Period. Or things get out of hand, and if the prices get too low, what attractive girl will actually want to take her clothes off for strangers and do whatever it is that she chooses to do for the guy, coming home with sore knees, legs, feet, back, etcetera from for not enough money? (Tho the $1 dances for maybe 10 seconds or so as a teaser, I can understand.) And besides, 99% of the guys I have met have no problem with that price at all. If a guy thinks $20 is too high for a lap dance from a highly attractive female, then I suggest he go to the mall and try to find other highly attractive females that he can just point and pick and say "Excuse me miss, you wanna get butt naked and gimme a lap dance, rub your titties on my dick, etcetera?" and see how well that fares. In my experience so far, the clubs that charge too low usually have lower standards for the girls that can work there or dances that aren't worth the money (tho I will say that sometimes clubs that charge higher have air dances as well). This seems to, in turn, attract cheaper guys, thus repelling attractive girls who, while they may be willing to put more into their dances or give extras, will never do it for such a cheap price, and they know that they can make more money elsewhere. I am sure there are exceptions somewhere, but so far, this is what I have seen. This then leads to customers coming complaining that they want hotter girls but do not want to spend enough money on the club or the girls, which means that girls get hit harder with house fees, and make less money, so many leave, especially the attractive ones who often times say that it is "degrading" to work for so little and that they will never come back again. So then that club tries to stay in business in an atmosphere where there are not enough guys with money to help fund their own entertainment coming in to keep the club operating smoothly. Attractive, personable girls don't have to strip to make good money on their appearance. They can bartend, work in a Casino, waitress at Hooters or Flying Saucer, waitress topless, pose nude, webcam, be a shot girl at a busy night club, find a sugar daddy who they may or may not hook up with, etcetera, most of that without ever even touching a guy at all. So knowing that, why would any attractive woman keep basically having intimacy and simulated sex (or more) with a guy for cheap? And what would inspire her to do any extra? If dance prices ever got too low, I definitely would peace out and do something else, and possibly make more, depending on the city and the situation. Sex should sell, and the only reason anything in that industry should be really cheap is if your girl presents herself as someone cheap and unappealing and doesn't give you your fantasy.
• shadowcat

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  12 years ago

  The reason attracrive, personable girls strip is because they can't make good money doing anything else. They have no skills, education, etc. Many got themselves into bad personal lives, Loser boyfriends, kids, drugs. It's all they have. Which just complicates their situations.The more attractive dancers can usually get higher prices just on their looks. The fuglies can't. So they cut the competiton with prices and extras. They take customers away from the other dancers. Fixing prices restrains free competition. The attractive dancers can still demand higher prices leaving the others out in the cold. This all falls on the customer. Pay it or go elsewhere. So where the fuck do you go in Columbia. Other than Heartbreakers, with the same policies? 95% of the customers are locals. They don't know any better because they haven't been any where else. The other 5% are traveling long distances to get there because of what the club used to [view link] why should I travel 240 miles when I can get better value right here. 40 Clubs in competition with each other. How many dancers is that? I can remember 4 years ago when PP was rated #4 or 5 on TUSCL. There were plenty of hot dancers working there and they were making good money charging 2 for $20. Ok. I'll buy some inflation and don't mind paying 2 for $30 from an attractive dancer that shows me a good time. It is obvious from all the promotions the club is now running, that business is down. Don't try to tell me that dance prices are not playing a part in that. Here is may take on the current dancer staff: 50% are fulglies. Fat or ulgly, etc Of the remaining 50%, half of those won't give me the time of day. They are waiting for there big spender regulars. Of the 25% remaining, half do not do good dances. That leaves 12 1/2%. Of those left, half want very high prices. That leave me with 6 1/4 % of the available dancers to share with all of the other customers. The club won't miss the 5% that drive a long distace and the number of people reading TUSCL is so small that it has no impact. But if you want to chage me 30-40% more, you better start giving me a hell of a lot more for it. I have hosted 2 TUSCL conventions at PP because it used to be a great club. I doubt that I will ever host another one there.
• janetren69

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  12 years ago

  Then don't go there since it clearly upsets you so much and you have so many silly stereotypes about what a dancer is and is not :-]. Have fun wherever you are. *Muah*.
• uscue13

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  12 years ago

  Janetren, in your experience working there, has business started to decline a lot more than it was two or three years ago?
• skibum609

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  12 years ago

  Providence used to be home to the $1 dance whichwere called "cabarets". Aftera dancer finished her set she could do cabarets throughout the crowd. Depending on the club they ranged from a mild grind to very serious contact. With the advent of the CR and the fees management can receive, the cabarets have disappeared. Its hurt the dancers because it wasn't unusual after tipping a few dollars to just take that dancer private. 2/25 dances stil exist days at Club Fantasies in Providence on Sun; Mon; and Tues days and in Massachusetts at 2/35 (nude) all day Sun; Mon; and Tues. One would think that this would me an lower dancer quality, but it hasn't in this economy. 2/25 is still more money than 0/0. I wil never understand clubs that allow dancers to set their own price as it leads to rip-offs. One club in Providence does this and my number of visits there since it started is zero.
• pop

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  12 years ago

  The PP formula is to get about 100 girls in there every day paying the shift fee. That's how they really make their money. They have to convince these girls that they can really make money to get them to pay the 40 bucks to walk in the door.