Tipping the bird dogs?

8 comments

• chitownlawyer

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  18 years ago

  Nj Pete has the right answer. If there is no overage on the payment, there is no change for him to go after (although the truly persistent ones might try another gambit).
• chandler

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  18 years ago

  I wouldn't tip a bird dog because, for one thing, he'd expect a tip from me every time from then on. In fact, like a blackmailer, he'd probably start demanding a higher tip for the same level of lenience. I know of strippers who tip the bouncers in order to get away with more. I know of a few who fuck the bouncers, too, but that's carrying it too far, in my humble opinion.
• nj_pete

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  18 years ago

  I agree with all you guys, tipping birddogs unless you have na understandinghtta they will leave you alone is nuts, especially as Clintown said, on the way out of VIP. What I do to advoid the "do you need change" question is always have prenty of, singles, fives and tens (plus of course 20's!) with me, especially if you pay in advance for dances and then feel a $5 or $10 tip to the girls is appropriate, then you donlt have to ask for change.
• minnow

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  18 years ago

  "Whats next--tipping dj's for playing songs". To that annoyance, I'd add "paying lot attendant, even if you self park". Yes, I'll happily drop a few Ben's for a great VIP, but getting nicked a few bucks for things with little or no add on value rankles.
• Book Guy

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  18 years ago

  Stories like that, remind me that we customers sometimes do have power. I kind of feel bad for the beer vendor (it's a crappy job after all) but hey, if he didn't know he was in a setting in which men might be difficult (selling beer!!? at a SPORTS event!!?) then he needed to find out. If only that jerk at the car wash could have come through for me like that ...
• Clubber

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  18 years ago

  Reminds Nothing to do with strip clubs, but this is a tipping thread. Reminds me of a true story, many years ago. I was at an exhibition baseball game at Joe Robbie stadium in Miami. This was before the Florida Marlins. A man sitting in front of our group ordered a couple of beers from a vendor. The vendor hands him the beers and says (I’ve forgotten the exact amount), “That’ll be $7 without the tip.” The customer hands him $7 and says, “Here’s $7 WITH the tip.” The vendor tells him to fuck himself. This sort of upset the customer who got a vending supervisor to visit him. He related the story. The supervisor came back in about 15 minutes and told him they had fired the vendor. Don’t know if they really did, but it made my day!
• chitownlawyer

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  18 years ago

  I can see the pragmatic reasons for tipping "bird dogs", and will add those reasons to the analysis. However, two factors in this particular case indicate that this was just a shake-down: 1. The "bird dog" in question had not been in the entry area to the VIP lounge when the dancer and I entered, and he was getting the wristband fee from me _on the way out_. Thus, in this situation, there was nothing to be gained by me in tipping him, as I had already had my dances (and those dances were of typical mileage for this club, so the tip would not have been in consideration "for services previously rendered.") 2. I had never been in VIP with this dancer before, so I had no idea of whether there was the possibility of getting mileage to high that I would have to pay the "security" something for "looking the other way." As I said above, I got the dance that I would expect from this club, but nothing for which I felt I should pay extra. On the other hand, I can certainly see situations in which a $5 or $10 to the "bird dog" would be worthwhile. A couple of years ago, under similar circumstances in My Favorite Club, a dancer new to me said, shortly after we entered the VIP room, "Tip the housemom $10." This was the only time that I have ever done so, and it was definitely worth it, because there then followed the highest mileage dance I have ever gotten at that club. And, in reflection of that experience, I would tip security to "look the other way" if I had some indication that it would pay off. However, making that payment on the mere chance that you will get a high mileage dancer (or a dancer who is, at that moment, inclined to give you a high mileage dance), with no such affirmative indication from the dancer, just seems too speculative to me.
• Book Guy

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  18 years ago

  I think there are plenty of situations in which, if you tip the bird-dog, you'll get left alone in an "extra special way," if you get my drift. So perhaps at thgat club, there were situations in which girls gave extra attention, but only if the security guys were fended off by tips? I also hate it when ANYONE (bird dog or not) asks for a tip. I do tip, and more generously than an average college kid, whenever I'm clubbing. But not to anyone who asks for it. Worst tipping scenario ever. I recently got my car washed, and it turned out (because the Simoniz location had a dysfunctional system) that I ended up sitting around in the customer waiting room for about forty minutes longer than I had needed to. The car was done, they didn't come fetch me, and even after my repeated inquiries were met by people who didn't figure out correctly that the car had been sequested WAY over there where "people who don't pick up their cars in a timely manner" cars go, they STILL didn't find it. When all was finally sorted, three (count 'em) different staff members demanded a tip in rather certain terms. One actually said, "the tip goes in there sir, thank you" as though there weren't a choice in the matter. Amazing. This rude organization is a Simoniz on Mt. Moriah just down the street from Platinum Plus in Memphis. Don't go there. And if you do, when you see idiots gesticulating with a towel, it doesn't mean, "I'm drying off the towel in the air." It means, "I'm not polite enough to walk ten feet, speak plain English, and tell you that your car is done in respectful fashion. Instead I'd rather leave you waiting on your ass for no good reason. And I'll demand a tip when I'm done treating you so poorly, too."