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A Different Idea Version 2.0

Based on comments here is version 2 of the idea of a different way of running a strip club:

The main things I wanted to address in coming up with a different system are:

1 Getting away from a strict schedule of dances and lineups. They are a pain to manage and dancers hate wasting time working around them. (But you still need to keep the stage occupied so you have to give dancers a reason to hit the stage other than just stage-side tips, which most times in most clubs are meager.

2. Eliminating the routine need for a DJ. They are usually a nussiance to the customer, a cost to the club, and one more tip-out to the dancer.

3. Avoiding the annoyance of an unwanted dancer camping out with a customer. That is a waste of both the dancer's and customer's time and gets in the way of getting the right dancer to the right customer sooner.

The concerns raised version 1 were:

1. The prospect of having to appear undressed side by side with another dancer might be intimidating to the dancer,

2. Dancers whose primary strength is charm rather than looks need to lead with the personal contact.

The System:

This is meant to work in a small to medium size club with a peninsular stage that puts most seats within 30 feet of the stage. The sound levels are reduced enough to allow conversation and to allow a shout from the stage to be heard by those seated.

A 'waitress round' is when the dancer assists the waitresses by going around to the customers and asking if they need anything, want another drink, are having a good time, and other 'small talk' to charm the customers up close. If the club actually has no waitresses the dancer will actually deliver any drinks requested, otherwise she just relays the request to the real waitresses. The dancer is not allowed to sell immediate dances, but should pitch her availability for later dances, such as saying for example ‘I'll be on stage in just a few minutes. Signal me over then and we can talk about a private dance'. The dancer doing the waitress round should not sit with the customer or spend more than a brief time. Waitress rounds are optional but the dancer can do them whenever she wants.

A 'greeter round' is similar to a waitress round except that the dancer goes to the front desk, greets newly arriving customers, and then accompanies them to their seat. The same sort of conversation is allowed with the same limits as a waitress round. Greeter rounds are optional but the dancer can do them whenever she wants.

Centered in the backdrop of the peninsular stage there is a large fancy couch. This is called ‘the bench'. Dancers go to the bench when they are ready to perform. While on the bench they should be supportive of the dancer on stage (applauding, etc) but can otherwise talk with each other, text, wave at the audience etc. But if somebody in the audience beckons them they should point to the pole to indicate that they have to dance first.

As soon as the stage is empty, even in the middle of a song the dancer on the bench the longest gets up comes out to the pole, shouts something like “Hi everyone, I'm (name)” and start dancing. She can dance until somebody in the audience gestures for her to come over, or if they come to the rail to tip she can ask them “want me to come sit with you?” which if answered yes counts the same. Once requested even if the song is not yet ended the dancer can then go to the customer, (at which point the next dancer comes off of the bench) sit with them, and negotiate a private dance. As a general guideline if the customer has not purchased a private dance by the end of the next full song after being called over she should make a polite farewell.

If the dancer does not get beckoned she should continue to the end of the next full song if there is more than one dancer on the bench otherwise to the second full song if there are none. Then she should make and exit. She can then either return to the dressing room (possibly to change makeup/costume), or decide to do a waitress and/or greeter round, or simply return to the bench. If there is a big backlog at the bench the dancers themselves can decide to go two or three off the bench at once, but it is their choice.

If a customer has beckoned a dancer over, not bought a private dance, and then the next time she gets on the stage beckons her again she can pretend not to see it until she is ready to leave the stage.

So on a busy night the girls will be arriving on the couch and coming to the stage very steadily, much faster than in a typical three song set club.