A Question about Strip Club Management
JayJay15
I was at a strip club in Jacksonville, NC, last night, and, among other things, was chatting up a stripper. During the course of her rambling answer to my question, "So how did you become a stripper?", she mentioned how difficult it is to get a stripper job.
One thing that she said was that, when looking for a stripper job, she had called around to a dozen or so clubs to inquire about whether the clubs were hiring, what the work requirements were (i.e., whether she would be required to work a certain number of shifts, whether shifts were assigned, etc.), what house fees were, and so on. She stated that among the dozen or so clubs she had called, only two had actually answered her perfectly legitimate questions. The remainder had refused to talk to her about anything and insisted that she visit the club and apply prior to getting her questions answered.
Now, no legitimate business functions this way. If the bank is hiring, they take out an ad in the paper and explain whether the job is full- or part-time, whether a degree or certain level of experience is required, or whatever. A legitimate business with a job opening will field a phone call about the job without requiring someone to come in and apply for the job before learning more about the job.
Given that most strippers I have talked to are working a long way from their hometown (As one stripper once told me, "You don't sh*t in the box you sleep in."), this seems particularly ridiculous. Why should a girl have to drive two hours round-trip just to learn (for instance) if the scheduling scheme of the strip club is going to consistently butt up against her "regular" job?
The fact that, according to this stripper, the vast majority of her contacts are doing this to the general inquiring female public tells me that this is a part of strip club management. These people are trying to do something by this apparently asinine type of behavior. But what is it they are trying to accomplish?
Does anyone know what is behind this (apparently) outrageous practice?
One thing that she said was that, when looking for a stripper job, she had called around to a dozen or so clubs to inquire about whether the clubs were hiring, what the work requirements were (i.e., whether she would be required to work a certain number of shifts, whether shifts were assigned, etc.), what house fees were, and so on. She stated that among the dozen or so clubs she had called, only two had actually answered her perfectly legitimate questions. The remainder had refused to talk to her about anything and insisted that she visit the club and apply prior to getting her questions answered.
Now, no legitimate business functions this way. If the bank is hiring, they take out an ad in the paper and explain whether the job is full- or part-time, whether a degree or certain level of experience is required, or whatever. A legitimate business with a job opening will field a phone call about the job without requiring someone to come in and apply for the job before learning more about the job.
Given that most strippers I have talked to are working a long way from their hometown (As one stripper once told me, "You don't sh*t in the box you sleep in."), this seems particularly ridiculous. Why should a girl have to drive two hours round-trip just to learn (for instance) if the scheduling scheme of the strip club is going to consistently butt up against her "regular" job?
The fact that, according to this stripper, the vast majority of her contacts are doing this to the general inquiring female public tells me that this is a part of strip club management. These people are trying to do something by this apparently asinine type of behavior. But what is it they are trying to accomplish?
Does anyone know what is behind this (apparently) outrageous practice?
26 comments
If a girl gets the information, shows up, and doesn't pass muster, they can always refuse to hire them on whatever grounds they would normally reject them when they tell them to come in and apply anyway. Even the incredibly subjective pretext, "Your dancing is not up to snuff for this club" or whatever.
Sounds plausible. Thanks. But I can assure you that the stripper I was talking to last night did not appear to know that. She must be new.
SCs – and everything else that goes w/ them – are barely on the borderline of “legitimacy†– one should really not expect much – it is what it is.
Do not assume that strip clubs are legitimate businesses.
As to strippers living a long distance from their job--yes, that's common. They don't want to risk the potential embarrassment of being seen working in a strip club, close to home, by people they know. I can recall a couple of stories about dancers who did have that happen to them. Long commutes to work are common for dancers. (But, not here in Seattle, from many that I've known.)
- Did she call at 11 pm on a Friday, talk to a busy bouncer or bartender, etc? - there's a huge amount of information prices, rules, shifts, etc. that have to be weighed at every club and it's not as simple as the dry numbers. A dancer who thinks that you can weigh the details against each other is an unexperienced dancer. A club might be the most expensive with house fees, but no staff expect tips, they have great security and they have much more business than anyone else. Another club might be cheap and flexible, but have no cameras or rules so you have to be willing to do extras to make any money. At some clubs, customers are used to tipping a lot, at some clubs no one tips for rooms or dances. You shouldn't need to ask more than 2 or 3 questions. - Schedules can usually be flexible... for the right dancer, so clubs don't want to tell a pleasant, smart, hot hard working dancer that they have strict scheduling rules. They also don't want to tell a dancer that schedules are flexible, then realize she is a better *ahem* fit for weekdays or day shifts. I can only work two evenings a week, but I don't tell clubs until I'm there and they see that I'll be an asset to the company anyway.
We never discuss house fees cost of dances or any details about how the club functions overall.
We get a lot of calls every day about girls looking for work, but in the end if they don't show up in person it's all irrelevant.
And call me old fashioned, but if I want a job I'm going to show up in person to apply for it. In past jobs where I've been a manager, I'm simply not interested in hiring anyone who can't be bothered to haul their lazy ass to the business in question.
At a club they care about your looks, your moves, and whether you are OK with getting naked in front of strangers. Messing around with the merely curious is a waste of time. So they have regular audition times prior to opening or they just ask dancers to come to the 'amateur contest' night.
I'm very curious because this strip club and 2 or 3 other strip joints have all been either sued or shut down, or just shut down or sued and reopended.
The stripping industry is unlike most, and the management can vary from completely professional, or to a close family-style environment, or to completely corrupt.
It's a titty bar, not corporate America.
:)