How can they be broke?

I doubt most of it is SS. I tend to take it to a personal level with the strippers I interact with on the regular in the club. One stripper was staying in a not so great motel; saw her key card. Another I became friends with on Facebook and can see how she lives, always asking for a ride, and family drama through the roof. Another I became friends with on Facebook, kids and her are living with her grandparents and she doesn't have a car. Another talking about their mandatory stripper fee just for being there and then I'm there seeing no PL stage tip or get dances. Lastly, the stripper who's telling me about the fees tells me another stripper got let go because she could never pay her fee.

I've often wondered the same jayhawk, but some are better hustlers than others and show up on time or whatever makes them a winner.

Because they are scattered, and living poorly, not having the business sense to keep their earnings up. I can feel sympathy, but I'm not their paycheck. They just have to learn to manage themself.

Not sure but they need their mouth full

How can they be broke? That's a question we all ask when we see how much money comes into strippers' hands and how little they have to show for it.

I see a similarity with professional athletes, many of whom earn millions of dollars and end up in bankruptcy. Like athletes, strippers are mostly:

1. Not well educated
2. Not very smart
3. Impulsive
4. Attracted to drugs and alcohol
5. Surrounded by people who sponge off them


And like athletes, strippers have the best earning years when they are young. By the time they have matured and gained a little sense, they have lost some attractiveness and don't have dollars flowing over them.

In some cases, it's simply poor money management. Even if they aren't making as much as they like, there's no way they should be broke. Maybe if they were supporting 6 people, perhaps they'd be low on funds. But that obviously isn't likely. It just comes down to poor decision making. Just because you can make the money, doesn't mean you can manage. Just ask some pro athletes

Not sure I agree with Jack about not being smart. A lot of this boils down to having weak parenting, weak mentoring, in the background.

Yes, I've run into dancers whose cell phone was turned off.

Remember it is "CASH".. uncapped daily income.. IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION.
Dancers caught up in the "lifestyle" ..drugs, alcohol, etc always have cash on hand or the ability to go earn it. You or me or anyone else not on commission can only earn "X" dollars per paycheck period. For most of them paying the bills on time is not a priority. Very few of them deal with banks or could even qualify to open an account. So they pay bills with money orders, western unions, and cash. This takes extra effort. The ones I have known that do have the cash, still routinely pay the rent, electric and phone late even though they have the money and bank account.
I do not understand risking that especially if they have kids. So with the ability to take vacations routinely, have cash burning holes in their pockets, and the ability to just show up at most clubs and work to make more money..maybe this might give some insight

I had this discussion with a someone recently. She claims she doesn't do drugs. I think she means she doesn't do them daily.

She couldn't understand it either.. She made 600 for that night. Except she didn't. She made 580. House fees and tip outs brought her to under 500. But she still thought she made 600.

She has her own place at 1500 a month. She pays utilities. She has two cars. One is an accord. It is paid for and she uses it for work. She did not consider the insurance, maintenance or registration fees because it is paid for so it must be free. She leases a BMW for when she goes out. She was planning on buying a new 2000+ hand bag. Her late fees and interest were staggering.

By the end of the conversation, I realized she never considers her bills under 100 or the bills that hit once or twice a year.

She rounds up her income, doesn't subtract the expenses incurred to earn that income, has no idea how much she really pays out to live and prioritizes luxury items before anything else. She has no savings account so she cannot take from last month's surplus.

She never learned to budget because any time she was short, she called a PL or two and they bailed her out with a "loan" , a gift, extra dances or payment for extras.

Her problem could be solved with a piece of paper, a pencil and simple arithmetic.

If they weren't always broke you guys would have nothing to live for, except maybe masturbation and fantasies !

In spite of what some of them say, they do not always make as much money as you are led to believe. I was talking to a Georges dancer that I know well. She just moved into a new apartment for $1200/mo and the day before she left the club with only $100 after tip outs. And she has a teen age daughter to support.

Many don't hustle past the point of getting what they immediately need. They earn a little more than the payout and then leave or just enjoy the rest of the shift.

Definitely not all, but I've seen it often. Very short sighted.

The broke bitches have a drug issue point and simple

It's why they duck old and fat men

Impulsiveness, materialism, alcohol, drugs, and being surrounded by easy money. They live in a different world than most people.

Other than daydreams many strippers have no concept of planning and saving for the future, they live in the moment. Soon as they get money they blow it on drugs, tattoos, clothes, their unemployed boyfriend with no regard for tomorrow.

95% of it is due to the fact that drugs aren't cheap.

Some only use cash. Don't plan or budget and don't understand or care to save anything. Then spend and probably borrow if they have credit cards. I always wondered if my older brother married a former stripper because she doesn't seem to have a clue about saving money and would rather borrow money and go out to eat rather than buy food from the grocery store and cook it. Constantly living your life without managing your income and expenses is a recipe to go broke. It's not just strippers living that foolish lifestyle, it applies to a lot of Americans even some with a husband that had a six figure salary. Even some rich and famous people and many multi million dollar lottery winners have foolishly wasted away all their money. People don't get rich and go broke without knowing and without managing all of their expenses and balancing that with their income. Probably speaking to the choir here because most who have enough money to make strip clubs a hobby have already figured out and covered most of their expenses.

I think everyone's about got it. The reason you, as a PL don't understand it, is because the reason you can afford to go to strip clubs in the first place, is because you are responsible with your choices and your money. The reason strippers are left with stripping as their best (or only) job choice, is because their choices are poor... that doesn't change just because they're bringing money in.

I think beyond the obvious, that have been mentioned over and over -- poor decision making, poor judgement, lack of planning, impulsiveness, drug addiction, etc. -- you shouldn't underestimate the huge impact of:
- lack of good parenting or mentorship. If your parents were shit, and everyone around you was a fuck-up, are you sure you wouldn't be a fuck-up too, since that's the only thing you know?
- Emotional damage. SW seems to go crazy over this, as if it's an unfair myth, but the fact is, easily 90% of the strippers I've gotten to know well, have truly tragic stories to tell about sexual abuse, emotional abuse, etc.
- Perhaps not quite as pervasive, but with a huge number of girls, there's an innate lack of respect for authority that gets manifested in self-destructive behavior

Add that all up, it's less of a mystery... what's surprising to me is the few girls who actually save, invest, stay focused on an exit plan to civilian life, and execute it

The fact that many multi million dollar lottery winners blew almost all of it within 10 years just proves that those who don't manage and plan go broke almost all the time.

Stripper incur quite a few expenses to allow them to work on a nightly basis. Before they even leave the house they may need to pay a baby sitter, if they don't drive cab fare to and from the club. Once there a stage fee, maybe a small tip to the dj for playing her tracks, and some clubs even take a cut out of her dances. Some girls actually need drugs and alcohol just to get in the right frame of mind to work. Add all that up and her fixed nightly costs are already high.

One stripper I know travels in from out of town, two hours away, add in extra costs for meals, gas and hotel, and it's even more for her. She also drinks and does drugs. Has told me many times that she has finished the night with nothing.

sharkhunter: good point. I read a report sometime back that followed a number of lottery winners, so many of them blew through millions to land right back where they started.

@subraman, @shark: it's almost like they *want* to be at a certain (low) level in society?

i think with lottery winners most don't really have any appreciation for how lucky they were. They didn't work for the money or earn it, so it's not surprising they blow it. The powerball here is like almost $400M i may buy one ticket if it is still really high when I need to get gas. If I ever won that much I would most certainly give most of it away after taking care of my family and friends. But I would give it to the charities I want too not whatever the government wants.

Unfortunately things can get worse if they are broke and in debt in retirement years. Then you really are reduced to living on social security, charity, and anything you can bum off of others. I learned that a stupid and lazy wife will likely lead to stupid and lazy kids and leave you in the poorhouse. If they had a girl, she probably would have gotten a job stripping if she had some looks. Probably would have been the hardest working kid among the group.

I knew one older dancer that really busted her ass at work. Was there 7 days a week and was always hustling. She was in her 40's so didn't do many VIPs but she made over $120k a year doing $20 dance after dance.

Since she was close to my age she was cool to talk to. Yes, she had a drug habit but she was an extravagant spender. She had a bunch of kids. So she had like seven TV's. With all the premium channels and extras. I think she paid over $500 a month for cable TV. And she bought cell phones for her whole family. That was like 700 per month. Her baby daddy didn't work. But yet she bought him a Mercedes.

There you go.

I just don't get it.

Motorhead and K both have totally accurate descriptions and explain a lot. I might as well pile on and add my experience.

I knew a stripper who would travel to Vegas on the weekends from a neighboring state. She had wrecked her car and couldn't afford to fix it (she pulled out in front of someone driving her kid to school, I asked "how did you manage to wreck?" and her excuse was "she was tired that morning."
When she had enough money she would fly, a last minute ticket each way was usually under $90 and if she bought a week in advance it was $60, a few weeks in advance could be $45. If I were her, when I got some cash I would book my tickets for the next 4 months straight, but she never thought that far ahead. Tough times had her taking a bus to Vegas.

A weekend in Vegas could have her walking out with $5,000 after all fees and expenses. But at times the next 3 tips sometimes she would even lose money let along make anything. $5,000 a month clear and free isn't too bad of a take right? (those were her worst months btw). But she rented a big house which was $2,200 a month, house was all electric and she lived somewhere cold, had expenses for her kids, and spent probably $300 or more a month at the hair salon, and other beauty expenses such as spray tans, nails, etc.

I had to laugh her nails and hair were impeccable but she would wear clothes when dressed casual that should have been used to wear while doing yard work. I just couldn't believe why she was paying $2,000 a month for a 4 bedroom 4 1/2 bath house when she only had 2 kids and nobody else. Nice house but no furniture and empty fridge. She never "got it."

I have talked to many dancers who will mention they are there to make enough money to pay a bill that is due the next day. For example, they need to take home $350 today to make the car payment. Or they have to make $1200 Friday/Saturday/Sunday to pay rent on Monday. I go to Follies a lot. A girl who works the whole shift and does VIP's can EASILY take home $500 to $1000 a day.

Most of us (if we were strippers) would work all or most of the shift (I understand it is a physically demanding job) and take home as much money as I could. This is what i see. The girl needs to make $350 that day. Maybe I pay her $100 and that brings her to $400 net for the day after only 3 hours. SHE STOPS WORKING! The girl will then sit at the bar or with a regular and drink the rest of the shift or will go home.

I think this is a generational thing. 20somethings, especially those not career-minded, see a job as how they make the money they need to support their life. You work hard or long enough to to pay your bills and have enough to go have fun, and that's it. No savings. No getting ahead.

A friend recently told me he has trouble getting his waitresses to work extra shifts because they think they don't need the money from the extra shift. They make enough to get buy with the hours they already have and that's all they want to work.

They need to add a basic finance course to High School in my opinion instead of English lit crap. Teach about saving for retirement. Go through some course work thinking if I was retired now with only social security, what could I buy to live on? With social security payments likely to be reduced over 20% in another 20 to 30 years, this is stuff the younger generation needs to think about to avoid rough times ahead.
Also teach money management and how to make a budget. I think we would all be better off if more people saved something.

Strippers may have an income problem if the club hires as many dancers as want to work if the money isn't available in the club. I.e., not enough people with money. I remember reading about a dancer law suit against platinum plus claiming they were not even leaving with minimum wages. If that's the case, they should have quit but the club kept hiring every girl who wanted to work. The club was making money off of fees etc the girl had to pay. I've have heard about some dancers not having enough money to pay all the fees. I remember a couple of times, dancers snuck out the fire alarm door never to return.

Great and true points from many of you already. Many strippers and people in general are all about instant gratification. Also, they do have house fees that can be large. The first $50-$100 they make may well be not going in their pocket. And if they have a good night and make $300 then they splurge and go buy some drugs or other stupid crap. Next day back to $0. One lady that I know also has an extraordinary amount of bills because she is paying for her parent's house as well as her own rent. As far as their phones, even when their service is on they get overwhelmed with texts and sometimes do not have time or willingness to respond. Also, asking them when they have time to meet up at the club can be hard because they don't know themselves as they might go in or might not if they don't want to on a given night.

Bags, purses, clothes, trips, and drinks at bars. Yes, hot chicks should drink for free, but as sharkish as these girls are ITC, some thrown money around with their friends recklessly.

Cars and homes. A lot of strippers rent their own places. Many drive brand new cars as soon as the money starts coming in.

Debts: student loans or debts from before stripping.

Family obligations: either baby(s) or deadbeat family members/boyfriends/husbands.

Also, they have to buy their own insurance and get no PTO or sick days. Very few work 40 hours a week, every week. My CF takes at least 4 weeks off a year. So their hourly rate is awesome, but they aren't exactly working a 9 to 5 in terms of hours.

As two popular sayings go:

1) "Easy come easy go"

2) "it's not how much you make but how much you keep"


Most of us get paid bi-weekly so we can more easily adjust our spending - stripping can be feast or famine and many dancers seem to adjust their lifestyle in accordance to their peak earning which Is not consistent - also; for many/most; dancing can be very taxing psychologically and emotionally and often times they either take long breaks or just work minimal shifts - plus many are young thus inexperienced in life and finaces and not exactly class valedictorians - thus a combo of youth and inexperience along w/ no sound financial basis and $$$ windfall means a lot of it goes down the toilet.

I understand alot of your comments. When I go to the club if I have a CF she is almost always the most attractive and popular girl in the club so making the most money. If I don't have a CF I go tip the best looking or two girls and get them to come over. I see them doing lots of dances so know for a fact they are making good money tax free. I know they have tip outs but the clubs I go to it is between $30 and $55. I am surprised that nobody said it is S.S. I think with most the girls I go to see (like I said the popular ones) it is just their S.S. story to try to get somebody to offer to pay to turn phone back on or pay their rent.

"... is just their S.S. story to try to get somebody to offer to pay to turn phone back on ..."

Why did it get cut off in the first place - probably poor money management and thus they are broke - but yeah; strippers will also invent "financial emergencies" and cry wolf to take advantage of well-meaning PLs but them being broke is very common.

they waste it on new tattoos. they usually have kids from different fathers, none of which have jobs, or want to pay child support, so they end up supporting their family all by themselves.
they buy purebread dogs, usually pitbulls, which makes it impossible to find a place to live because of pet fees and dog breed restrictions.
they drive drunk and will often get a dui. so a lot of their money will be spend on court costs, probation, and a new car.
they like to find places to stay that are easily 40 or 50 miles away, so the commute costs them a fortune.
they have a boyfriend in jail, either because of domestic violence, drug sales, or any number of valid charges. so even more money goes to lawyer fees, probation, or child support the boyfriend's other baby-mama.
i've even heard of situations where the boyfriend will come into work with her, wait until she makes some money, and then take her money to buy dances from other girls.

Sometimes it is all lies. It goes beyond S.S., as that is just harmless white lies. These kind of lies are a con game.

But other times it is just because they don't work regularly and because they squander their money.

SJG

"... i've even heard of situations where the boyfriend will come into work with her, wait until she makes some money, and then take her money to buy dances from other girls ..."

Damn - that is cold and douchey - but not totally surprised what shit many of these girls are willing to put up with.

Drugs and being pimped out by their boyfriends.

I'm convinced a lot of them simply don't work enough. They have a good week/weekend whatever and then don't go to work for 5 days. Then they're broke again and the cycle repeats itself.

The money goes through their hands like water. For example I've paid the DS a fortune the last year and a half and I know for a fact that it's all gone. Drugs, boyfriends, parties, friends, theft, its all gone. Including the money other guys besides me paid her to. Unbelievable.