bias, TUSCL readers and strip club customers.

15 comments

• Book Guy

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  18 years ago

  By your definition, I'm closest to a "less-regular regular." I go seldom, but I go in an intelligent way, and maximize both my spending, and my service-benefit from my spending.
• luckyone

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  18 years ago

  I thought the description of "skeezers" was spot on when it comes to describing about half of the people I see at my local clubs. I think it is probably "worse" late in the evenings because I know a lot of people who would never think about going to strip club until they were already drunk from going to another bar. For a lot of people, going to a strip club is a social activity that is engaged in only on rare occasions. Sometimes these people will end up spending a lot of cash and sometimes they will just sit around and drink. I've talked to a lot of dancers who hate these groups but most of them will at least try to go after these guys. With a large number of guys who are drinking, there is always a chance you'll hit the jackpot and someone will empty their bank account under the influence of alcohol and boobies. More often than not, though, it seems like the girls end up getting a few cocktails and not that much else. Beyond that group of occasional visitors, I think you have a couple of types of patrons. There is the "dyed-in-the-wool" regular (this is probably me) who sometimes gets a fair number of dances but often just has a few drinks, tips his favorites on stage and then goes home. Then there is the "less-regular regular" who comes in more than the average joe but spends a lot of cash when he does. He usually has a favorite dancer (or dancers) and they tend to monopolize his time (and he theirs) when he does show up. Most of the people who post here are probably in the last category and almost all would be in the last two categories. The "skeezer" probably isn't spending his spare time on a strip club review site.
• chitownlawyer

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  18 years ago

  Re: the "other" strip club discussion board: a surprising number of dancers that I know read that board. In fact, last week I was party to a conversation in which it was the main topic (the board was brought up by the dancers, not by me). The consensus among dancers was that most of the posts on that board are the product of dancers, not customers (even those that purport to be written by dancers). I have always considered the other board to be the equivalent of graffiti on a bathroom wall. However, dancers tend to read it because it is a free site. Two dancers have asked me to post good reviews for them on the "other board." Re: my impression on dancers. At one club a dancer who was giving me a lap dance kept saying, "You're so clean...you're so clean," which I guess should have given me insight into the club's typical clientele. At Favorite Club, some dancers and customers have said that, while I am welcome there, I would probably have a better time at a glitzier Indy club by the airport. Fortunately, that is my second favorite Indy club. But I go wherever my mood leads me. As those of you familiar with East St. Louis clubs will understand, sometime I am in a PT's mood--sometimes I am in a Dollie's mood. I'm just glad that they are both available options.
• FONDL

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  18 years ago

  I don't mind the girls thinking I'm a skeezer, in fact I kind of prefer it that way so they'll ignore me. Then I can take my time to find one I like and approach her. And when she joins me she'll quickly reclassify me because of the polite way that I treat her. I find that saves a lot of aggravation.
• Book Guy

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  18 years ago

  Darkwolf: one way to prevent dancers from instantly cubby-holing you as a skeezer, is to change your wardrobe. I used to balk at the idea of "dressing up" in some way that wasn't typical, but now I realize that I "favor" myself much more when I'm NOT wearing a knit collar polo shirt and either khakis or jeans. Having upscale shoes, smoking a pipe, not wearing a baseball hat ... it all sends the right signals, whether to a stripper or any other person.
• Darkwolf

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  18 years ago

  I couldn't agree more with the consensus here. I think that the majority of the people are like Book Guy described... and I have to admit that I used to be like that. On the flip side, I am finding myself more irritated by the dancers who automatically put me into that category and try to upsale themselves far more than they deserve. I sometimes attend clubs just to see what is around without partaking too much to do a bit of recon on the club. Sometimes it works out wonderfully and I return with plenty to go around... and other times I wonder if I should return at all or get out of the scene all together. What I am finding is that the more mainstream days I attend, the less likely I am to have a good time. It is pointless to attend a club on a Friday or Saturday night as all of the skeezers are there. Attire is indicative of interest in the place. You see everything from the baseball caps and jeans to the non shaven, still wearing work clothing or sporting attire. And sadly they seem to get the initial attention because they are loud and boisterous. Sad thing is that sometimes you can watch a dancer who has gone into the lions den to show her wares and her facial expressions become all too telling of 'what the hell did I do this for' when the person starts acting like this is a petting zoo. I personally wear decent clothing any time I am going out. I try to make sure that I have a fresh shave and that my clothing matches and that I don't look like a bum. I think I spent more on my shoes than the average person in the club spent on their wardrobe - but I digress. I think that things are turning towards the mainstream and the dancers are allowing it. Not sure where it is taking us but I am up for the ride for at least one more year I guess. Best wishes to all of you for the new year!
• chandler

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  18 years ago

  I've never given much thought to what the average club goer is like. I've assumed TUSCL posters were fairly typical but take strip clubs more seriously.
• Book Guy

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  18 years ago

  My impressions, too. The typical TUSCL post-er (or, REGULAR TUSCL-discussion post-er) is above-average in strip club "style." We know the ropes about how to treat a girl sanely, and how much sanity to expect in reciprocation, and how much money-for-service is a high, low, or average cost. We maximize our strip clubbing. I think MOST strip club patrons are skeezers. This would be a total-per-capita assessment. Out of all the clubs in the country, regardless of volume, regardless of city, who are the men who most often patronize a club with naked women? The vast majority are what I call "skeezers." What's a skeezer? They're there as a "lark" -- a one-off event for them, or a bachelor party, or because they got jilted or didn't score, or because a buddy is in town, or because they're on a business trip. They do not include planning to go to a strip club as a regular portion of their general plans for socializing on nearly any weekend. Skeezers are, in addition, trying to minimize expense. They'll buy a lapper ONLY if push-comes-to-shove (har har) and they just can't resist the ONE girl in the club who is just utterly irresistible to them (their "perfect" girl -- and they might not see one of them every night). Otherwise, they will tip maybe $1 at a stage-side once, then feel that this is silly. They round the drink price up by the remainder change to make it an even dollar, but don't tip any more than that. (Beer for $4.75 means they pay $5, then $5, then $5, then MAYBE $6 at the end of the night.) They wear polo shirts and jeans. They are aged 18 to 28, many still in a university or community college. They wear baseball caps. Their shoes are white leather or faux-leather athletic "cross trainers" or basketball style. They are Caucasian, sometimes Asian depending on the city. They work professional office-bound low-level (but not necessarily low-paid) jobs -- law clerk, real estate appraiser, car salesman, graphic design production coordinator, computer programmer, MCSE A+ C++. They are single. They don't have girlfriends. They play softball or tennis, drive sedans or pickups recently bought on time, don't own a home (yet), wear conformist clothes, didn't shave, didn't plan on getting lappers (note the blue jeans), are mildly embarrassed to be there, talk a good "family values" game whenever politics comes up, think girls who strip are "cheap," and hope to settle down and marry someone as hot as a stripper some day. They dine at Ruby Tuesdays and wear tightie whiteys. They drink the beer that is on special, out of longnecks, because they don't give a damn (and because fancy beer from a tap is for when you can pay attention to it or at least impress a girl with it), spend too much on CDs and not enough on clothes, and basically don't know that there's a "system" designed to keep the lower middle class DOWN. They can't believe someone would disagree with the invasion of Iraq (hey man that's our MILITARY don't you FUCK with it) and they don't vote. They can't name the Vice President or the Secretary of State, they think a certificate in "Hotel Management" is a legitimate college education (whether or not they've got one), and Doonesbury bores them (too many words, not enough jokes). But then, Heathcliff and Kathy bore them more. They prefer clubs in "safe" areas of town. Strippers see them and get frustrated, because basically the skeezer attitude toward money is, "You aren't worth a dime, honey, but I'm going to try to get my hands all over you anyway." They don't know how to offer fair price for play and don't understand that trying to lower the price can be taken, by the professional involved in the exchange, as an insult to her personality and worth as a human being. They call strippers "sluts" and "whores" and then love to have their cocks stroked by them. I actually see fewer skeezers than I do "grown ups" at the clubs I go to, the times I go. But it has to be admitted, that these people form the vast majority of clubbing patrons. Just drop in on a "high volume" club in Las Vegas or a major metro area (LA? Chicago) and look around. They are our future. :(
• nothumbs

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  18 years ago

  I went to a club I haven't frequented for a while, but really enjoy. I was talking to a girl and I told her what I did for a living. The bartender said, "man, we don't get many smart people like you in here." This kind of supports what I hear from the dancers, that I'm an atypical customer. I get the impression that the typical TUSCL poster is a generally professional person and understands how to behave in a club.
• FONDL

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  18 years ago

  I think the most common customers are older (50+) mostly blue-collar guys who sit sipping beer for hours on end watching girls dance without ever buying private dances or tipping very much, probably because they can't afford it. Seems like every club I've ever gone into has some of those, and in the small neighborhood places, of which there are probably more than any other type of strip club, that's almost all there is. And I doubt if anyone like that is represented here. So yes, we are atypical.
• motorhead

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  18 years ago

  Interesting question. I probably know the other strip club review site you are referring too, and yes, the comments on TUSCL vs. their reviews are like polar opposites. It is a complex question with no simple answer. Each club seems to have their own unique set of customers, and although the customers may be vastly different, I have had equally enjoyable times. Each club/town is different. A well-known Tampa club seems to be dominated by white, middle-aged, professionals travelling there on business. Most of the customers in a club in a college-town that I visit are young guys with no money. Another club near Chicago is a real mix of professionals, working guys, and Mexicans. One of the upscale Detroit airport clubs is full of well-dressed, wealthy guys but another club in central Indiana is dominated by blue-collar factory workers and NASCAR fans. Yet, I have had lots of fun at each and everyone of these clubs. So, it is difficult to make a single statement of customers.
• minnow

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  18 years ago

  As a % of total no. of SC customers, I would say that tuscl members are in the minority. However, in total no. of SC visits, and/or SC revenue generated, I strongly suspect that tuscler's represent a not so minor bloc. Yes, NJP, I agree that SCL posts seem more like 6th grade chat board than a useful info gleaning site for SC patrons. Zbones ok, but not quite as useful as tuscl, still must read between the lines.
• DandyDan

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  18 years ago

  It probably depends on which club you go to. One of the clubs I go to seems to be mostly 20- or 30-something guys with a smattering of older folks. Another seems like it's mostly older gentlemen with some local Joe 6pack types and another seems to always have half the Mexican population of the city its in. I also know two of the clubs I visit regularly get groups of young hotties, but at another of my clubs, the only ladies you see are dancers or waitresses. So I don't think you can really say what the typical customer is. I do think the typical TUSCL reader is in the minority, however.
• AbbieNormal

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  18 years ago

  I'd have to say that while the reasonably affluent reasonably well educated middle aged man that typifies the posters on this board may not be the typical strip club customer he certainly isn't atypical. The majority of the clubs I've been to are more blue colar than buisness professional, but there are many customers I'd assume fit the middle aged professional description based on their appearance and spending. How each group may see things differently is an interesting question, so the bias is very possible. If you consider the poster to be more likely to be better educated and more affluent than the "typical" customer you might want to consider that, but also consider that if the more affluent and educated customer is not rare they may not be the majority of customers, but may make up the bulk of the spending, and therefore the strippers may cater more heavily to them.
• casualguy

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  18 years ago

  Some dancers have strong opinions about this I believe. Who is in a strip club? A simple answer you might hear is those customers spending money and those who aren't. I've heard much further break downs but I don't remember them at the moment. Perhaps it's a bunch of young college age kids without much money to spend, then some older guys with some married and some not married. Then there are couples. I've even seen groups of girls which seems to be new to me since they do not seem to be strippers. Seems a bit strange to me if you're sitting in a men's strip club and you are surrounded by nice looking female customers. It can be nice but something I'm not used to yet especially if the female customers look a lot better than the strippers.