Reversing club decline

IDK the answer.

But it seems too many people running clubs don't know what the f*** they are doing and w/ time alienate most custies and even worse most dancers.

Some clubs also get too-greedy - I get it - they are there to make $$$ - but trying to squeeze all you can from custies, and even worse dancers, often backfires w/ time unless the club just offers a top-notch experience - i.e. "some" clubs can get away with being pricey or the most pricey club in town (both for custies and dancers); but most can't afford not to offer good/fair value for both custies and dancers.

Can a club turn-around; of course - just like crappy management can ruin a good-club; good-management can turn-around a bad-club.

First and foremost IMO a good-club is a club where the dancers wanna be/work there - unhappy dancers will lead to unhappy customers - besides keeping the dancers happy by treating them fairly, if a club is struggling they should consider specials - e.g. "2-for-1 Tuesdays"; or cheaper dances at a certain hour; or just random specials throughout the night; etc

^They needed to either get better girls or get more girls, that seems to be the one factor that causes strip clubs to go downhill. Not to say that other things don’t come into play, but if there is enough girls and they’re happy usually that is a busy club.

When I saw a club decline and bounce back, part of it was treating the dancers better (not gratuitously treating them like shit), part was having the bouncers to ease up in the regular lap dance room (vs. two way dances only officially allowed in the champagne room), and part was lowering the prices for dances.

There was probably more that went into it than that, but without those three things happening, I don't think it would have bounced back like it did.

Of course, it depends on the local market. If other clubs nearby are doing brisk business at $20/dance, one that has declined might have trouble attracting dancers at $10/dance.

The question I would have is what you think could have caused the club started to decline in the first place. If the whole place reeks of bleach and urine, for example, maybe a bathroom remodel would help more than anything.

I dont see how they're sustainable outside of large cities, unless theres a steady stream of tourists or shit

Start going to the next closest strip club until they get their shit together.

The lack of clientele during Sundays and noon to 3pm probably didn't justify the utility bill and employee wages.

Now, if the customer numbers are down on peak nights, then they need to bring in better looking dancers, even if it means charging no house fees to do so. They may need to revaluate their pricing so it is affordable to the average local.

it amazes me the stupid decisions that club management make sometimes. they literally shoot themselves and kill their business.

Yes I've seen clubs turn themselves around. First and foremost, it is always about the talent. Either they need to be very attractive or they need to offer something else (be fun, extras, etc) to keep guys in their seats once they walk in the door. I've sat in countless struggling clubs over the years and, all too often, the problem is as much about retention as it is foot traffic, especially now with the economy improving. Guys walk in, see a sorry state of affairs, and then leave soon thereafter.

I suppose that gimmicks to put asses in seats, like extended Happy Hour, LD promotions, etc., don't hurt either. Free buffets seem to do wonders to bring in day shift and early evening customers. But if the talent is not keeping them around and spending for a while once they're there, then all you're doing is giving away free or reduced price stuff.

Anyway, just my thoughts fwiw.

For one of the clubs I used to visit when I lived in Omaha, their fortunes went up when they stopped making the dancers have to put in a shift during the week in order to work the weekend. I know some girls like to come in during the week, and one of my old favorites would work 5 days a week, but I think most of the girls there hated having to put in a non weekend shift. Another thing they did was more deals during the week, like buy 1, get one free.

To add to my comments about the talent, I agree with others who say that making it easier for the girls to work in a club is a smart move in places where competition for talent is heavy. When you are already making a 300-400% markup on alcohol and collecting cover charges for each guy who walks in, squeezing a small number of girls for 5 to 10 bucks each is just stupid. Also, while we all understand the need to manage schedules, I agree that providing greater scheduling flexibility often leads to better dancer retention.

One of my favorite clubs is a great example of all of this. It has three much larger clubs in close proximity and every other competitive disadvantage that you can imagine. It is less plush and more divey, lacks the kitchen facilities that the other clubs have, is in a worse area and is much farther away from the highway entrances than the other clubs, each of which is right near a highway entrance/exit. Finally, the other clubs are generally just as extras friendly, if not more so in one case, than this one, so it is not surviving on higher ITC mileage. Oh, and this little dive club charges as high a door as the other clubs and has comparable drink prices, so it is not a big bargain play either.

Yet the club I mentioned above not only still exists, but lately has been thriving. The reason is solely due to the relative quality and consistency of its talent. They achieve this by keeping the bar fee low and letting the girls more or less come and go as they please (within reason) while these other clubs don't treat their girls nearly as well. The manager is also far more tolerant of dancer drama than the other clubs, willing to take on girls who have been fired by other clubs for behavioral issues, and is generally kinder to the talent.

Through all of these different mechanisms, this little dive has been able to piece together a roster that is competitive with almost anything available close by, which the manager himself admits he could never do if not for the more relaxed policies. A lot of these girls have long-time regulars who would likely follow them to one of these other clubs which are all very close by, but for the reasons discussed, these girls choose to keep working at this dive.

Anyway, just my two cents fwiw.

I agree with Rick. Most clubs could turn around but they usually maintain the same stupid policies that ruined their business in the first place. Most girls work where the like and that is a combination of several tolerant policies. Most clubs want control.