Tipping, in general and strip clubs in particular

gammanu95
My casual drinking is your alcohol poisoning.
Along with the $15/hr minimum wage debate is an increase in restaurant workers and others whose wages are reduced with tips expected to compensate for the difference. I think that servers and others should be paid no less than the federal or local minimum wage, to reduce pressure on the consumers for tipping. I am sick of all the hands out for tips. Tip your server. Tip housekeeping. Tip the busboy. Tip the park rangers on the tour boat (okay, I gave them a $30 tip because my wife was the first to get seasick and never made it topside to puke overboard; but I was the only one on the boat not to get sick). Now they want us to tip airline stewardesses? Even worse, the minimum expectation has increased from pre-tax 10%-15% to 18%-22% on the after-tax amount. I refuse to go higher then 15% on pre-tax cost except for extraordinary service.

I also never tipped for lap dances or conversation before TUSCL, and dancers never asked for extra tips until the past couple of years. I was doing it more until I pulled myself back recently. As far as lap dances go, if there is plenty of mileage and I want to get more dances from her later, I will give her an extra $5-$10. But if it is a fairly standard lap dance, even with full contact and some grinding, I no longer tip. I've even had dancers look at the cash and ask for a little more, but I have to look them dead in the eye and tell them no.

Tipping for conversation is something I have never done and will never do. If you choose to sit with me, I do not feel I owe you anything unless I invite you to sit. Even then, if you are rude, boring, or just plain stupid, I will change my mind about getting a dance I do not tip for conversation. I only ask dancers to sit if I think that I will want to get dances from them. Last night, of the three lap dances I got, I only tipped one. That was because she gave decent mileage and I wanted more dances from her after I sampled the rest of the talent, and the other two were lackluster or just plain shitty.

I only tip stage performances if I want lap dances from the dancer, or when her pole tricks are truly impressive. I am not a "make it rain type". I like boobs or legs wrapped around my head when I tip at the stage. And of course, bartenders and wait staff get tips. Bathroom trolls are a case-by-case basis. Am I the only one sick of tipping so much in and out of the club? Could regular wages for service jobs help offset all these hands out for tips?

23 comments

Latest

  • Papi_Chulo
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    6 years ago
    Well - from what I've heard tipping is pretty-much non-existent in Europe (and maybe most of the world?) - I guess in the US the business community is responsible for passing the tipping costs unto consumers.
  • whodey
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    6 years ago
    I only tip for lapdances that are above average. The better the dance the more the tip and anything that I would consider average or below doesn't get a tip. That's how I handle tipping most places outside of the club as well. If the waitress gives above average service I generally tip around 15%, if she gives great service that really stands out I will tip 25%.

    For stage shows I will generally tip at least $2-4 per song if she is worth me sitting at the rail because she is giving me something of value with no cost other than a tip. If I don't think she is worth at least that much for a close up view of her naked body I will leave the rail when she starts or if her dance is subpar I will leave after a small tip before the end of the first song. I also do this for others that provide a service free of charge like when I take my mother to chemo once a week and use the "free" valet parking that the hospital provides I will always give the valet at least $5 unless the service is terrible.

    I generally don't tip for having a girl sit with me and talk because that isn't really a service in my mind and I rarely sit with a girl for more than 10-15 without getting dances. If I am into her I will buy her a drink while we talk before going for a dance or VIP, but other than that I just consider it part of her marketing to sell dances/VIPs.
  • Warrior15
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    6 years ago
    Years ago, my uncle who lived in a different city, was in my city for a convention. He offered to take my wife and I to dinner. He wanted Chinese so I selected the best Chinese restaurant in Houston at the time. He insisted that he pay since it was kind of our wedding gift. I did not see the bill but I'm guessing it was over $100 as this was nice place. As I'm getting up to leave, I look down at the amount my uncle was leaving as a tip and I saw three bills on table and at least one of them was a single. Didn't see the other two bills. As we were walking to our car in the parking lot, out comes the waiter. Throwing fortune cookies at us and yelling in Mandarin. My uncle admitted later that he probably didn't tip enough.
  • Subraman
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    6 years ago
    I tip every song at the stage. I rarely sit at stage though.

    I tip for lap or VIP dances only for extraordinary service. Girls who ask for tips get a friendly, direct, polite "no".

    If a stripper comes by to talk, and I subsequently decide not to do a dance with her:
    - If I invited her over, I'll tip her commensurate to how long she stayed after the first few songs
    - If she invited herself over but I did not shoo her away within the first few songs, I'll tip her for how long she stayed after first few songs
    - If she invited herself over, I shoo'ed her away but she didn't go, but I'm enjoying her company anyway -- believe it or not, this seems to happen somewhat often -- I'll include her in our drink rounds. I may or may not tip her, but often not.

    I tip the bartender and waitress every time

    I usually don't tip the bouncer or manager unless they did me a serious solid... which sometimes they do. I sometimes buy them shots to do with us, though
  • clres007
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    6 years ago
    My ritual is similar to subraman with couples of differences.
    Although I tip almost every stage song regardless of their skills or how much skin they show on the stage, I generally skip the girls that acted like they are entitled for a tip on the stage. That's a big turn off for me.

    Plus, I generally tip the bouncer/ VIP area security while entering that area so that they don't bother me.
  • georgmicrodong
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    6 years ago
    I completely agree with the OP’s comments on the heightened expectations for tipping. It’s bullshit.

    That said, I don’t blame the servers and such for the tipping debacle in the US. I blame Congress and the IRS; they’re the ones that enable restaurants and such to get away with that shit. I’m of the opinion that everyone should be paying the same minimum wage.

    Actually, I’m of the opinion that the minimum wage is a fascist piece of shit legislation that should be abolished, but that’s another discussion.
  • Subraman
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    6 years ago
    -->"Although I tip almost every stage song regardless of their skills or how much skin they show on the stage, I generally skip the girls that acted like they are entitled for a tip on the stage. That's a big turn off for me. "

    If for any reason I don't feel like tipping a girl on stage, I leave the stage. I feel like if you sit at the stage, there's an unspoken agreement, you'll tip. So just leave the stage if you don't want to tip.

    -->"Plus, I generally tip the bouncer/ VIP area security while entering that area so that they don't bother me."

    I'm aware there are clubs where this is an expected ritual, and if I were a random customer at such a club, I'd do as the natives do and tip the bouncer. As it is, though, I'm a regular at most of the clubs I go to, I almost always have done some bonding with the managers and bouncers over months and years, and they already 1. don't charge me entrance fee, 2. don't bother me during dances, 3. put girls on the schedule when I request they be put on (managers only). Tipping them is only needed if you don't already have the system wired up :)
  • Icey
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    6 years ago
    I don't tip unless I want to. I don't feel obligated to do it....

    At strip clubs, I'll tip a waitress and some bartenders. I'll tip dancers that I approach. If one approaches me and I'm not interested I tell them so right away...don't even bother to chat with them. I'm not going to waste their time nor mine.

    Never tip bouncers or management. Its never affected the way I get treated.
  • Papi_Chulo
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    6 years ago
    Do bartenders get paid at least minimum wage? I assume they do but not sure - it seems waitresses don't get paid min wage but bartenders do and both seem to get tipped the same.
  • rickdugan
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    6 years ago
    Papi, it varies state to state. In FL bartenders are paid like wait staff/servers and must earn the bulk from tips.

    Tbh I like the tipping culture as it provides additional incentive for good service. This is especially true in a strip club, where tipping can be used tactically to achieve desired outcomes. For example, in my favorite clubs, the bartenders are very good to me and girls are often happy to sit with me despite the fact that I rarely see the inside of a LD room. I also don't mind tipping bathroom trolls who provide a clean restroom, especially when I have to use a toilet.

    To each his own though.
  • Icey
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    6 years ago
    You shouldn't have to bribe people to do the job they're paid to do in the first place
  • jackslash
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    6 years ago
    I never give dancers a tip. I give them the whole thing.
  • flagooner
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    6 years ago
    If waitresses were paid a higher hourly wage, the price of the meal would go up to compensate. At least with tipping there is better pay for better performance
  • Muddy
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    6 years ago
    Lol jackslash.

    I try to keep it to the bare minimum when come to tipping. Every beer $1 goes to the bartender. I don’t want to open up pandora’s Box and start tipping others, then they are gonna expect that shit
  • aham5
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    6 years ago
    If sitting at the stage, I tip every dancer. Amount differs by how interested I am.

    Bartender or waitress.... every round.

    LD or VIP. Only if above avg service
  • Clubber
    •
    6 years ago
    I tip well above average. Why, those that I tip do a job I would never want to do. That, and at most all places we go, we are "regulars". They do treat us extremely well. Our watering hole bartender does the best of all those I tip. He is important!
  • crazyjoe
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    6 years ago
    Bring your loonies and toonies like FarmerArt used to. And make it hail
  • Nixur68
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    6 years ago
    I don't tip dancers, but I'm okay with paying at or above the regular rate.

    On the flip side, I ALWAYS tip bouncers, door guys, waitresses, bartenders, etc. even if the service is bad but if is bad I make a mental note to avoid that person. Other workers usually notice that I get the play and once in a while managers get it that someone is slacking or they too busy and they need to help out or hire more folks.
  • SmashingHoes
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    6 years ago
    My experience is similar to Icey Loco for the most part. I tend to avoid sitting at the bar that are directly adjacent to the stage, as that's known at Tip Row. I'll selectively tip 1's to entertainers who don't act entitled and will at least engage in some witty banter while collecting their tips, but that's a rare occasion. Subraman is correct about the an unspoken agreement if one decides to sit near a stage. That's why I sit at tables and chairs FAR AWAY from the stage.

    I've never tipped bouncers or management. I've done a few lap dances and never tipped as well.
  • blahblahblah23
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    6 years ago
    Yeah sitting at or near the stage and looking without ever tipping is rude.

    I don't really hustle dance tips here. Don't think they take well to that and supposedly illegal to demand tips here idk it is a grey line. I dont feel the need to be greedy. Prices and level of contact where I'm at dont make me feel compelled to demand more. Now the stupid fucking shit girls put up with in states like tx or fl for $20/$25 ya I'd ask for tips left and right fuck that in my respectful opinion.
  • blahblahblah23
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    6 years ago
    We make our prices where I am at and our rules as funny as it sounds. But I love it and it works well for me.
  • blahblahblah23
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    6 years ago
    Also no stupid 2 for 1 bullshit or specials f that
  • blahblahblah23
    •
    6 years ago
    I see it like girls ask for tips when their $$$ for something is just not enough for wht they put up with or maybe cuts are horrible like on vip rooms. Like if the girl sells like a 600 hr keeps 240 ya she gonna demand huge tips. Lot of factors involved
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