When clubs reopen

SuperDude
Detroit, Michigan
We hope that this pandemic passes quickly, but we are advised that we are in for a long time of disruption, working from home and closed entertainment venues. When SCs reopen, my guess is that only the strong will survive and they will have to review their business model. Clubs that were marginal before the pandemic will probably not be able to reopen. They will lack the cash reserves to run the operation after weeks or months of no activity. Getting regulars to come back to a marginal club will not be easy. The more stable clubs will face stiff competition.

The return to the clubs will be very slow after the pandemic. Unpaid bills, late mortgage, rent, car and insurance payments will take priority over mongering. (Once the courts reopen, look out for a rush of collection and foreclosure cases.) Club managers will have to reconsider charging for booths, VIP entry, drink minimums and all of the other nickle and dime stuff. They may drop those charges to lure customers, only to face resistance when they reinstate them.

Dancers will have to rethink pricing. Customers, facing their own "catch up" financial responsibilities, are not interested in financing dancers' overdue rent, car and boyfriend payments. If they want us to come back, price gouging will not attract us. The industry will have to reinvent itself and become more customer friendly with a reasonable price structure. Those club managers who think we will return to and accept business as usual will see their clubs close.

51 comments

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Nixur68
5 years ago
You don’t think the clubs will be packed initially on day one? I’m planning a long weekend in Miami the moment things clear up.
Papi_Chulo
5 years ago
Clubs are not capital-intensive businesses nor they require a high-# of employees to get them operational - and I assume their current liquor inventories will be there for use once they reopen.

Dancers will likely be needy for $$$ and PLs will be horny and backed-up - and people will want to go out and celebrate after being confined.
Papi_Chulo
5 years ago
There will be pent-up demand for lots of things including entertainment
Papi_Chulo
5 years ago
Hardcore SCers probably can't wait to hit the clubs again and many will have extra $$$ saved up for partying in the SCs.
Mate27
5 years ago
^^ and tuscl will be putting their website at risk for promoting the opening of clubs and creating a second wave of Coronavirus infections.
SuperDude
5 years ago
I agree that there will be pent-up demand, but will customers, facing unpaid bills with collection efforts deferred, have the ready disposable cash. Some will and but many won't. The return to the clubs could be like the big celebrations when Prohibition ended--or slow and gradual as many who have suffered during the pandemic face new priorities, like finding a job, rebuilding 401 (k), adjusting to pay cuts or just not interested in greedy dancers trying to "catch up." Closed clubs still have rent, mortgage and loan payments during the pandemic. Will they be able to catch up by reopening with $25.00 cover, $50.00 to $60.00 dances, $35.00 VIP entry fees,$250.00 tip outs? We'll just have to wait and see what happens in an uncertain market.
Bavarian
5 years ago
Stripperweb strippers are in for a rude awakening. I was reading a thread where the stripper wasn’t sure if she should drop a regular that bought 6-10 dances because the PL was becoming more handsy. Her definition of handsy was touching her breasts and butt cheeks.

She also complained that the PL was not tipping for the dances and only tipping when she was on stage 🙄
joker44
5 years ago
There will be news stories about guys blowing their entire Covid-19 direct govt checks on strippers
😁
jackslash
5 years ago
Dancers' "boyfriend payments." LMFAO

Strip clubs will probably come back slowly. The coronavirus will not suddenly end completely. It will linger on until we have an effective vaccine and most people are vaccinated. The anti-vaxxers will keep the disease going longer than it would otherwise. A lot of PLs will be in no hurry to return the clubs.
RamPaige
5 years ago
While not the same thing, one of the first business to reopen after Katrina in NOLA was a strip club and did great business. I think it'll do the same here, since so many dudes will forgo common sense and go as soon as these establishments reopens.
Longball300
5 years ago
I imagine business will be good upon reopening and we will be carrying our vaccination cards or maybe a nice "V" tattooed on our arms.
Cashman1234
5 years ago
It could be a major buyers market when clubs reopen. Dancers will be desperate for cash, and it won’t take long for them to be offering more - to get any cash offered.

However, the key question is when. If the reopening is two to three weeks away, it should be a buyers market. If it’s much longer, I’m not sure what the clubs might be like.
SuperDude
5 years ago
Yes, I can see a lapel button that proves a PL has been vaccinated. Will dancers have amulets or necklaces?
theDirkDiggler
5 years ago
Yes, the regular PLs that have been unable to SC the last several weeks and months and beyond will likely be more than ready to provide the bulk of revenues as usual...
Liwet
5 years ago
With the marginal clubs closing, there will be tons of business for the clubs that can reopen. I doubt they'll stop their nickle and diming.
SuperDude
5 years ago
I can only speak to the Detroit area clubs on our famous Eight Mile Road. These clubs were suffering before the pandemic, having been hit with the virus of heavy law enforcement. Penthouse is closed for one year. The Coliseum's VIP section has more lighting that a night baseball game, with no privacy and no touching. Tycoon's is closed for remodeling, the second time in five years. The market was slowly shifting to the Detroit suburban clubs and then we get hit with the pandemic. The auto plants have shut down, laying off a lot of guys. There is a safety net for them, but it has an end. Auto suppliers are about to take it in the neck, because there is no demand for their product with assembly lines stopped. Just as an aside about the effect of this stuff, consider The Metro Times, a free weekly entertainment tabloid, which usually carried at least four full page ads for Detroit's top clubs on Eight Mile Road. After the police raids, the ads stopped, telling me that cash flow was drying up. Metro Times announced last week that this week's issue may be the last for a while, with all of the closings of bars, strip clubs, restaurants, night clubs and concert cancellations killing ad revenue. Young single guys who still have paychecks will surely surge forward and make the reopening of SCs look like a Super Bowl party, but that's not enough. Older gentlemen are the lifeblood of Detroit clubs and they will face a rocky road back to normalcy when this pandemic begins to abate.
Icey
5 years ago
I think the economic recovery will be swift. After a few weeks people will be yearning to get out blow ofd steam. Do anything. As long as joba come back it will be fine.
rickdugan
5 years ago
Everything that Papi said. I think that most of them will ramp back up just fine as they won't burn much cash while they're closed.

The one wildcard is whether clubs will be able to make their rent/mortgage payments, but that's a universal problem and I suspect that most commercial tenants will ultimately get relief. After all, with no retail businesses earning any cash and the commercial rental market in the toilet, who could you replace the strip clubs with anyway? Everyone's in the same boat until this is over.
BuckMcNutter
5 years ago
Are any clubs in US open ? I should get a pole in my house and limit 5 players at a time. Im sure i can find 3-4 dancers willing to provide dances in my living room.
nofuglies
5 years ago
I also agree with what Papi stated
JamesSD
5 years ago
I don't think it's going to be a case where the clubs reopen and the gates are flooded. Probably whenever the local bans are lifted you'll see a trickle of customers back in. Sure there will be pent up demand and girls who want cash. But patterns will also be broken. Travel plans don't turn on a dime, schools may still be closed when clubs reopen.

So it may actually be fairly orderly
Papi_Chulo
5 years ago
I would assume the longer the disruption goes, the more problematic it will be for clubs to get back to biz as usual and for PLs to get back to SC-biz as usual - if we're still not past this in 3-months then it'll probably be a different ballgame w.r.t. SCing getting back-on-line
bkkruined
5 years ago
There are enough customers that will be working from home and probably minimal income disruption that there will still be demand in most areas. Hits on the 401k oughta be irrelevant, I don't suddenly start contributing more because it's value went down, not retiring for 20 years, it'll recover.
You'd think girls would be clamoring for money to pay debts, etc. But, unfortunately, there may be a mentality that once your drowning in debt, why bother trying? Of course, paid in cash, no garnishment, becomes attractive at that point!
Clubs still have to pay leases. But really, from their landlords perspective, who else is going to move in if you boot the club for not paying it's lease while it's closed? For some this isn't going to matter, for some it will.
Property or other taxes, too many municipalities would just at the opportunity to shutter places for non payment, if they can. Payment deferrals to keep the economy up and other businesses viable are most probably being rolled out too fast for them to add "adult industry" exceptions so they oughta be able to take advantage.
And then there is a certain mindset of some in the industry. They need to make a certain amount that night, it's a goal. Fewer customers doesn't mean reset "your" expectations and drop prices to get them coming back, etc., no, exact opposite, fewer customers mean you have to charge them MORE to make that goal... Laws of supply and demand be damned, they aren't there for free, I'm sure we've all had some experience with that attitude.
Anything can happen, each club will be different, each city different.
nofuglies
5 years ago
In my area, the more popular dancers and the ones who seem to be the busiest giving dances are those that have cultivated a "regular" following. Most of these "regulars" are less liable to be impacted by the month to month economics of the shutdown. I suspect they will be out in full force with lots of unspent "dance money". Whether it's with past regular dancers or newer models is the question. I believe it is a good opportunity for a dancer, assuming she survives the shutdown, to take advantage of that.
whodey
5 years ago
I doubt there will be a flood of business when the clubs first reopen because a lot of people are going to be in bad shape financially.

That should work to the benefit of people like me who are able to work from home with no real financial hit. The added savings during this period (not buying gas, no eating out a nice restaraunts, no tickets to ball games or concerts, etc) plus the added benefit of these stimulus checks means I will have more money than usual to hit the clubs.
Papi_Chulo
5 years ago
"... Most of these "regulars" are less liable to be impacted by the month to month economics of the shutdown ..."

I think the avg PL that typically clubs hard does so b/c he has the means - one would think many of these types would be in decent-enough financial-shape to pick-up-the-hobby pretty-quickly once clubs are able to reopen - of course, the longer this goes on the more people will be impacted and the more it will take to get SCing back-on-line.
theDirkDiggler
5 years ago
Well for me, SCing is literally my only expensive hobby. So months without SCing means months of SCing funds in the titty kitty. Or piling bills if i find myself unemployed or unemployed for a significant time without any reimbursement. When i get to start again, it doesn't mean that i'm going to spend more than i usually do, especially if i find that girls are more hesitant to give good mileage because of the recent scare. So i may find myself going even more frequently but spending less. But if i'm consistently spending less because of worse experiences, i just may find myself going less again and well tough titties for the kitties...
Papi_Chulo
5 years ago
For me - the more frequently I SC, the more careful/cognizant I am about my spending - when I don't SC for a while, I'm usually looser w/ my wallet when I do go - thus for me, once clubs reopen, I'll probably be a more-willing spender since I haven't spent frivolously in a while
Nixur68
5 years ago
How did the clubs react during the 08 recession?
FishHawk
5 years ago
Nixur68, I think most clubs kept on keeping on in 08’. At least as far as I was aware. They were not forced to close for a period for health reasons and as long as there are us PL’s out there to spend $$, Whick we will do even when we don’t have much.
rickdugan
5 years ago
===> "How did the clubs react during the 08 recession?"

It's not the same because they were never forced to completely close. There is nothing comparative in modern times to what is happening now.
Nixur68
5 years ago
As far as I know most cities used ‘08 as an excuse to clean town. I suspect this will be the same.
NJBalla
5 years ago
I dont think there will be a huge change. Springtime and summer brings a huge lull in clubs anyways. The busy time in the north east is football season. 2 months off is pretty normal for dancers. Im just dreading the weight gain which will happen to many girls.
Papi_Chulo
5 years ago
".... Im just dreading the weight gain which will happen to many girls ..."

Glad to see someone is keeping perspective in the face of a pandemic

NJBalla
5 years ago
^Its all fun and games until your fav needs to take a break after the 1st song.
mjx01
5 years ago
IDK. In the areas I frequent(ed) I mostly saw a dying industry. I think clubs that were borderline financially before this will have a difficult time coming back. It wouldn't surprise me to see industry consolidation in areas with multiple clubs. I think local governments will have a perfect excuse to keep clubs closed longer than other types of businesses.
shadowcat
5 years ago
I have to agree with mjx01. I think this is the reason that Follies has remained open. The City of Chamblee has been looking for a reason to close them permanently.
Cheo_D
5 years ago
Agreed that a key factor will be how long will either forced shutdowns or a general recession sticks around. Previous natural disasters (as in Katrina/NOLA) were localized events, where getting back in business was part of a general recovery effort. Previous hard economic downturns (2008) did not involve whole cities or industries being put on lockdown for weeks. In both cases there could be a cull of the weak businesses but the market remained in place and both customer demand and dancer supply could redistribute as-it-happened. If this lasts long and people begin having to dip into reserves or seek other income, it will also cause displacement: dancers and staff may have to head for somewhere else. Plus yes, local authorities may sock it to this business even harder for the sake of "public health".
Assmanjoe
5 years ago
@cheo d - That last part is important: due to “public health concerns” scs may remain closed longer than other businesses and be slower to rebound due to the inherent close personal contact involved. We may see rule changes like no or lower contact dances, sanitizer nazi dancers, etc.
Also is it just me or do women, in general, seem to be taking this much harder than men? at least psychologically. Dancers are and will remain freaked for sometime, especially the ones (majority?) without health insurance.
There will not be a swift return to normalcy in regions where corona is prevalent in MOST industrirs but id say especially in SCs which are entirely dependent intimate contact with strangers and disposable income. .
This virus is going to be floating around the globe for probably a year or two, everyone needs to get that fucking idea in their head. Its a real deal pandemic, shits gonna stick around and likely keep popping up until we come up with a vaccine and the longer these shutdowns last and more encompassing they become, the more likely well be looking at an economic depression and not a “swift return to normalcy”.
WHEN we bounce back it will be epic but it will probably be further down the road than we all want and with many changes in place.
Assmanadamus prediction #1 - amazon will need anti-monopoly restrictions placed on it (demanded by ordinary americans) as they simply devour most retail during this time. brick and mortars were closed by the govt who are then saying “we will loan you money” to small businesses... so theyre forced to close and then asked to take on debt to reopen? Amazon will be unstoppable 😔
Dave_Anderson
5 years ago
Since some are engaging in speculation here about the length of this societal shutdown lasting I will say that I suspect there will be a public backlash against these lockdowns at some point. People will demand a return to normal life even if the underlying illness continues. Entertainment will be one of the things they demand come back.

If this lasts two months we'll start to see anger among the general public. So I predict two or tops 3 months until the authorities have to start reopening society.

Of course the weaker strip clubs won't survive that long and won't be back, but the stronger ones should return fine maybe with some no contact protocols that many clubs will simply not enforce just as they look the other way now on many things done in the VIP.

Again this is just my rational speculation.
NJBalla
5 years ago
@DAVE, wish I could say the same, but the majority of the public today are shills. Social media was the end of life as we know it. Too many are scared of being the outlier when a little tweet, video, or comment can end your career. The simple fact that people have foregone thier mental/physical health by staying inside is an example.
wallanon
5 years ago
"and one i don't even know what color her hair was"

Maybe take a time out? Gotta pace yourself. If you're going colorblind n' all, maybe a nap will help.
DandyDan
5 years ago
I wouldn't be surprised if the vast majority of clubs stayed closed forever. On top of that, how many dancers might decide to do something else with their lives? Or better yet, how many die because of COVID19? Some will continue to exist, but it might be air dances forever after.
joker44
5 years ago
Dandy Dan...........an empty glass kind of guy 😁
pistola
5 years ago
I’m itching for the clubs to reopen. Having motorboat withdrawals.
oscarlomax
5 years ago
Supply and demand. There will always be clubs in one form or another. The key question is how long will it take for business to get rolling again. Some clubs may be gone for good but some stronger ones may buy some of the weaker one's real estate.
SuperDude
5 years ago
SuperDude
5 years ago
Detroit media reports that some strippers are performing at house parties for groups as large as 40 men. For some, the action has moved from the closed club to a friend's spacious private residence.
Player11
5 years ago
I see $10 lap dances as many wiped out by this nightmare, strippers subject to monthly std exams and tests for Covid and HIV. Otherwise no go for me. HIV has. killed 700 thousand Americans. Be wary.

A separation will happen where is no itc action that will need to be otc. Safety of customers from disease and being taken by ROB will have high priority. Two way contact will remain.
Player11
5 years ago
We have no idea how many dancers will pass due to covid. I wonder how many have died from drugs, thugs, and HIV.
Heellover
5 years ago
I agree with everything you stated above desertscrub. Have heard restaurants even will be 25 percent maximum capacity week one (next week), 50 week 2, 75 week 3 and then full (still socially distanced) week 4. There are dividers to the ceiling in one restaurant I saw on the news. That was cool at least. Maybe when clubs get running private booths/vip will be more private without having to spend like 200 or 250 for 30 minutes for a "truly private" area or whatever.
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