"BIg Fish in a small Pond"

Your experience sounds familiar. I sampled clubs all over Phoenix befoe settling down in Bandaids, a little hole in the wall with a strong black and hispanic mix. I was part of a group of middle-aged white guys there who were probably the backbone of the girls' steady income. No disrespect to the other patrons, but there were a bunch of guys at that club who did not have the incomes, and they had various strategies to make up for that:
- order beer, sip once every five minutes
- scrounge for free feels
- give back rubs
- act the part of a "player"
- throw a bunch of ones on the stage (make it rain)...but otherwise spend little
So it was easy for me to feel like a big cheese, and for the girls to appreciate that I had some $20's in my pocket. I also made a point of tipping many of the girls on stage, even though I got dances from just a few. And I always tipped the bartenders and waitresses. It's not hard to get treated right when you start by treating others right.

Now, at the big clubs, forget it. I'm just another walking wallet. I think my lesser status starts with the car I'm driving (a RAV4, sheesh!), and my lack of big spender swagger. Oh well, I guess I'm not such a hot shit after all!

For you Phoenix visitors, there is an exception. The Hiliter is a pretty good sized club, and if you visit there often enough, you do start to get nicer treatment.

I can relate to being a big fish in a small pond, it's what I like. And that's pretty much how my ATF and I became friends. She worked in a small local place where most of the customers were young guys who spent little money and either made fun of the girls or pestered them for dates. There weren't many guys like me there, older guys who came in to see the same girl every week, spent some money on her and treated her with respect. That made me stand out and meant that whenever I came in she really went out of her way to please me. And it made it easier to convince her to get together OTC.

I felt this way at my regular club, because the dancers knew, especially my regulars, that I would eventually be spending some cash each visit.

The other nice thing about it was that when I went to this club all the girls knew I was there to see my ATF - they'd be friendly and say hello and maybe ever sit and talk for a bit if my ATF was tied up, but they never pestered me for a dance or to buy them drinks. That's never going to happen in a big place.

Who wouldn't prefer being a big fish in a small pond, as long as it had the quality? The problem is that small ponds are usually short on good looking dancers, or if they have them, they also have no shortage of guys with the same idea you have. I've lucked into a good thing a few times, but it usually wasn't long before word got out or the good thing moved on.

I know what that is like. For all the craziness that can happen at my favorite club, probably not even half the customers ever go for a lapdance, so that when they find someone like me who wants them, they do everything for you. While they are there to make money, the good ones also know that if they perform up to their customer's satisfaction, future money can be made.

DD, that's what I like, being in a place where most customers don't spend much. And as Chandler points out, such places often lack in dancer quality. But if you can find one who appeals to you, that's the best of all situations, you can spend a little bit and she'll stay with you all day. That's my idea of a successful club visit.

Well, I know a few things about being a "big fish in a small pond"(lol).

While being recognized by owner or shift mgr is a nice touch, thats not what I go for- I like being recognized and approached by hot dancers!!

Jpac, its not 100% clear to me which context of big fish you are referring to; if your talking about relative size of club (more customers& dancers vs less), or if spending $XX in club#1 makes you just another customer, while spending same in club#2 would make you a big spender. Again, in either scenario, I'm ultimately looking for quality of laps/overall dancer interaction.

Another angle to consider: Off peak hrs. can be very desireable. While in several cases dancer quality may be down some from peak times, the much smaller number of customers more than offsets this for favorable customer:dancer ratio.

Minnow, I think your two definitions often go hand in hand - the bigger clubs are often fancier and more expensive and draw more big spenders, while the little clubs tend to be more locals oriented and are cheaper with few big spenders. And I agree about off hours, I much prefer clubbing when places are nearly empty.

FONDL- Not necessarily so. At club#2, for whatever reason, had a lot of cheapskates. Maybe dancers/stage shows/mileage weren't up there with club #1. A customer could "nurse" a $5-6 drink just as easily as a $3-4 drink. Either option is less $ than getting lapdances. I've seen several cases where small club charges just as much for lapdances as big club.

Also, I've experienced cases in small clubs and/or off peak shifts whereby dancers essentially hang with regular customer, and all but ignore newcomer/outsider, while large club is about meeting and greeting people. I've also experienced the other extreme(nice intimate cozy time small club, can't get anyones attention at peak hrs/big club).

There seems to be attitudinal nuances at work here that transcend clubs relative size (if any), and cover/drink/private dance co$ts.

My #1 reason for being disappointed by a visit is the lack of good looking strippers, not too many other customers. Because of that, I find small clubs and off hours too hit-or-miss to make it my usual routine. I'll only do it in places like East St. Louis, where I can quickly hit 5 or 6 clubs, or whatever number it takes until I hit the jackpot and find a girl I'm attracted to.

minnow: I'll bet that you do. lol...

I agree that off hours in little clubs is very hit or miss. But when you do get a hit, it's often a home run. I always found that the best of all possible worlds was when I made an appointment to see a girl I really like during off hours. When you do that she's all yours for a long as you like.