Dancers Berating me for $1 Stage tip . . .

Dec 21, 2007, 5:34 PM

I visited The Trap last night and got the speech on how worthless the dollar by 2 different dancers. After a 2 or 3 dance set the dancers walk around the bar and ask for a tip.

The first dancer, (many many) months earlier had refused to sell me more dances because I was too poor or cheap for her, went on a whole production about how it was only a dollar. What did I expect her to buy with a dollar. Prices everywhere have gone thru the roof. Of course, she explained all of this more eloquently and colorfully than I'm relating. She must have complained a good 5 minutes in monologue before taking a break to allow me to get a word in edgewise. I basically said she should spend her time with those customers who have money so as to not waste her time. Then she starts talking that she wants a dance. I'm shaking my head NO so she starts complaining that I never buy any dances from her and that I get dances from other dancers (at the RolLexx, btw, or at Angels). And, then it is conversation about old times and how I'm as cheap as ever, but that I'm a lot calmer. :) Well, the reason I'm a lot calmer is because I'd given up on spending money at The Trap and go less and less and spend much less time on my less frequent visits. She leaves saying she needs to go make some money and I'm thinking excellent. :) Not even a minute later she is asking for a dance again! I'm shocked. Again, I shake my head NO so now she wants a good explanation for why I won't buy any dances from her. I roll my eyes and bingo she says it is because the dances are too expensive so tells me dance prices are up everywhere ala RolLexx, Angels, Take One, EVERYWHERE. Anyway, I bought a single dance at a discounted price. Surprisingly, she said Thank You and seemed to mean it. In the past not only was she less than happy with the many dances that I bought from her, she even cut me off for being too cheap too poor.

The second dancer just gave me a few sentences complaining that a $1 tip is like NO tip at all. Did I realize that I handed her only a $1.

Of course, neither of these dancers was as obnoxious as a wealthy customer who demanded I tip at least $2 per dance. He didn't like my idea of tipping based on a "progressive" wealth scale and replied that if I can't afford strip clubs then I shouldn't go. I asked the asshole how often he went to strip clubs and he says once every 3 or 4 months. LOL! He couldn't comprehend that a $1 tipper who comes in once or more a week is a lot more valuable (in this club) than a $2 tipper who comes in once every 3 or 4 months. He says that doesn't make any sense. A $2 tipper is always a better customer . . .

comments (7)

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motorhead18 years ago

Lately, I've seen a lot of references to the $2 stage tip. Is it a regional thing? Sure, there is the guy who sometimes tips more, including myself, but in my neck of the woods, (Indiana-Michigan Great Lakes Region) the $1 tip is still standard.

jablake18 years ago

I don't know. At Angels they tried that BS (over a year ago or more) and I was very aggressive because that is a club where there has, imo, always been a lot freedom (excluding risk of arrest). Anyway, it seems like a dead issue at Angels. Part of the problem is that in addition to the extreme fees the dancers are required to pay to the club they also have to perform a certain number of stage shows. Some dancers, the ugly ones normally, love doing the stage shows because that is there chance to go around the room and collect money. Some of the hotter dancers just see it as a complete waste of their time and energy especially for a $1 tip. So more of the hotter dancers do the required stage show and then don't seek tips. Doesn't bother me except that it is harder to buy dances from them.

Now some of these ugly dancers that were fighting for the $2 tip minimum at Angels were quite aggressive at first citing the minimum wage law and other similar government garbage. I told 'em hell the government ought to mandate a minimum wage of $500 per hour as well as price controls for destructive "professionals" such as lawyers. But, that $2 is way too much when I'd rather see them keep their clothing on and the more of it the better!

Jpac7318 years ago

IMO if you aren't stage side and a dancer comes up to the bar or table and ask for a tip then she should be happy with a dollar tip if you choose to tip her. She needs to put in a little work if she wants to be tipped well.

jablake18 years ago

Hi Jpac73,

The position taken is that $1 isn't any money at all.

Most of the customers away from the stage show don't even watch. Most pay (a few refuse) the $1 just to be nice or to get rid of her ASAP. She is dancing and more likely than not didn't get any tips while on stage so the least a customer can do is pay her a small amount even if he didn't watch the show or wouldn't want to watch the show.

I can't imagine what type of work a 300 pounder could do that would make me want to tip her more than a $1. So, yes, some (probably almost all) would definitely be willing to work . . . but for me, I don't want her working unless it is working to not be seen!

David999918 years ago

One dollar is sort of like the new penney to some of these girls, however a good recession might fix that attitude

casualguy17 years ago

I think some of these dancers need some common sense or maybe learn more about dollars and cents. A one dollar tip for 30 seconds of dancing on stage is equivalent to 120 dollars an hour. Now if the stage tip was even quicker than that say maybe 15 seconds, my one dollar tip is equivalent to 240 dollars an hour pay rate. About 8 seconds of dancing for my one dollar tip is equivalent to a pay rate of 480 bucks an hour. In effect if a dancer is not happy with a pay rate of 480 bucks per hour, I don't want to bother her. It's not my fault that there isn't a line of guys trying to tip her the rest of the hour. If a guy tips more than a dollar, he's probably not a regular.

A dancer can make a lot more money from someone who is there about every week versus someone who shows up 3 or 4 times a year. Dancers are young and some may not think too much about economics. However it also means if a guy with loads of money wants to throw it away, a regular may have to wait for that guy to throw his money away that particular night.

I remember someone rained money on stage for a dancer. Then I went up and she did her normal stage dance tip for me all for one dollar. The stage tips are more like signals to dancers of who might want a dance and a chance to warm a guy up for a dance. A smart dancer won't care too much if it's a dollar or two dollars. The real money in my local clubs is in the table and lap dances. However if some guy tips a girl a 20 versus someone who tips a 5, she'll probably give dances to the guy who tipped a 20 first if that's what he wants.

casualguy17 years ago

I should rephrase "if a guy tips more than a dollar, he probably not a regular", I mean for the majority of people I see in local clubs. Although if I tip the same girl on multiple stages, I guess I am tipping her more than a dollar.

Another way to look at it, a dancer can take my one dollar tip and look happy about it. More guys often follow me if I look happy as well. Then I might follow her to another stage and tip her a dollar again. If she's obnoxious about a one dollar tip, she can forget about me looking happy or tipping her again that night and she can also forget about me spending 30 to 40 dollars or more on dances. I get the impression many clubs across the nation may have higher tipping standards but South Carolina where I live has a lower cost of living.