Alcohol may soon be allowed in WA strip clubs.
shadowcat
Atlanta suburb
A new bill in the Washington state Senate would allow alcohol sales in strip clubs.
Dancers at a hearing on the measure seem to be all for it.
“The time for a change in this industry is long overdue,” Sharla, one of the dancers who testified, said.
Right now, only non-alcoholic beverages are served. Alcohol sales would bring a new source of revenue to the clubs, something the entertainers are all for.
“It would take away a tool that abusive clubs use to put pressure on dancers,” Emily said. “It would make Washington clubs on par with other states where alcohol is sold, and house fees for dancers are substantially lower.”
Currently in Washington, dancers pay a fee to work in the clubs. If this bill is passed it is likely that dancers would have to pay less.
Entertainers say there are also other benefits.
“In clubs that don’t serve alcohol, I had to deal with more violent or aggressive customers than places that do serve alcohol,” Lexi said. “The sales of alcohol would allow clients to bond with their friends and with the dancers as well.”
One club owner agrees that serving alcohol benefits both the business and the dancers.
“The ability to serve alcohol would increase flexibility and reduce costs for entertainers and maintaining high-quality facilities,” said Eric Forbes, owner of Déjà Vu. “This bill would significantly change the relationship between dancers and establishments.”
The bill also requires security training for club staff and the installation of a panic button if dancers get into trouble.
Entertainers say anything that helps their working environment is a good thing.
“Criminalizing and creating more barriers around this industry only further stigmatizes what we do,” Lexi said. “This is a good job.”
The bill is currently in committee.
Dancers at a hearing on the measure seem to be all for it.
“The time for a change in this industry is long overdue,” Sharla, one of the dancers who testified, said.
Right now, only non-alcoholic beverages are served. Alcohol sales would bring a new source of revenue to the clubs, something the entertainers are all for.
“It would take away a tool that abusive clubs use to put pressure on dancers,” Emily said. “It would make Washington clubs on par with other states where alcohol is sold, and house fees for dancers are substantially lower.”
Currently in Washington, dancers pay a fee to work in the clubs. If this bill is passed it is likely that dancers would have to pay less.
Entertainers say there are also other benefits.
“In clubs that don’t serve alcohol, I had to deal with more violent or aggressive customers than places that do serve alcohol,” Lexi said. “The sales of alcohol would allow clients to bond with their friends and with the dancers as well.”
One club owner agrees that serving alcohol benefits both the business and the dancers.
“The ability to serve alcohol would increase flexibility and reduce costs for entertainers and maintaining high-quality facilities,” said Eric Forbes, owner of Déjà Vu. “This bill would significantly change the relationship between dancers and establishments.”
The bill also requires security training for club staff and the installation of a panic button if dancers get into trouble.
Entertainers say anything that helps their working environment is a good thing.
“Criminalizing and creating more barriers around this industry only further stigmatizes what we do,” Lexi said. “This is a good job.”
The bill is currently in committee.
14 comments
This seems opposite of what I would expect. I've seen many situations where drunk customers were aggressive and grabby.
I do understand, though, that perhaps if there is a group of guys are at a club and drinking, they are perhaps being more sociable than physical.
Idk. At the very least it gives the club the ability to be more flexible in how it charges dancers. When you only have cover charges, dancer fees and house VIP cuts to earn from it doesn't leave much room to maneuver, especially on nights with light customer foot traffic. I've seen plenty of alcohol clubs waive house fees on slow nights in the hopes of keeping dancers on shift and, by extension, retaining more customers for longer once they come through the door.
The downside is with policing. In Seattle and Portland, police don't have the resources to deal with theft and minor assaults, much less prostitution. Needs to be a lot of blood to get their attention. But the liquor control people do have the resources to snoop for prostitution. I think that's why high mileage is a lot easier to find in Seattle than Portland.
Also Eric is a snake, that man has been making more off of exploiting strippers with high room cuts and house fees and back rent, even above market rate cover charges for customers, ever since the colacurcios lost their clubs. Seattleites can simply go to portland if they want an alcohol environment, so where does this leave the seattle customer base that enjoys the current environment?