Troubling Tipping Trend

Sep 16, 2024, 9:17 PM

Let me start by saying that I’m very familiar with the tip walk you typically find in Philly clubs whose bar counter surrounds the main stage. I typically go to Cheerleaders in the late afternoon when the side stage is not in use. I have no problem with tipping every dancer who gets up on the main stage after their set. Even dancers who are very heavy or well past the point where they should have hung up their heels will get a dollar from me.

However a few trips to Cheerleaders over the last year or so have featured negative interactions with dancers circulating around the room and asking for tips even though they haven’t been on stage or already did their tip walk for their set. To be clear these interactions were with dancers who randomly walked up to me, asked my name, and then immediately offered dances. After declining their dance offers all have requested tips for less than a minute’s conversation and no physical contact. That’s standard hustle but after I’ve declined to tip several have made insulting remarks that are very unprofessional.

So I thought I’d ask my fellow Cheerleaders PLs for their opinion on who’s in the wrong here. Am I being a cheap asshole who should just give them a single and move on with my day? Or should these dancers accept me declining their tip requests with more professionalism? I’m more then happy to tip a dancer who sits with me for at least a few minutes and makes an honest attempt at conversation before making their lap dance sales pitch.

comments (7)

Manuellaborelast year

You’re not in the wrong. At some point, an interaction can go on long enough that a tip is in line to compensate a dancer for her time (and, to get her to move on) but there has to be way more two way discussion than a declined offer for a dance

Studme53last year

I get it, but I give $1 to any girl who approaches me, many times just to get them to move along.

whodeylast year

You are not in the wrong for not tipping in this situation. Like you said, tipping for their stage show or for more than a couple minutes worth of conversation but not for a quick "wanna dance?" type of interaction.

However, you are a bit nieve to expect professionalism from every dancer you turn down and don't tip. While the good dancers will be polite and just move on while hoping to leave you with a positive impression, others will not. There are a lot of desperate dancers who take every decline of a dance or tip as a personal rejection and feel the need to take it out on the guy. Oftentimes these dancers are the ones that should no longer be dancing, either due to their body or their mental burnout, but can't get a decent paying civvie job because of their lack of personal skills.

WiseToolast year

I found that tipping them a $1 may not be enough to get them to move along. They may want a tip in their garter, then a tip on their left hip, then they turn and want another tip on their right hip.

I'll tip, but she has to do more than offer to sell me a dance.

MacDennislast year

Thanks for the replies everybody! Glad to get some feedback. Yeah whodey they’ve all been older dancers on the edge of being too old to make a decent buck and had crap social skills. I still like Cheerleaders overall. Might have to go more for the late shift

Arraylast year

@OP, I have had that experience at Cheerleaders but I won’t call it a trend - yet. I don’t mind giving a single, but not if a girl comes back for more without hitting the stage. Once, however, a girl came by and had a curious accent. I inquired about nationality (Swedish, if I recall correctly) and the conversation might have stretched to a whole minute and a half. I gave her $2 and she called me cheap for wasting her time.

SalaoLikeSantiagolast year

Some of the way-past-their-prime Europeans seem to do that a lot. And, if you give them a dollar they ask for a second dollar. So, I just say, "It was nice to meet you. I'll be sure to tip you for your dances once you do your stage rotation." then I turn away. Unless they say they're from Ukraine - then I feel sorry for them and give them $2. [I find this practice to be crazy bad at Oasis - one time I had what seemed like 10 dancers come to me and ask for tips in my first 5 minutes of sitting down.]