Blog - Stripped
Small FontsDefault FontsLarge Fonts

Stripped

Tales of the naked city, from a Las Vegas dancer.


June 11, 2008 · 12:30 AM

Money-grubbin’ strippers: It’s nothing personal

By Justice

Illustration: Justice

Work is expensive. Exotic dancers in Las Vegas and in many other places generally pay to work. Few places pay an hourly wage. Workers generally pay what is called a “house fee” to the club every shift.

I’ve paid between $35 to $90 per shift, plus tip-outs, just to work. We tip bouncers, DJ’s, bartenders, “house moms,” (a house mom is the lady in the locker room who provides odds and ends like safety pins, coffee and moral support) and sometimes managers. As a dancer, you can expect to pay about $100 a day to work on a typical night, and hundreds more in tips if your are spending a lot of time in the VIP room, since larger payments are charged to credit cards and your earnings are on the radar. You’re expected to tip and it’s a bad idea to piss off the bouncer. You spend all that money and that’s before taxes (yeah, right) and shrink bills from emotional stress. I’m not completely familiar with all labor laws, but I heard that mandatory tip-outs and mandatory time minimums are illegal when workers are paying to work as independent contractors … or something like that. What do I know about The Man? I’m a lowly stripper.

Yes, it’s a major expense, but it comes with great perks. Like I mentioned in a previous blog, we have no schedules and incredible earning potential.

This system does, however, make for an often irritating experience to customers. As NFL player Adam “Pacman” Jones put it, “Them Vegas freaks are money grubbin’ bitches, with no class, for real.” Though I could only find this quote from one source online, I’ve heard this opinion before. “Pushy,” “Greedy,” “Annoying,” “Desperate,” are all adjectives to describe dancers, made by displeased strip-club visitors. I was at a strip club with a male friend recently, and he didn’t want me to leave his side because dancers would be on him like cheese on pizza. We don’t just show up and collect checks at the end of two weeks, though. Being forward is necessary for success in this job. I have youth on my side, but it’s a short-lived tyranny.

4 Comments So Far

Strip club ediquite.. Theres another side to this story, the unwritten rules of going to and working in a strip club.. First being pushy and greedy is not something that comes along with the job... Im sure you have realized by now there is a certian type of stripper that seems to make her money without these tatics, and its because she has learned that guys just like girls are turned off by over pushy people..! Backing your point I consider going to a strip club the same as going to a restaurant, meaning if your going to go gentlemen tipping whether or not you get a dance is mandatory. Soo please bring at least 40 singles to give every girl who stops by to say hi at least a couple. Last but most certianly not least oh author and dancer, never and i mean never ask a guy to buy drink Its our (The kool patrons) signal that your the type of girl that Mr. Jones is talking about. Karmel

Posted by: erikkarmel on 6/11/08 at 11:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Karmel, it is often a good sign when a patron asks to buy you a drink. People are so very different though. Some men are obviously attracted to you but are so shy about talking to women that you have to start offering suggestions for how to spend money. I am definitely not the pushy type though. People say I'm not pushy enough and I let my opportunities pass me. I hate pushy sales-types but admire their lack of conscious at the end of the night when we're all counting our money.

Posted by: Justice_4_all on 6/12/08 at 12:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

*conscience even.

Posted by: Justice_4_all on 6/12/08 at 2:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I just wanted to react on something you had written a long time ago about tipping and tip culture in europe ... Im european and what you ahve to know is that tips are included in the prices in europe... If you fo to a restaurant and pay 100 euros, 15 euros will go to the waiter no matter what which is not the case in the usa and therefore some europeans dont know that ...

Going back to strip clubs, i dont know whats you take on that but one night i helped out my girlfriend with 2k she needed, since i refused to give it to here and then ehr pay me back i wanted to give it to her at work so that she did not feel like shoe would owe me a penny, anyways i dodnt go to strip club often but look i ran my card for 2k, they chardged me 2300 and gave her only 1700 and still they asked me for a tip ... I mean seriously i work in a bank and i know credit card company cahrges max 3or5% not 15 so pretty much they made $600 on that transaction and i had tipped it would have pused it to $900 dollars for the club ...

European or not i feel like its insane to tip such amount so i gave a $50 to the so called maitre d who is by the way is as classy as a cheap vegas slotmachine and went away ...

I was a bit outraged the girls were ripped off that way knowing that on top of that they had to pay for tip out .. Crazy ...

These club are called gentleman clubs bu theya re not that many guys like this in vegas ... Lots of guys with money who think that with $ they onw a girl or can show her off and to me at least is wrong ...Im not perfect but i never let money come between me and my gf and when she decided to get rid of me i was sad and tried to win hear heartback but never would have i used money as a mean to get her abck or something...

XOXO

seb

Posted by: natkingcolebasket on 3/20/09 at 7 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Commenting requires registration.

Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Weekly editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Full comments policy.

Already Registered? Log In Below.
Username:
Password:  Forgotten your password?
 

SMS Alerts

Videos

Video Library

Flash is required

Cocktail of the Week

Cocktail of the Week Nov 5, 2009
by Xania Woodman

Beergarita

It was quite by happenstance that I came upon the beergarita, or perhaps it found me. I was blissfully unaware of the house-party staple’s existence until two glasses literally put ...
Read more...