Lovely Unfair Workplace Rules and How To Beat Them
So if you haven’t noticed by now, the strip club industry is not the most fair industry to work in. It is completely patriarchic and misogynistic usually with more benefits and protections for the clients than the girls that work there. This short post will mostly cover these unfair rules and regulations for girls and how to work around them. Each city has different rules and hiring practices so I’ll go over a few that I experienced while working in the clubs.
1. Tip outs! I put this one as #1 because what is worse than strip clubs taking advantage of the money YOU ARE MAKING. While sometimes tip outs can help you in the game because managers will view you more favorably (see below). Other times, these tip outs can feel advantageous when managers didn’t help your shift at all and an obligation to continue to have preferential treatment. DJ tip outs are slightly better but only if you were able to skip stage or play what you wanted to dance to. I hated tipping out managers and DJ’s who did not help me out at all during my shift either by giving me referrals to good clients and letting me negotiate my stage rotation. I was always really up front with both mangers and DJ’s (Who 99% of the time are men). I would tip out great when I had a good night and I would leave them hanging when I didn’t. Most of the time they were understanding – but hopefully your city/club doesn’t condone tip outs so you don’t have to worry about this.
2. Private Rooms – While these are great ways to make money – the fees that the club charges can really limit how you can make your money. Also, most of the time you don’t get a commission off these rooms that YOU ARE SELLING. How I negotiated this was with time and booze. If I was going to sell a private room I negotiated with the managers a time limit (if there wasn’t one already in place). This means I would be there for x amount of time for x amount of $. I usually sold it as a package to the client which also included a bottle of crappy champagne which I knew they wouldn’t drink. Some clubs already come with these packages but you’d be surprised how many don’t and just want the customer to pay for the entire night (this really applies to girls who work day shift). If I sold a really expensive bottle that would mean less tip out because managers get bonuses for selling so why don’t we? Occasionally, I would work for a club that would charge $ for a certain number of dances in a room like 3 for $100 but the girl would only get $75 (looking at you NOLA) completely unfair which I would just do more dances or upsell VIP. Also big thanks to those rare clubs that do actually have commission sales – you the real MVP!
3. Dance Dollars – UGH the monstrous tax that come with dance dollars is something that should have been left behind in the 90’s. With credit cards and ATM’s that charge outrageous fees or have limits – clients like to buy dance dollars to pay the girls with. What they usually don’t understand is that these dance dollars are taxed TWICE. Once to the customer when they buy them and then to the dancer when they cash them in at the end of the night. Unfortunately, I would try to cash in my money and sometimes the club wouldn’t have that much in their bank and I would go home with a bunch of paper money that was useless. Explain to the customer or try to work out something with the club – if you sell x amount the tax goes lower or you can even try to exchange them with other girls who didn’t make much money or use them for tip out (HA!).
4. Dress Codes – one of my BIGGEST pet peeves was dress codes and violations! Each club is different and I get that but most have a dress code that is either enforce by city regulations or the club itself. EX: In Houston they require girls to where liquid latex over their nipples and full bottoms. Some clubs require full length gowns on certain days or only let girls wear dresses. Others are nude clubs and require no clothes at all. I think all of these rules are arbitrary and it should be up to the dancer what they want to wear or how much they want to show. Dress codes usually just end up hurting money making abilities and can be strictly enforced. Best advice – if you have to apply liquid latex save $ and do it yourself instead of having the house mom do it. Try not to work nights that require a specific dress code. Or just change clubs/cities completely. The best places to work are when you the independent contractor can determine how you want to run your business.
5. Floor Rules – this one kind of ties in with dress codes. Some clubs have certain rules that must be followed while a girl is on the floor. I’ll save some of the stupidest ones for another post but these rules are also super unfair ways to hurt the hustle. Worrying about rules or even worse – one time my friend was FINED at the end of the nightfor not “following the floor rules”. Sometimes it’s at the high earning clubs that would have the most floor rules but just be aware that managers do watch you (it’s another way they can tax you and earn money). Try to keep them in mind or learn them from your hiring packet. Work with a friend so if you do try and bend the rules you have someone watching for the manager.
These are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to rules that clubs try to enforce on dancers. Just remember that there are usually multiple clubs that you can work at. Find a good fit for you and your business. If you are subjected to these rules – the best practice is to leave and not work there anymore. Unless it’s a city ordinance usually the clubs can bend the rules to accommodate you if you are a hustler. Never forget that you are making the CLUB MONEY not the other way around. You are independent and therefore don’t have to follow rules if you don’t want to. Don’t stay in a bad work environment!
