What would you do!

[Atlantagaguy]

I was a regular at Swinging Richards when I first moved to Atlanta until one day I sat down and looked how much I was spending. Now I only go a few times a year. After last night I may question even going at all and it’s because of one guy. It’s a little frustrating to pay $5 to park, $10 to enter, $10 for the VIP lounge so I can have a little more personal time and $10 for my first drink and tip. In less than 10 mins I had spent $35, which would be ok if this wouldn’t happen to spoil the evening. I saw a dancer on stage that I really liked and gave him a nice tip to show him I was interested. After he got off the stage he goes back to the dressing room for 15mins, then shows back up working the patrons. After about an hour he finally comes over to me (the club was dreadfully slow and he spent a lot time with other dancers and working customers for drinks) which I was happy because he was so cute very personable and very sexy! When he ask if I wanted a dance in the VIP room I said yes, he was fantastic as a dancer and we had a great time. I did three dances with him and paid him $60 and thank him for the fun, he immediately lit into me that I owed him $80. He may be a professional dancer but I am a professional customer and I knew how many dances we did. I immediately looked at him and said “I now remember you, you pulled the same stunt on me the last time I was in here”, which was in December. I then told him it was so sad because he was so cute, great personality, gave great dances and had a sexy body and he didn’t need to pull this stunt. He then just walk off.

 

My question should I have said anything to management or leave it alone and let this kid figure it out on his own? I watch two other guys to leave the VIP room abruptly after their dances with him.

[gallahadesquire]

Put yourself in his place. He may well be doing this because he can't do anything else (and he doesn't appear to be real good at this, either). If you tell Management, they may or may not do something, but it may well accelerate a natural course of events.

 

It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature!

[AdamSmith]

My solution is to find dancers who like going home with me for say a couple hundred for an overnight.

 

VIP rooms may be among the greatest ripoffs in Western capitalism.

[Atlantagaguy]

Put yourself in his place. He may well be doing this because he can't do anything else (and he doesn't appear to be real good at this, either). If you tell Management, they may or may not do something, but it may well accelerate a natural course of events.

 

It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature!

 

The sad thing was he was very good up to the point of trying to hustle that extra $20.

[jjkrkwood]

The sad thing was he was very good up to the point of trying to hustle that extra $20.

 

 

I think for guys that work in those types of establishments, "hustle" is part of the game, and they are banking on the fact you may be too drunk, too stoned, or too horny to Notice !

[+ purplekow]

Tell the management on your way out. That way you have the dramatic exit as an exclamation point. I would not use the "I am never coming back" threat. After all, if you are never coming back, then there is no incentive for the management to do anything and if you do go back, well they know they have you hooked.

[bigvalboy]

I have several thoughts AG. First of all, whether it be Swinging Richards or any strip club, parking, entry fee, VIP lounge and drinks are typical costs. It just goes with the territory. It seems that going into the evening you were already annoyed by those costs, which didn't help matters with the dancer.

 

I am a little confused, because you mention that you did 3 dances in the VIP room which should have totaled $60. I'm assuming you did them all at the same time, in which case typically in the VIP rooms, you are not charged per dance, but rather per song or by time, at least that is how it worked with SR in FTL, and at the other strip clubs that I've been to.

 

If it was per song, then it is possible that you lost track, which is why I always negotiate a set fee up front, because I don't like to count the songs. If it was by time, is it possible that you went over the allotted time, and didn't realize it? Perhaps that is the discrepancy. Either way, 20 bucks is not worth getting upset over and certainly not worth causing a scene with the management. I've had dancers try to hustle me out of an additional $20 or so, and I usually just pay them the extra amount and then never tip them again. Plenty of dancers to go around. Strip bars are a hustle, they just are, and they are designed to get as much money out of the customer as possible, so don't take it personally. The dancer is there to make money, and many of them barely make enough to make it worth the trouble.

 

My advice, don't fall in love and acknowledge to yourself why you are there, and also know that the minute you walk out the door, that same dancer that told you how hot you were will be across the room telling another client the same thing...And round and round it goes, the hustle continues. Nothing wrong with that, I love strip clubs, just don't take any of it too seriously, including yourself...Good luck.

Edited May 6, 2016 by bigvalboy

[maninsoma]

My solution is to find dancers who like going home with me for say a couple hundred for an overnight.

 

VIP rooms may be among the greatest ripoffs in Western capitalism.

 

I just happened to watch on Amazon Prime a short documentary on male strippers, and it ended up being solely about guys at Swinging Richards. Curious about what had been posted here about the club, I decided to search for previous threads. I'm glad I saw your comment because I was aghast at what one dancer said when running through the list of charges for a private dance. He gave prices for various intervals up to an hour, and while I don't remember all of the prices the hourly rate was close to $500 -- with a portion going to the bar and the rest to the stripper. And he stressed that it was all about "fantasy" and that the dancers there have strict limits about their physical interactions. Now I don't know if what he was saying was true for all dancers, but he gave me the impression that the place was really all about look but don't touch. For $500, who would want that?

 

The only time I've paid for a private show was with a guy at Anthropology in Puerto Vallarta with whom I became immediately smitten. I really only paid for the 10 minute private show so I could interact with him enough to see if I wanted to ask him for some time away from the club. I negotiated a very reasonable rate for him to visit my hotel. I don't remember what Anthropology's cost was for a private dance, but it certainly wasn't over-the-top ridiculous like Swinging Richards. And at Anthropology the guys are basically begging you to touch them as soon as they approach you because they are working hard (pun intended) for tips.

 

Did the documentary on Swinging Richards (I think it's called All Male, All Nude) give a false impression about the limits of customers' interactions with dancers while at the club? The only hint at any kind of interaction beyond a casual touch while putting a tip in an armband was from a straight-identified dancer who was clearly not happy about being a stripper who said that when he looks back on this part of his life he will be amazed at the sorts of things he was willing to do at the club for money.

[MassageDrew]

Sounds about the same for the Lucky Horseshoe club in Chicago. At least back when lap dances were allowed. I see people getting ripped off all the time. My suggestion is to pretend not to know the rules and ask him. That way he’s clear about the policy. If you happen to get him in the middle of a music then find out of he charges for that. Some consider that as the first music even if it’s practically at the end. Others will throw it in as a bonus and then charge for the next three or how many music you wanted him to dance for you. Otherwise, be sure to catch him at the very start of the next puece of music.

 

Not sure if that’s what happened to you but it’s a very gray area. It’s like deciding when does your time with an escort begin? As he walk in the door? Or as you start fooling around?