by Theresa Dulce
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Has work sucked lately? Tell me about it. I love this time of year because everybody needs holiday money and not enough people are giving it up. Thank God for regulars. And thank God for those few good men that blow you away and make up for a slow shift. But using a busy winter as an excuse for slow business is just another head game I throw on myself. It's always something: January is weak 'cause it's right after the holidays; February-July has a 'family holiday' and half of our business is married; August - September, people are saving up for school stuff for the little ones; folks get hit with lousy weather depression come October; then it's November-December again and God damn it! Customers are saving their money for the holidays! And if it is not a season thing, you could break it down to weeks. The last week of the month bites 'cause rent and bills are due. Or was that the first week? Or how about, it's just when you work? My favorite is when I dance a shift and somebody invariably tells me, "I swear, I haven't seen it this slow ever. It has never been so bad." That one normally pops up on my first day anywhere, by the bartender keeping her hopes up as pathetically as I am. Pathetic. That's one of the first words that come to mind when I think of a small city offering over 60 establishments for live adult entertainment. Truly, Portland hosts a consumers' market. Which is good when I'm a consumer, but for the most part, I'm on the working end. Whattaya gonna do about it? Cry? Wonder out loud how some of these joints think using their rinky dink bathroom for female customers as a dressing room for dancers is anywhere near adequate? That it takes more than scooting the pool table over and putting up a 3 x 4 stage to make a proper strip club? If one more dancer of yesteryear tells me that it wasn't 8 years ago when PDX used to have half the amount of clubs, dancers got PAID, and everybody was laughing all the way to the bank, I'm going to scream. And now some of these club owners are actually making the performer pay in order to work. It just tells me things are going to get worse. Shag it. There is nothing I can do about the local saturation and neglect. BUT I CAN STOP LYING TO MYSELF. The fat money days are way over. Yeah, there are definitely those shifts where you're gonna make the money everybody assumes you do. But dancing five days a week (maybe with doubles) just to increase your chances for one of those nights is tired. This year is the year of YOU. Take care of yourself. Save at least 10% of what you make every shift and put it away. Gauge your work schedule–we work for tips alone and nobody gives up the dough to a depressed, frustrated, and exhausted dancer. I started making more money on stage when I danced fewer times a week. And the only way I afforded that self-help move was 'cause I've been doing more private dances in order to make the profit I deserve. I'm my own woman and I make my own decisions. I'm also getting older, and the $60 shifts weren't cutting it anymore. Peace and Anger. Any girl working in this business is worth taking care of herself first. |