Dayshift Downfalls

Now, as you all know from my previous blog post, I am a dayshift gal through and through. However, there certainly have been phases when even I had to switch up my shift choices. In fact, there was a particularly brutal dry spell during days at my home club a few months back and I opted for coming to work from appx. 4pm-11pm for the majority of my shifts. I have to say, it was a much-needed break from the struggles and frustrations of the painfully slow and dead dayshifts I'd been suffering through. Shift-switching can be a great way to give yourself a boost and do something new and more exciting than whatever normal time you've been working. It certainly helped me stay motivated, earning and in the game. So... what can be so bad about dayshifts? Let's dive in! 

*Disclaimer: These are my specific opinions/observations, and they may not be true for everyone. I will be doing my best to share the aspects I find to be challenging/frustrating along with reasoning for each topic, so you have a good idea of why I'm sharing on these particular areas! *

Slow Moments & Low Energy:

Contrary to popular belief, the strip club is not always a busy and crazy place. We too have our share of agonizingly slow workdays where we face a distinct lack of customers and therefore, income. There's a plethora of reasons why a slow day in any industry can be a total drag, but I've never felt it amplified anywhere quite as much as I do in the club. When it's slow and the customers are far and few between, earning anything and hitting your daily goal can feel next to impossible. This can very easily drag your morale down and frustrate even the most seasoned and patient dancer. A slow, low-income shift can be more than just hard on your mental/emotional state - it can really hit your bank account, too. No money in this industry is ever guaranteed to come to you. When you work dayshifts, the risks of leaving in the negative, breaking even, or not hitting your goal are often increased for the simple fact that days at the strip club will typically be slower than nights. Fewer customers in the door may mean less opportunities to make money. This isn't always true - some days you'll get a great small batch of high rollers! Even though they may trickle in slowly, you still hit your goal! If you're working a particularly slow dayshift, remember it's not a reflection on your worth, better days will come, and it only takes one. Refresh yourself in the locker room, listen to a song or podcast you like to help lower your stress, and repeat positive money and confidence affirmations to keep your head in the game! If you've worked a rough string of dead days, spice up your schedule (if possible) and see if another time slot is more lucrative and fun.

Skewed Ratios and Bad Timing:

Occasionally, there will be a slew of other strippers pulling up to work a dayshift with you. So many, in fact, that it completely wrecks the typical dancer to customer ratio. A day like this can be anxiety inducing because you feel like you're at nightshift-worthy competition levels but with a much lower number of potential customers to work with. I've definitely been there and thought, "shit... how am I supposed to make money with this number of girls and the fact that my timing is off consistently?!" What I mean by timing being off is this: you get called to stage, immediately after, a couple customers walk in. They ignore you on stage and go directly to the bar, where other dancers are quick to chat with them and pitch their sales. In another scenario, say you went to the bathroom or locker room for some reason, just for a couple minutes and a customer walked in. You notice them upon entering the club floor again, and they are already involved in a conversation with another stripper. Point being, any number of things can cause your timing to feel awful, and it's honestly really discouraging.

Dayshifts don't usually draw in a huge, lively crowd of customers, so you're missing out on that luxury of having several non-occupied people to talk to and possibly make money from. More than once this particular scenario has made me question if I should even stay and if I do, how in the hell I'm ever going to make my bag. Something I try to remind myself of is this - I never know who will come in next and I could be just what they're looking for. I don't have to make a sale right this second to be okay in the long run, and I practice patience and determination. I know that it can feel incredibly jarring to be sitting there, not making any cash or talking to any customers and watching other girls secure dances - but I promise you, it is not the end of the world. Remember to be kind to yourself in moments like these and remember that if you keep showing up, being present and trying your best, you will be making sales! Good things come to those who wait, so try not to let a skewed ratio or off timing day discourage you from staying and slaying.

Not Everyone is a Conversational Seller:

Even if you are a conversationalist and this is how you typically make your sales, it can get downright exhausting. As I said in the previous blog discussing some of my favorite parts of dayshifts, many times the customer base here wants to feel connected to the stripper more than they want to dance with just anybody who approaches them. Long conversations that feel like babysitting these customers can drain your emotional battery extremely quickly. On dayshifts, there may be more customers that crave intimate connections, and doing this emotional labor may be more necessary to securing your sales than it would be on a nightshift. Although I love to talk and connect with others, sometimes it can be overwhelming and feel like a chore. There are a few things I'd like to share on this particular topic that may be helpful:

•  Although you may need to sit with a customer for a bit more than the general "three song rule" don't feel bad for excusing yourself if they're not interested in dances/a VIP after you've pitched them, and they aren't willing to compensate you for your conversation instead. You're working after all, and you don't owe anybody free time and emotional labor. I don't recommend being a straight up bitch when asking for conversational compensation (unless the customer has made it clear they are a paypig or like to be findommed/spoken down to). Instead, try having some cute but firm lines for asking. For example, "well, if you're not looking for a dance, that's okay! But I know you know I'm working; you don't want to ask a beautiful girl like me to work for free, do you?" or "I understand if dances aren't your thing, however we've been chatting for a little while now and I know you'd love to tip me for my time and excellent conversations!" Anything that gets the point across while also being fairly lighthearted is a plus. If all else fails, get up, ask for a rejection tip and move on.
• Have some go to phrases prepped for yourself when you've been in the conversation for a little while and feel it straying from sexy strip club topics, but you're ready to present the dance offer. Often times I wait for a lull in conversation, look at them and flash a sexy smile and simply ask, "so! What are we doing now?!" I cannot tell you how many times I get the response "well, I think we better head upstairs" or something of the like. Another one I love to use is, "damn, it is getting sooooo boring down here! Please tell me you're going to let me show you the rest of the club!" When they ask what that entails, point them to your dance area and say something playful and sexy, "you on a couch and me, naked/tits out/dancing on top of you, duh!" (use whatever word/words you feel comfortable with/are allowed at your club!) Strip Tip: slow shifts can be a very useful time to brainstorm new selling tactics, new sexy phrases, and new ways to entice customers that you'd like to try. Bring a small notebook and write down your ideas so you can practice and remember them!
• There is absolutely nothing wrong with trying a quicker/bolder/sassier & insistent selling style when you're just not feeling the conversations, or a customer is honestly being kind of a jackass. This isn't something I do frequently, but it did work wonders for me on my last shift. A customer was, more or less, wasting my time. I was over it after having several conversations here and there with him during the shift and said, "you know, this day honestly sucks. Nothing is happening." He replied, "we're having fun!" in a sassy tone, I snapped back and said, "Pfft, I'm not! I'm here to make money and nobody in here is spending! Lame!" He looked a bit surprised, and stated, "well I guess I better change that then. How much for 6 dances with you?" I took a gamble on that one, for sure, but the execution was apparently flawless and even though I jumped a smidge outside my typical selling comfort zone, it worked in my favor, and I made my minimum goal all off of that one man! Sometimes, sass will really work in your favor, you just have to feel out when it's worth using, especially if it's not your go-to selling style.

Club Furniture and Recurring Patterns:

In the strip club, we often refer to those who frequent the establishment but rarely, if ever, spend "club furniture". Makes sense, right? They're basically no different than the sticky, stained couch sitting in the corner that's been there for half a century. Okay, maybe that's a bit overexaggerated and bitchy, but seeing the same old people in there taking up space and never spending gets so old very quickly. Dayshifts or early evenings at every single club I've worked at have had their own club furniture and when that's the only person in your club on a slow day, it can feel like the universe is playing a bad joke on you.

There have been several instances where one of these types of visitors has tried repeatedly to talk to me, for free, for a prolonged period of time. If you find yourself plagued by this kind of situation, even if the club is dead otherwise, don't force yourself to sit there and talk for free. As I said, nobody is entitled to your company at work for free.

There are several ways you can handle this, and honestly, I prefer the easiest route which is just staying away from cheap regular visitors. However, you can straight up ask them why they never tip/do dances when they clearly know that you're here working. When I go this route, I often get the tired old, "I just don't do that". I will respond by saying, "well, talking for free? I just don't do that" and I then walk away. You can be polite but firm and let them know since they're not interested in paying you, you're not interested in continuing to talk all day. Sometimes, I'm just too tired to say anything other than "I need to go to my locker" and walking to the back to ground & recenter my energy. I hear girls all the time tell me "I couldn't get away from that guy! He made me miss out on the other guys walking in and drained my energy!" Although dayshifts can be slow, and sometimes you can feel trapped talking to club furniture, please do your best to walk away when it's time and conserve that energy for the possible customers who will want to spend. 

Honorable Mentions for the Cons of Dayshift:

• Because there are less faces in the club, it can be easier to be recognized if someone from your outside life randomly comes to the club. If you're keeping your status as a stripper on the DL this can be problematic for anonymity and sometimes, even safety.
• Dayshift often consists of fewer girls who work more consistently together, and this can feel cliquish depending on the atmosphere of your club and how well the strippers mesh.
• Fewer faces in the club on days can also make it hard to avoid a dancer or staff member you don't get along with/don't feel comfortable around. Staying in a positive hustle mindset can be tough when you're always running into someone you don't want to be seeing.
• There may be less bouncers on dayshifts, depending on your club, and this can pose some risks for safety if something dangerous should happen in the club/a dance/a VIP.
• The stage money is typically a lot less than what you'd see on a nightshift. Dances/VIPs may be the majority of your money and dayshift selling styles can be hard to perfect. 

Thank you for taking a deep dive with me into some of the more challenging aspects of working a dayshift as a stripper! I'd love to hear from you on any downfalls to dayshift that really effect you and how you combat them. Leave a comment below with those, or any questions/comments/topic ideas you have for future posts! Up next, I'll be taking the same look at nightshifts and analyzing some of the pros and cons I've noticed for you.