Fancypants Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 VICE magazine LONDON - STRIPPERS FEEL THE CRUNCHSituated within spitting distance of Europe's biggest financial district, Shoreditch is home to a bevy of pubs and clubs that cater to traders and bankers looking for a lapdance at lunch. There's usually a steady stream of suits emerging from them onto the high street, squinting in the daylight. But the crisis in big business has directly affected these striptease establishments. There are now less leery city boys tucking cash into their panties, for those extravagant expense accounts have been frozen. The price of a Lunchtime Special (a pint and a private pole dance) has plummeted with the stock market. I went and talked to some local strip club dancers, DJs and managers about how the global economic austerity was affecting them. I started off by checking in at a "gentleman's pub" called The White Horse and talking to two of the dancers. How has the credit crunch affected trade? Nikita: Look around. There's you and one other man here. Before we'd be full at this time. Crystal: It's been going downhill for about eight months. Every day there's been a slow decline and now we're at the point where there is no one here. It must be a tough time to be a stripper. N: I know some girls at a club who worked four hours and made only £18. A tenner of that goes to the house for fees, so they're left with £8. It's a joke. I didn't start doing this to be making less money than I'd make waiting tables or working at Tesco. C: It's a worry and it's happening all over. They're struggling at the bigger places like Stringfellows and For Your Eyes only. I suppose it's just going to take time to sort itself out. Are your regulars still coming in? N: Yeah, they still come in. There is one guy we call £20 man who gives all the girls £20 per dance (the usual fee is £1). He still comes in. I think he gets picked up in a limo around the corner. But a lot of the guys are just normal guys, labourers or whatever. Now they have to choose between paying for girls or paying their mortgage. C: Even the regulars are spending less now. They'll come in for one round of dances and have one drink. That'll be it. Everyone is spending less. I suppose this is a luxury for a lot of these guys but it's something a lot of them will have to give up. Then I had a quick chat to Linford, the strip club DJ/manager. It must be bad news that this place is so empty. Linford: Big time mate. It's slow nearly every day now. First we had the problem of the smoking ban – that really hurt us. But this is stupid. Look around! There is no one in here. There are three times as many girls as there are punters! What are you going to do about it? Well, if it comes to it, the first thing to go will be bar staff. It always is. If things don't improve we will have to get rid of some of the girls. We did not see this decline coming - we're in the process of building a second floor in here. We've invested a lot into this place so we have to make it work. The White Horse staff were so forthcoming that I was shocked when I went to the nearby Rainbow Sports Bar and they pretty much told me to ****** off. I tried reasoning with the manager but he said that the girls wouldn't talk to me because a) they would lose money [even though the only guys in there were bouncers] and their knowledge of English was insufficient to discuss economics. Fair enough. I had more luck talking to the people at Brown's, a landmark strip club on Old Street. Peter, the club's manager, offered up some expert analysis. How's business? Peter: I've been managing and running clubs for a long time and I went through the recession in the 80s, but this is the worst time I've ever seen. And this is all linked to the city and the economy? Totally. We can look at the markets and predict what kind of a day and night we'll have. If something goes wrong, like at Lehman brothers, we'll have a slow day and a terrible night because all the city boys will be working late. I've never seen it so dead as when Lehman brothers went belly up. Will you survive? I'm positive about it. In here, for want of a better word, we're cheap and nasty. At one of the bigger clubs you'll pay £20 to get in and something stupid for a drink. In here it's cheap. We hope to get the customers from those bigger clubs when the money dries up even more. They'll have to come here because that's what they'll be able to afford. LANRE BAKARE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DementedTuna Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Wonder how the hooker industry is doing? I can see there being a lot more women looking into it as a source of easy cash (more supply), and a lot of guys cutting back on the weekend punt (less demand). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DissipatedYouthIsValuable Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 I paint lipstick on my hand, charge myself a fiver and knock one out. Seems to be working out a lot cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryturbojr Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 The Griffin was rammed last week. Maybe everyone is moving from £20 a dance to pound in a pint pot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cht Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 The Griffin was rammed last week. Maybe everyone is moving from £20 a dance to pound in a pint pot. next time i'm in the Griffin I'm going to play 'spot the HPCer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest anorthosite Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 What a great quote on that site, from a lap dancing club owner who is asked if the club can survive: "I'm positive about it. In here, for want of a better word, we're cheap and nasty." Sounds like my kind of place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wad Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Now this really is the kind of quality anecdotal I come on HPC for - far better than looking at Libor rates. Made me laugh anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 That is quality. And hits the nail so firmly on the head it ain't even funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 ...next time i'm in the Griffin I'm going to play 'spot the HPCer ...Sounds like my kind of place Thinking about it, it's been a while since our last pub meet. I imagine HPCers would be quite welcome - what with all those flush STRs, gold horders. Might have a bit of a problem if I go though, as my own investments are mostly in tinned produce - imagine the poor girl's face if I slipped a tin of beans down her knickers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DabHand Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Thinking about it, it's been a while since our last pub meet. I imagine HPCers would be quite welcome - what with all those flush STRs, gold horders. Might have a bit of a problem if I go though, as my own investments are mostly in tinned produce - imagine the poor girl's face if I slipped a tin of beans down her knickers! Give it 12 months, you'll be the one tinned man in the valley of the starving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redgenieuk Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 In here it's cheap. Next HPC "pub" meet?!?!?!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Wonder how the hooker industry is doing?I can see there being a lot more women looking into it as a source of easy cash (more supply), and a lot of guys cutting back on the weekend punt (less demand). LoL - Could resist a google search using 'credit crunch' and 'escorts' http://www.photogirls.net/portfolio_london_escorts.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Take Me Back To London! Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 (edited) LoL - Could resist a google search using 'credit crunch' and 'escorts' http://www.photogirls.net/portfolio_london_escorts.htm I see there's quite a few credit crunch offers at £200 to £250 per hour. I look forward to the HPC 80-90% price reductions. credit crunch + fetish http://www.skintwo.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1821 Edited September 25, 2008 by Take Me Back To London! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 I see there's quite a few credit crunch offers at £200 to £250 per hour. I look forward to the HPC 80-90% price reductions.credit crunch + fetish http://www.skintwo.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1821 I wonder what a working girls strategy is in a recession. Do you lower prices, increase services, a bit of both???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cht Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 I wonder what a working girls strategy is in a recession. Do you lower prices, increase services, a bit of both???? Ask the public for fresh deposits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moo Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 I started off by checking in at a "gentleman's pub" called The White Horse and talking to two of the dancers. Had this interview been conducted in Brighton, I suspect the outcome would have been very different indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest anorthosite Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 credit crunch + fetishhttp://www.skintwo.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1821 Someone there has the signature "Don't use shampoo............... demand real poo!" On any other site I'd assume that was just a jokey pun, but on that place I just don't know. Strangely enough, they're based in the Midlands, and not Germany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ʎqɐqɹǝʞɐɥs Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Wonder how the hooker industry is doing?I can see there being a lot more women looking into it as a source of easy cash (more supply), and a lot of guys cutting back on the weekend punt (less demand). Prices are dropping faster than the knickers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DissipatedYouthIsValuable Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Someone there has the signature "Don't use shampoo............... demand real poo!"On any other site I'd assume that was just a jokey pun, but on that place I just don't know. Strangely enough, they're based in the Midlands, and not Germany Click here if you want to learn about the fetish scene and the average size of ladies into BDSM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DinosaursAreAwesome Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 (edited) Click here if you want to learn about the fetish scene and the average size of ladies into BDSM Too big to fail? bail out imo. Edited September 25, 2008 by Laughing Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sillybear2 Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 Too big to fail?bail out imo. Asset deflation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Bart' Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 Wonder how the hooker industry is doing? Hookers only ever go down. (So I'm told.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob monkhouse Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 (edited) Deposits (tick) Asset inflation/deflation (tick). hmmmmm. Plenty of hedges getting trimmed back?? Nope, poor Fannie' disappeared?? Go away (sorry, Ive had 7 pints) Edited September 26, 2008 by bob monkhouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonethecrows Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 According to an 'acquaintance' in this line of business (seedy massage parlour [is there any other kind?] manager to be precise), business has taken a turn for the worse, so much so many of the girls are threatening to go back home to their various eastern european countries of origin. Click here if you want to learn about the fetish scene and the average size of ladies into BDSM Lovely site there dissyoof-as for this...fetish or just plain tragic??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffraff Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 i love 'the white horse' ...it rules!!!! was in there 5 weeks back and it was empty ...which ment that the girls were so bored they'd hang out a the bar with you and have a drink - no strings ...well g-srings still on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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