8ish

Some time during the week I'll get a text message from a dancer that usually goes along the lines of "Working 2nite cu l8r?" I'll reply "Love to see you, what time are you starting?" Invariably I will get the most dreaded text message I can receive from a dancer. "8ish" I will instantly flip into an eye rolling, foot stamping, teeth gnashing conniption. 8ish. Ugh! Not 8, not 8:15, not 8:30, 8ish.

A lot of dancers have my number, I wouldn't be surprised to find out my number is written on the dressing room wall "In case of a slow night call 971-4……" This is my personal neurosis I know. What really irritates me is this. I get into the club at "8ish" and wait. And wait. If they had given me a fixed time like 8:30, I can decide how patient I want to be. If a dancer invites me in I will wait for her. Where things get ugly is when 8ish comes and goes and the dancer is still missing in action. When does 8ish expire? With 8:30 I know that 8:31 she's late and can decide that she's not showing up and leave or talk to somebody else. 8ish is intentionally vague.

I tend to be soft around the edges, I don't go after people's hot button, but 8ish is selfish. It's just a lazy way to get a verbal commitment from a customer without having to hold yourself to a specific time. A dancer wants me to come in and spend my time and money but she won't give me a time. If you are not going to be there until 9, just tell me. If that is later than I want to stay I won't come in, if you tell me 8ish and don't show up until 9. I'll either will have left or decided to talk to another dancer. In either case I'm ticked off. If you are not willing to give me a basic commitment of a time, then don't ask me to come in.

From a purely sales point of view it a profoundly stupid thing to do. You are bringing your customer in with an expectation of spending money, surrounding him with competitive products, and then irritating the customer. All you are doing is putting your customer in the position to spend his money else where then giving him the motivation to do so. Every regular I know has been invited in by a dancer only to have her not show up. I've have had girls call me to say she is in the car, on her way, then never arrive. Even if you personally have never left a customer hanging, the odds are some other dancer has. It's in the back of his mind.

As much as some dancers trust me, I know it's in the back of their mind that I might do something stupid with my hands. It will always be there. While I may not do anything, there are tons of other guys that will. It's guilt by association. I'll never escape that. The same is true with dancers. You'll always have that association of being flakey about time. I'm not asking that all dancers keep a rigid schedule like the guards at Buckingham Palace, but if you invite me in, al least give me a time you can actually make.