Two Dollar Socialism

The club I go to started giving out two dollar bills for change. So now you have to tip two dollars per song. I can’t really bitch too much. When went to my first strip club in the 80’s it was one per song. Thirty years later it’s still one per song at most clubs. I can’t think of anything else that has stayed the same price for so longs. From an economics point of view dancers made a lot more money back in the 80’s off stage. That 1980 dollar bought a lot more.

I have to admit I was a little irritated the first time the bartender counted back my change in twos. I was being indirectly told to start tipping two dollars per set. Nobody likes being told they have to spend more.  The switch to two dollar bills does change the strip club a little for experience for me.  

The biggest change is that I don’t drink as much. I go through my tip money a lot faster now.  I don’ t spend any more money than before. I suppose this is good for the dancers and bad for the owner. I also don’t spend as much time at the club. At the end of the day it’s probably better for me.

Another change is that the two dollars tip has evened out the amount I tip to each girl. Typically I’ll tip one or two dollars per song depending if I know the dancer or not. Then tip the dancer I went into to see much more. If I have $20 in tip money and there are five girls on rotation I’ll tip the four girls I don’t know three buck total for their set for a total of $12. I’ll then tip my favorite $8 for her set. Now each girl gets exactly four bucks. 

I think there might a bit of a blow back from the customers beyond having to tip more. The only place in Portland you get $2 bills are at strip clubs. If you pay for stuff with a stack of ones you might be a stripper. If you pay for stuff with a stack of two dollar bills you’re are definitely a stripper and, more importantly for customers, you were at a strip club the day before. Two dollar bills will probably replace glitter as the leading cause of guys getting busted for going to a strip club. Just for the record Bank of America ATMs and 

Albertson’s self serve machines will take two dollar bills.

If the customers organized the two dollar bill tip thing is something they could get rid of. Simply at the end of the night get change for a twenty then walk out. There are only so many two dollar bills in circulation. If you get enough customers a walking out the door with change they’ll deplete the supply of two dollar bills in the club.