Strippers Wanted?

Think the weak economy isn’t affecting the sex industry? Larry Flynt’s opinions on the matter aside, it really is. But unlike other fields where the outlook appears mostly gloomy, the effects are both positive and negative.

For instance, the Rhode Island strip club chain Foxy Lady is holding a job fair to fill positions at its Providence club and two other clubs in Massachusetts. According to the AP report picked up by Yahoo Finance, the club needs strippers, waitresses, DJs and bartenders.

With Rhode Island’s unemployment rate of 10.3 percent, it presumably won’t be hard to find candidates. Who would have thought of local strip clubs performing a public service in these hard times and providing jobs when other industries are laying people off en masse? This circumstantial evidence seems to tell us that the sex industry is doing just fine, thank you.

“Sin Industries” Up

In hard times, the so-called “sin industries” (along with, on the opposite end of that spectrum, churches) do well. Many people drink, gamble and have sex to forget their problems and to escape from the harsh realities of life. The rest go to church.

Some do both, but I’m not here to pass judgment.

An article in The Atlantic pondered the question “Is Porn Recession Proof?” The porn industry’s first hedge fund, AdultVest, is apparently up 50 percent this year, so, again, the answer might be “yes.”  Or at least a definitive, “Sort of.”

The Atlantic article came out a long three months ago, though, and now it seems even strippers are feeling the pinch.

Hard Times
An article posted on AtlantaStripClubs.net quotes Angelina Spencer, national executive director of the Association of Club Executives, as saying that she’s receiving calls everyday from strip club owners concerned with declining attendance and a decrease in sales of food, lapdances and liquor.

In today’s global economy, it’s not just strip clubs here in the states that are hurting. Cited as “desperate measures” by German publication Spiegel Online International, a brothel in Berlin has begun offering flat-rate services.

Like so many restaurants now offering discounts and nightly specials to compete in this economy, the “Pussy Club” offers clients unlimited access to the ladies, along with all they can eat (off the food menu!) and all they can drink. The special runs only during off-peak hours, but so far, according to a spokesperson for the club who says “business is normal,” it hasn’t driven more customers to the club.

What to Cut?
In a poll in February’s Money Magazine, 20 percent of the people surveyed said they were unwilling to give up “fine wine and spirits” in this economy. It was number five on a list that was topped by “gym memberships.”

If you were wondering, topping the list of things people are willing to sacrifice due to tighter budgets was that new gadget, followed closely by sporting events. Adult entertainment didn’t make either list, but I’m guessing it wasn’t a choice on the survey.

So I’m asking you, Vibrator.com blog readers: Have you cut back on your adult entertainment budget (whether it’s videos, apparel,  sex toys or strippers) due to the economy? If not, in what other areas of life have you tightened the purse strings to afford your adult hobbies?

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