A Miami midnight ballerina worked an eight-hour shift only to get abysmal tips. That’s why she’s asking, “ Do y’all think strip clubs are dying?”

TikTok content creator KileyAnn (@mommyof20821) noticed that the club she works at has slowly lost some of its client pool. On one particular night, she only got $40 in tips, leading her to question where all of the money was going. Her video on TikTok garnered over 2,000 views, with regular customers and other midnight ballerinas offering her some suggestions as to why her particular club has been doing poorly. 

Do Some Clubs Perform Better Based on Their Geographic Region?

Many commenters emphasized that other clubs across the country are making money. KileyAnn just isn’t at one of the profitable clubs. She mentioned in the comments section of her post that she recently moved from a more profitable club to her current location, which has affected her tips and bottom line. 

It’s unclear what prices her current club charges, although it does seem to affect her baseline pay. In the comments section of her video, she replied to multiple viewers who said that the clubs in their area were more profitable, emphasizing that she’d rather be at another spot anywhere else in the country. 

“I think it’s also where you’re at,” one commenter said. “My friend is a ‘midnight ballerina’ here and some nights she pulls in $2,000.” 

Commenters emphasized that the busier spots had “entertainers” and policies that made it easier for cash to flow. After all, KileyAnn is working in a popular coastal city and has previously worked in other coastal areas that had a large client base.

Is People Not Going to Clubs a Recession Indicator?

While many people said it was just a problem with KileyAnn’s specific club, others emphasized that they don’t have the money to spend on clubs in general.

“Its a luxury expense and people just don’t have the extra cash as much anymore,” said one viewer.

Dancers take notice of this, and it often signals an economic downturn. The indicator is called the “stripper index.”

“When tips slow down and foot traffic thins out, it often means people are holding onto their extra cash,” David Kindness, a certified public accountant and finance expert, told Buzzfeed.

Recently, some clubs have made the move to finally increase prices from $20 for one dance to $40-50. For years, clubs have increased the prices of other amenities, like alcohol or special VIP rooms. But now, they’ve made a move to adjust for inflation and move away from prices from the early ‘80s.

This inflation, though, has been noticeable for customers.

“As someone who frequents strip clubs and SWs the inflation has been crazy. It’s inflated more than any other commodity or luxury,” said one commenter on a Reddit thread discussing inflated dances.

Another added that “these strip clubs that raised their dance prices to $40 and $50 stay dead. Or if they have a crowd, most of the customers are drinking and tipping.”

That’s led many to conclude that strip clubs have gotten more expensive and are not worth going to.

“I think it’s more that like everything else the prices have just exploded… what used to be a good night out now cost $20 to cover $8 beer, dances that were $20 have now turned into a $600 VIP room…” said one commenter on KileyAnn’s post.

Inflation was the biggest thing on most commenters’ minds, which seemingly has left many people fighting to pay for necessities. That leaves little room in their wallets for clubs or other luxury expenses. 

We’ve reached out to KileyAnn via TikTok direct message and TikTok comment for more information. We’ll let you know if she responds.

@mommyof20821 Let’s talk about it #fyp ♬ original sound – KileyAnn