You'd think stuff like this would be left up to the authorities or, barring that, a private investigator's firm, not a bunch of mystery shoppers. I mean, those of us here like to think of ourselves as professionals, sure, but let's not kid ourselves and say we don't need many qualifications to start, nor are we necessarily known for our professionalism.

Some choice excerpts from the email:

"*Shopper will purchase a private room, ONLY if the entertainer agrees to sex, could be to meet after the club for sex"

"You are to observe to see if there are any drugs being used/provided in the club. "

EDIT: And I just got another email with the following addendum: "* Your stated race is African American"

This just looks scummy all around.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/22/2018 10:12PM by Misanthrope.

And after the entertainer agrees to sex and you have purchased a room do you go through with it and report on the quality of service? Do you have to ask for a receipt? Or do you tell the entertainer that you can't perform because of incontinence or just sneak out the back door?

Um, incontinence doesn't stop most men, though impotence will. And don't use the term back door...darned innuendos.

Anyone who takes on an assignment like that and is not working under the direction and protection of a PI firm is exercising bad judgement.

It's probably an attempt for the strip club to skirt the PI fees, but the shopper could be brought into the legal proceedings if a "Performer" is penalized for the results of the shop...

Interesting..... it could be that the club has the mystery shopping program as a deterrent for such illegal activities so that the club employees know that they will be caught and terminated before authorities could ever catch on - kind of like the reason there are alcohol and tobacco compliance shops.

That being said, I have got to wonder what your instructions are after purchasing the private room and making arrangements for sex.....

Yes, it would be rather awkward for the shopper if there were a sting in place with authorities watching and pouncing upon said shopper once they go into the private room for sex...try to explain your way out of that one.

Or... you present the “dancer” with a certificate that she did all the right things and she gets half off a small plate of wings on her next lunch break!

You're right, Jasflalmt wrong word unless the shopper plans to sneak out of the bathroom window. Had to give some thought to your back door interpretation.

@JASFLALMT; I don't think the MSC covers the cost of the sex. Just the cost of the private room where that can be provided and/or negotiated. If you are then supposed to bug out/decline sex and report the interaction, that's where it gets really shady.

The last strip club assignment I saw had the shopper required to take a picture of themselves (full face pic) in front of the club. Clearly that gets attached to the report. If you are someone who goes to strip clubs and feels comfortable there, you do an honest shop and you can basically kiss that lifestyle goodbye. Barring the performer suing the shopper for reporting their behavior, where do think strippers go if they get let go from that club?....another strip club!

That means the shoppers are probably going to be unsuspecting types who don't frequent places like that. I have yet to see a strip club where drugs and/or prostitution are not present in some form, so the options are to either ignore it and not accept the private room, shake the performer down for a bribe to not report it, or report everything you see knowing that they will probably be well aware of who reported them.

I once had a car mechanic once threaten me when he figured out I had reported his non-compliance. What do thing think the reaction from a drug-using prostitute would be?

LMAO yes I figured that the "act" was not covered...where I live in the conservative Midwest, it's doubtful that I (female) would be offered this option anyway. Even though I am a pretty fem, I just don't think it would happen. But I haven't been to a strip club in a couple decades. I went with some of my guy friends back in the 90s when I lived in FL.

@SteveSoCal part of the reason I stick to gas audits.

Instructions should say, bring a condom, and do you rate employee or ask for a return visit? Definitely a money saver for the strip club....and, remember you'll be on camera.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/22/2018 11:57PM by Irene_L.A..

I only do these througha PI firm (not the shop the OP mentioned.)

Which reminds me, I supposed to take the test to get personally licensed. I need to make time for that.

Edited for a random typo

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/2018 01:26AM by SoCalMama.

@Misanthrope wrote:

"*Shopper will purchase a private room, ONLY if the entertainer agrees to sex, could be to meet after the club for sex"

"You are to observe to see if there are any drugs being used/provided in the club. "

EDIT: And I just got another email with the following addendum: "* Your stated race is African American"

This just looks scummy all around.

OH, HELL NO!!!

They can keep that shop!

@shoptastic wrote:

@Misanthrope wrote:

"*Shopper will purchase a private room, ONLY if the entertainer agrees to sex, could be to meet after the club for sex"

"You are to observe to see if there are any drugs being used/provided in the club. "

EDIT: And I just got another email with the following addendum: "* Your stated race is African American"

This just looks scummy all around.

OH, HELL NO!!!

They can keep that shop!

Seriously. I wouldn't touch that with someone else's 10" pole.

Stay away from my pole!

So it's a revealed shop? (Sorry....I couldn't resist.)

Is this in the US? The wording does not sound like a native English speaker wrote it.

New
And after the entertainer agrees to sex and you have purchased a room do you go through with it and report on the quality of service? Do you have to ask for a receipt?

And what about a photo of the entire front facade with no customers or scanning a business card?

@TroyHawkins wrote:

Is this in the US? The wording does not sound like a native English speaker wrote it.

New York City, baby.

@Rho* wrote:

New
And after the entertainer agrees to sex and you have purchased a room do you go through with it and report on the quality of service? Do you have to ask for a receipt?

And what about a photo of the entire front facade with no customers or scanning a business card?

You ARE actually required to get a receipt and write any tips you give on the receipt. If you're up-charged for sex, I don't know, maybe that's supposed to be a big tip?

You only get around $300 for reimbursements... having never hired a prostitute my gut says that's not going to be enough.


The more I think about this shop, the more I think that whatever MSC agreed to do this should be ashamed, and that I somehow I think this shop is illegal and promoting prostitution. I kind of have half a mind to report the MSC to the local authorities over this.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/2018 04:58AM by Misanthrope.

@Misanthrope; Don't confuse illegal with stupid. The minute you ask for a receipt nobody is going to offer sex.

The main purpose of the assignment is supposed to be making sure the girls aren't offering anything they are not supposed to, which can get them shut down. Many of them will say things like, "We can have a lot of fun in the private room," or something that implies sex...but doesn't specifically offer it, and is legal.

In Manhattan, you can probably last about 15 minutes in a club with $300...but longer in the outer boroughs, and that's where you will find the drugs and sex offers anyway.

I hope nobody is stupid enough to take the assignment, though. It really needs to be handled by a real PI firm.

@Misanthrope wrote:

The more I think about this shop, the more I think that whatever MSC agreed to do this should be ashamed, and that I somehow I think this shop is illegal and promoting prostitution. I kind of have half a mind to report the MSC to the local authorities over this.

Since the actual client hasn't been named, you can post the MSC. That might help to tell if this is a legitimate shop. I really can't imagine anyone posting a shop with those requirements.

“Um yeahh, I just need a receipt... so I can expense this out...”

@bgriffin wrote:

Stay away from my pole!

Really
(*&^%$ is your pole 10 inches?

@TroyHawkins wrote:

@Misanthrope wrote:

The more I think about this shop, the more I think that whatever MSC agreed to do this should be ashamed, and that I somehow I think this shop is illegal and promoting prostitution. I kind of have half a mind to report the MSC to the local authorities over this.

Since the actual client hasn't been named, you can post the MSC. That might help to tell if this is a legitimate shop. I really can't imagine anyone posting a shop with those requirements.

HS Brands. I told you it was in NYC so look around on their board if you don't believe me

I didn’t say I didn’t believe you. It just sounded like it might not be from a real MSC.

Wow. I just read the job description. Secret shopping to try to get someone to agree to sex. I can't believe the MSC thought this was a good idea.

Do we need to pay attention to how the "Entertainer" greets the shopper. Also, would a business card be necessary? Gosh, so many details missing. Had to ask!

Well...it's the same MSC that I posted my wonderful experiences about for a strip club shop a few month back:

[www.mysteryshopforum.com]

It's a different client, however. The sad part about this is that it's run through their PI division in Vegas. Clearly the client was looking for a PI, and ended up getting convinced that a mystery shopper would be a good idea. It's not!

You can look look it up and see that particular club is located in a historically high prostitution area (Queens), was shuttered by the NYPD last January for prostitution and cannot get a liquor license because of this. Some other excepts from that article....

-"Five girls arrested in one night? That's not a strip club. It's a brothel with music," a police source said at the time of the arrests.

-Three of the four shootings that took place in Long Island City in 2016 were tied to the club, former 108th Precinct Capt. John Travaglia told the State Liquor Authority last year.

This funny thing about the shop I did is that the crazier details don't become apparent until you are assigned the shop. The fact that you need all staff names. The fact that the tipping policies are not in line with typical customers. Etc.

This is a dangerous situation and does not pay a fee in line with what's required. That basically invites the scenario I mentioned above. I have spoken with the staff in the Vegas office and can assure you they are clueless of what the situation is like in these clubs, and have no concern for the safety of the shoppers they send in.

The silver lining is that in a strip club, when you're staring at a woman's chest real hard because you're trying to get her name off a name tag, everyone else is staring at her chest anyway.

(Unrelated, but the bane of my existence as a mystery shopper are busty women who don't realize that their name tag is angled poorly and impossible to read due to their endowment)