Why are prices dropping?? $140 is back!

[Just-ass-weet]

Here is one of the arguments that really ticks me off. The plain and true fact is, regardless of what she does or does not do with her money, that aspect is none of your business and it doesn't mean that she has not earned it. Guys who make 25$/hr at a regular job - do they not deserve it if they are not saving their money? If they are doing drugs? If they are paying for an SP once a week? Does how they handle their finances become a reflection of how worthy they are of making X amount of money for doing their job? Would you even consider making such a statement? Why is it that you are not questioning whether agency owner deserve the amount they get? Could be that they are pissing away their moola stupidly as well, could be that they are not paying taxes either!

It is no easy task setting rates, or a fair minimum for sexual services... for intimate encounters. However, this is focused on agency ladies rates... and does it sound fair that the lady who does 80% (a conservative estimate) of the work, gets only 50% or 60% of the rate? I am not sure of the answer...

xoxox
Anik

Most will throw away their money away on garbage. Not too many girls in this are smart with their money.

 

[incognito_NYC]

But I find it rude for you to use the term "bitching" to describe in a general manner the participation of hobbyists

The term "bitching" is generically understood to mean nothing more than complaining in a noisy & annoying way ... even Merriam-Webster Dictionary has a listing for it :


Main Entry: 2bitch
Function: verb
transitive verb

3 : to complain of or about
intransitive verb : COMPLAIN

So there's really no reason to take offense or consider it derogatory.

Then again, some people are more sensitive than others.

 

[BigPickle]

When you use childish name calling, it really helps to understand your point better. I've got to learn how to do that... let me see, take a person's goofy MERB name and twist it around so it is both insulting and funny. Cool! Can't wait for the next one.

Pickle brains, I do not pity SPs except when they deal with guys like you who mistakenly think they're overpaid. At the end of the day, they're doing the hard work. The agency owner takes the calls, develops the clientele, but it's the SPs that are being penetrated. I think they deserve $120 an hour for this job.

Now you're right to point out that this money is tax free and that most SPs squander their cash but it does not negate the fact that they're the key to the whole operation. Happy, well paid SPs make a great agency.

GG

 

[incognito_NYC]

First, recently, I saw people who have never met Candy or Helene (at least, they acted as if they did not) go on their threads only to critizice their rates.
Second, I also saw new independant ladies being attacked only because they were perceived by some as too expensive. We are talking here about ladies who are new to the Montreal scene so nobody has met them. Who really knows if they are not worth their prices?? ......... AND .................... I don't have a definite answer for your question but I have noticed something that may be related...
It happens more and more that merbites will express their frustration about high prices when a HDH lady writes on the board. When I first came to this board, a couple of months ago, it was rare that someone would comment on such a thing.
Could it be that most hobbyists are not willing to pay as much anymore?

Exactement.

Not too long ago, a woman I've met before put an announcement out here that, although she travels much of the year, she would be available in Montreal for a short time. And somebody felt compelled to add to the thread just so he could whine about the high price, basically saying "Thanks, but no thanks." (The thread, in case you're wondering, was regarding 'Ravishing Rebecca')

So I wrote a decidedly wise-ass remark about a much more economical alternative that was available for those men who are more interested in conserving their hard-earned cash.

Of course I became the next target. Somehow all these sensitive individuals seem to take it personally.

I pointed out that it would seem strange to call up car dealerships to complain about the prices that they had advertised in the newspaper. And somehow this was misinterpreted as comparing SP's with cars when it came to price comparisons.

The point intended was : If you can't afford something, who really goes out of their way to complain about it?

Forget about cars, let's go back to Business Management 101 for a moment and talk about "widgets". Remember widgets?

If you see an ad on TV for widgets, and the price they advertise for widgets is more than you can really afford (even if you don't even know what the widget does), then forget about the widgets!

Who goes out of their way to track down the widget manufacturer and personally contacts them to say "Your price is too high!" ???

I suppose, since a message board is both convenient and anonymous, it's easy to vent one's frustration(s).

But, as the the previous writer cited above points out, it seems to come across more as a personal attack against the advertiser, and for no other reason other than that the services being offered are beyond that individuals means.

 

[BigPickle]

OK fair enough but this point does not really have anything to do with my comments. If I left that sentence out, the rest of what I said still holds in the debate. Even at $80, the girls make more than the agency does since not only does the agency have to cover driver costs but also advertising and other business expenses. And, the girls make tips too and the ones who are good with people are going to make more in tips. Mostly what I was saying was if it was such a bad deal for the girl she's free to find something else or strike out on her own. I find it hard to believe there's something wrong with saying that.

Here is one of the arguments that really ticks me off. The plain and true fact is, regardless of what she does or does not do with her money, that aspect is none of your business and it doesn't mean that she has not earned it. Guys who make 25$/hr at a regular job - do they not deserve it if they are not saving their money? If they are doing drugs? If they are paying for an SP once a week? Does how they handle their finances become a reflection of how worthy they are of making X amount of money for doing their job? Would you even consider making such a statement? Why is it that you are not questioning whether agency owner deserve the amount they get? Could be that they are pissing away their moola stupidly as well, could be that they are not paying taxes either!

It is no easy task setting rates, or a fair minimum for sexual services... for intimate encounters. However, this is focused on agency ladies rates... and does it sound fair that the lady who does 80% (a conservative estimate) of the work, gets only 50% or 60% of the rate? I am not sure of the answer...

xoxox
Anik

 

[General Gonad]

And, the girls make tips too and the ones who are good with people are going to make more in tips. Mostly what I was saying was if it was such a bad deal for the girl she's free to find something else or strike out on her own. I find it hard to believe there's something wrong with saying that.

BP,

An agency owner told me that 9 times out of 10, the SPs get no tip. I almost always tip agency SPs, so I'm in the minority. You are correct to point out, however, that agency owners bear advertising costs, so a fair split is the standard $100 for the lady, $40 for the owner and $20 for the driver.

GG

 

[daydreamer41]

I guess it's like buying either a Honda Accord or a Mercedez Benz? The Accord is probably a better car though, anyhow. But what the hell, I can only afford an Accord, so I will buy an Accord. It's like XXXTASE or I-N when they were around, I'd go with XXXTASE because that is what I can afford.

Widgets makes sense too. Especially the widgets less than 4 foot tall.

 

[BigPickle]

In any other business such a split wouldn't fly.

For a $160 service:

$80 for the girl, $40 to the agency, $20 for advertising, $20 for the driver would be closer to fair. To reiterate, I am not referring to whether a girl in this business deserves $80 or not, but for a $160 service, the split has to make sense or the business would not remain in business very long.

Considering also the girl has the capacity to make tips and not have to run the business part at all, she's making more than 2x for her time than the business owner. I'm not certain whether many make tips or not - it's quite often BS if the girls make claims to clients about only making X amount or not getting tips, usually that's an attempt to pull on the guilt strings of that client, and it usually works. I think if a girl deserves a tip, she should get one, but if she tries for a tip by using only a sob story then that's shady. Some guys are cheap in the tip department but, again, if she is in the business to make a certain amount and is not making the amount she wants then she can do other things and she can decide what she should be making, not us. She in fact already has decided before we ever came into the equation and if she wasn't happy with the deal then she wouldn't be in the room telling you what her alleged cut is in the first place, right?

BP,

An agency owner told me that 9 times out of 10, the SPs get no tip. I almost always tip agency SPs, so I'm in the minority. You are correct to point out, however, that agency owners bear advertising costs, so a fair split is the standard $100 for the lady, $40 for the owner and $20 for the driver.

GG

 

[YouVantOption]

In any other business such a split wouldn't fly.

For a $160 service:

$80 for the girl, $40 to the agency, $20 for advertising, $20 for the driver would be closer to fair. To reiterate, I am not referring to whether a girl in this business deserves $80 or not, but for a $160 service, the split has to make sense or the business would not remain in business very long.

A quarter-page ad in the Mirror costs $1000/week at their monthly rate. text classifieds in the Gazette and Mirror and Hour and Journal are cheap - let's say another $250.

So that's $1,250/week in ads.

Four girls working 8-4 do what, four calls each, so that's 16 calls. Using your rate, that's $320/night for ads. times seven days, means half the week is profit, because the agency owner isn't putting out $2,240 for ads. Even accounting for a slow period and some misses to my math, the ads pay for themselves.

Again as I said elsewhere, not everybody who uses SPs reads MERB. In fact, very few do I'd imagine.

 

[EagerBeaver]

The prices for high cost discretionary services or entertainment are very rarely justified by changes in advertising or any other input costs. It's not a question of whether you can justify $160 vs $140 or even $120.

It's usually regulated by simple supply and demand factors. Right now there must be less demand and prices are coming down. If prices go down far enough supply will be reduced until an equilibrium is found.

The HDH market is less affected ( sort of like demand for German cars staying steady during a recession) except that HDH pretenders will have a hard time getting bookings.

I completely agree with Equanimity's analysis.

 

[JustBob]

In any other business such a split wouldn't fly.

For a $160 service:

$80 for the girl, $40 to the agency, $20 for advertising, $20 for the driver would be closer to fair. To reiterate, I am not referring to whether a girl in this business deserves $80 or not, but for a $160 service, the split has to make sense or the business would not remain in business very long.

I agree. Name another business where an employee makes more than a manager/owner. There are none. The "but she does most of the work" argument is illogical. I mean do you guys find it unfair that people who work all day on an assembly line, or grocery cashiers who have to work all day standing up make less than the manager who essentially just draws up schedules, holds meetings and walks around to make sure things go smoothly? I think not. What's different/unique here, is the nature of the business, not the amount of work put in by workers. And on that ground, I agree that SP's should make more than owners. As for the split, I believe $80 is reasonable. More power to those who can get $100 or more. However, calling $80 an "outrage" is damn silly. Nobody is forcing these girls to sell their bodies and $80 is extremely well paid. If they feel it isn't enough, they simply need to find an agency where they can get a higher rate or become an independant. Furthermore, in any job, working conditions/environment is just as important as salary. I'm sure most girls would rather get $80 from an agency that treats them well, where they can set their own schedule, take vacations when they want, etc... than get $100 or $120 at an agency that treats them like shit.

 

[z/m(Ret)]

I have heard of clients who literally want to have sex from minute 1 to minute 59.

Whaddabout minutes 0 and 60? Scammers!

 

[dirtierasigetolder]

WTF???? Hard work my ass

There is a very big difference between hard work and morally ambiguous or emotionally detrimental work. The SP is basically an actor that’s main job is to create a fantasy and participate in said fantasy. We can all agree that acting is not what we would consider a high stress or high cerebral job. Yes, yes but she has to have sex with a stranger. Once again her choice, her career decision nobody put a gun to her head (at least we hope). If she’s mentally strong and comes to term with this then her job is truly just acting. The cop walking the beat, the ER doctor, the firefighter, my accountant ( asshole may he burn in hell ), those are hard jobs and the risk reward equation is not always there.

I read through the thread and all I have to say is OH PLEASE...for all you sensitive guys that always get your panties in a bunch whenever anybody says anything that is not to your liking. How many other jobs is a high school drop out (yes I know, you're all working on your PHD and doing this part time while you study) going to get an opportunity to earn 50-60K a year? Out of school an engineer earns 35-45K, teacher earns 24K, computer scientist less then 35K.

Come on, her only qualifications are that she’s attractive and a good actor.

If the job sucks so much then quit and get a job in a grocery store, restaurant or other position that has no real qualifications. Earn 20K a year and then come back and tell us that $80 an hour is not enough.

Now on a different note, I don't find $160 to be too much for the service and I think an 80-60-20 split is equitable. Yes I said 60 for the owner, he still has to manage the company and deal with 10 women. I can't handle 1 let alone 10, this man deserves hazard pay. Imagine the churn rate they have and the headaches they get from the ladies.

 

[J. Peterman]

Supply and demand.

There are SPs that are offering as low as $40 for the half hour and $75 for the hour. Of course you get what you pay for, but I have seen a few qaulity ladies that were offering their services for their own personal reasons. (need to pay off Visa bill or other debts.) The going prices at the low end are 60 for the half hour and $80 to $100 for the hour. Here you will get some of the older ladies in their 40s and 50s, but good personalities and good companionship is not the exclusive domaine of the young and good looking.
North American society seems to be changing, there are people that have special skills where they can command high salaries in their fields and then there are the peopl that have been left behind because their skills are no longer in great demand. Many women do SP services to serve their own purposes and sometimes they are willing to go a little lower in price to meet their objective.
I once met a single mom that did SP services to provide her kids with the nessesary school supplies at the begining of the school year, I have also met girls in their 20s that did the SP trade to go to Florida for their spring brake. One girl told me " whats the point in going ( to Florida for the spring brake ) if you have to eat at McDonalds and stay at roach hotels.

 

[bumfie]

Re: Dirtierasi...

My job is no picnic, but then again I've never had to blow an unshowered 500-pound man with hemorrhoids the size of honeydew melons.

At least yet.

 

[dirtierasigetolder]

Re: Dirtierasi...

My job is no picnic, but then again I've never had to blow an unshowered 500-pound man with hemorrhoids the size of honeydew melons.

At least yet.

Nobody put a gun to your head and said BLOW. You don't like walk, take it up with your boss. Same as any job. You don't like it then don't do it. You might get fired but that's just a consequence. Wow seems like a job now!

 

[mrten]

Whaddabout minutes 0 and 60? Scammers!

Well you do need time for introductions & pleasentries

 

[JUSTIN]

Third World Rates?

I cannot believe some of you guys. The rates in Montreal are almost at third world level. The economy here is definitely not third world!

The problem is that there are many Agencies who have fallen into a trap competing with each other for the Merb business. This was started by ***** as his Master-plan to drive all the competition out of business then ramp up the price.. However it did not work, several very good agencies specialising in GFE Ladies met the challenge head on and as a result the first law of Economics forced the price down.

Call me greedy if you want – but I want to make at least $80 on each call – preferably more – I pay my ladies way better than average – sure, I do a lot less calls than some of the high volume GFE factories but I have less hassle for probably more cash. Montreal is not as improvished as you guys make it sound!

I think a fair rate for the local market is $200-250 and $250+ for the visitors

 

[daydreamer41]

There is a very big difference between hard work and morally ambiguous or emotionally detrimental work. The SP is basically an actor that’s main job is to create a fantasy and participate in said fantasy. We can all agree that acting is not what we would consider a high stress or high cerebral job. Yes, yes but she has to have sex with a stranger. Once again her choice, her career decision nobody put a gun to her head (at least we hope). If she’s mentally strong and comes to term with this then her job is truly just acting. The cop walking the beat, the ER doctor, the firefighter, my accountant ( asshole may he burn in hell ), those are hard jobs and the risk reward equation is not always there.

I read through the thread and all I have to say is OH PLEASE...for all you sensitive guys that always get your panties in a bunch whenever anybody says anything that is not to your liking. How many other jobs is a high school drop out (yes I know, you're all working on your PHD and doing this part time while you study) going to get an opportunity to earn 50-60K a year? Out of school an engineer earns 35-45K, teacher earns 24K, computer scientist less then 35K.

Come on, her only qualifications are that she’s attractive and a good actor.

If the job sucks so much then quit and get a job in a grocery store, restaurant or other position that has no real qualifications. Earn 20K a year and then come back and tell us that $80 an hour is not enough.

Now on a different note, I don't find $160 to be too much for the service and I think an 80-60-20 split is equitable. Yes I said 60 for the owner, he still has to manage the company and deal with 10 women. I can't handle 1 let alone 10, this man deserves hazard pay. Imagine the churn rate they have and the headaches they get from the ladies.

I totally disagree. Why don't you do a role reversal. You are an 19-year-old stud and you have to be intimate with whatever is on the other side of a hotel door. It could be a 55 year old woman who is 70 lbs. overweight. You have french kiss her, deep french kiss her, eat her out, hold an erection for 20 minutes (try even getting the condom on) and then go for round 2. OK, women don't have to hold an erection, but she still has to do the other stuff.

You want to volunteer for $80 per hour?

Us guys are so demanding that we want them all to be GFE's with the abbreviations.

I think the girls deserve $100 per hour. Not every girl can do the job. It takes a very outgoing type to do what they do.

The agency owner is another story. $40 per hour times each girl he has working is pretty good.

 

[daydreamer41]

I actually had a good chuckle at the last few words that you wrote ($250+ for the visitors) since there is quite a bit of truth into this....several agencies take advantage of this fact to jack up their rates.

I have never been charged more than the advertised rate when in Montreal. Maybe that's because I am a MERB member?