Dancer Archive
Thread: Are you not getting the tips that you deserve?
But I've noticed something...no one really tips. Lola, who has obviously had the most play-time, has made less than 10k creds, in tips. (Were it not for the generosity of other entertainers, my tips would probably total less than 5k...but my own fellow entertainers have helped me along.) Katih has made a few tips, from entertainers, for her throwing heals around. Dancing, however, has made her nothing in tips.
So, I'm making this proposition: let us organize a full entertainer strike. We should all go on strike, for 24-48 hours. If you desperately need the experience, dance privately in your home or PA hall or a friend's home and let only those closest to you have access to you, during the strike. For everyone else, we need to let them know that we rely on their tips. I know that I'm not the only one out there who has gone for the dancer/doctor combo and those of you who have definitely understand that it's a combo that needs money. Do we not deserve the tips? Oh, absolutely! We spend as much time as anyone else mastering our professions, so why should we not stand up and let these people know that we could be doing something else, yet choose to serve them and that we deserve to be tipped?
I introduced the idea to some other entertainers on Sunrunner and have gotten them to start spreading the word. My original idea was to shoot for December 1 and, possibly, December 2, as well. Go the entire 24-48 hours without entertaining at the cantina. Show them just how valuable we are to them and how much they take us for granted. Sure, show up in there...but announce every few minutes that, due to the greed of so many and lack of tips, we are on strike and will not be performing for ANY sum of money, until EVERYONE understands how important our role is to them.
Please, let's hear some feedback. Please, spread the word, as not everyone reads the forums. Let's make this real. Let's take a stand and show the galaxy that they need us as much as we need them!
Now being a Master CH / Pistoleer I actually make less money some nights... go figure.
I do not think going on strike will help at all. First, good luck getting the AFKers out of the cantina...people will simply get their healing from them. Second, you risk pissing off not only the non-tippers, but the tippers who need their healing as well. Third, our profession is already regarded by many as a bunch of freeloaders who have no costs...going on strike might aggravate this perception rather than cure it.
Even if the strike did succeed, people will simply revert back to their old habits. Someone who would rather get something for free than paying for it will never tip no matter how many times you strike.
"Well, if you aren't getting much in tips you a) aren't very good at what you're doing, or b) are dancing in the wrong places."
I'm tired of hearing this. I'm glad some people have it good with regards to tips. Be happy you're successful. Don't tell others who aren't as successful how to play or what they're doing wrong, because it's just not that clear cut.
I've seen the very best entertainers end up being poor while the hussiest of females in a fleshwrap doing basic1 and licking every patron who walks in the door makes wads of cash. I suppose maybe your definition of "being good at what you're doing" might differ from mine, but in no way do you *OR* I have the right to tell another person they aren't good at their profession based solely on their lack of tips.
In the end, my advice remains the same. If you want to get rich in this game, do not expect to do it as an entertainer. Take up a secondary skill or choose a different profession.
- J
i have to agree with the problem being not being in the right places. In my experience, Danicng on Hazi in Coronet is GREAT for experience. thegroup is usually full and sometimes we hd to make two. It was a while ago, I don't know how it is now. But anyway- when there are 20 dancers (full group) in a cantina- while everyone gets exp, the person being healed only watches one of them really. Chances are they will tip that one- and the one many people watch are the ones who are the most chatty and friendly. (some cheepskates watch the AFK people so they don't have to tip but I don't allow afk people to stay in my groups if I notice they don't accidentally have the flag up)
So what you have to get around are the odds of someone /watching you in particular AND deciding they want to tip. Especially if you are not master (masters have a pretty good income just with mind buffs, though less than medics since we can only buff one thing and it takes 10 minutes as oppoesed to one -6 clicks) The odds in a group of 20 are slim. Especially since the cantina is crowded then and it's hard to see all but the closest people.
Then you have the starting planets- they have many new players who are low on cash still. So tips will be lower in credit amount.
I found that if I were in desperate need of something that I would simply run a few delivery missions, see the world and deal with it. Especially as a lower level dancer you heal less at a far slower rate- so tips will usually be based on quality- you don't pay 30 dollars for a ham sandwich at the local coffee shop. You pay it on a steak and lobster dinner.
Also- people are affected by how you present yourself. It may be unintentional but I know that I have a hard time having much respect for someone who is wearing a bright red fleshwrap and dancing basic 2. Not because of the outfit- because I wear them sometimes- but because you wear the right clothes for the right dance. A Luxurious gown with Poplock2 just looks silly. Now chitin armor, or camo pants and a bustier is cute. Less is not more- more is not more. Style is more. Presentation is everything. Color coordination- Pink skirt and red bustier is not the best combination. A red skirt, a black sports bustier with a red stripe and black hat/lekku wrap works nicely though. Things need to tie together (You don't wear a lime green shirt and red pair of pants unless you have a red tie.... why someone would wear that is beyond me, but.. you know...)
In real life I am not the greatest on accessorizing. I'm a faded pair of jeans and a Tshirt kind of girl. But I am an artist and I know that putting pink on my giant purple Twi'lek might not be the most flattering color- dark red or blue... sure! And yellows. (Grab a color wheel if you are one of us brightly colored races... purple has red on one side and blue on the other with yellow directly across- these are the best colors to choose to go with purple. ^-^It works in paint so I say it wors in pixels.)
All of these things affect how someone aproched your character and how they tip you. Not only being nice and chatty but showing a great deal of pride in your profession- you have to make everyone wish that they were in your place, right now. Honor- pride... these are the ways of the samurai I mean Dancer >.> poking uppity patrons with a sword every so often does not hurt either. ^-^
Have patience, BE an entertainer, stand out from the others without spamming the world or /smile /greet /welcome /smile /greet /welcome ing people over and over and over.... And if worse comes to worse, run the missons and travel to a distant planet- The cantina's are slower but the patrons more excited that you are there so that they don't have to wait an hour to heal. And when time is slow, craft, ID or something hehehe. We are not necissarily a profession that makes loads of money, though some people do- I don't know how much I bring in because I tend to spend it almost imediately, but it's not shabby.
Tekoa- master dancer onAhazi. City of Redeption on Lok
"I've seen the very best entertainers end up being poor while the hussiest of females in a fleshwrap doing basic1 and licking every patron who walks in the door makes wads of cash. I suppose maybe your definition of "being good at what you're doing" might differ from mine,"
Well now dear... are you implying that I'm a hussy that /licks every patron that walks in? Cause that wouldn't be very nice of you! 
I didn't /lick anyone... I didn't /kiss anyone.... I didn't do "private" dances... nor did I wear fleshwraps (even if I did... who cares?). I normally wore a Lux. Gown, I would /smile, /greet, or /welcome every single person that walked in... I would do my best to heal them up, buff them, or simply have a nice friendly chat... Some people spent 15-20 minutes chatting...after they were healed up. I simply made an effort to find a place to dance where I was appreciated, and then stayed there. That way people always knew I was around, ready to heal them up when they needed it.
And honestly... appearance and demeanor had little to do with tips sometimes. A friend of mine was told to Master Musician by his holo, and therefore spent some time with me in that little cantina. Even he got tips totalling 10-20k each night... and he was NOT wearing a fleshwrap, he was not flirting, licking or kissing anyone, and he wasn't a Master Musician buffing. Heck... he wasn't even very social. LOL
Well, if you aren't getting much in tips you a) aren't very good at what you're doing, or b) are dancing in the wrong places
/yawn ....or c things are not the same for all players and maybe, yes maybe ..some customers are just cheap with their money ?
Anyway, Javier wrote it better than I could do with my a low level english skill or b I don't use the good keyboard.
"No, I did not and I am not. I wasn't talking about you, I don't know a thing about you. I was trying to point out that it's not always the best entertainers that make the best tips, so to judge someone's skill based solely on the tips they receive (or don't receive) is not fair.
By all means, offer advice and help people out, but please don't judge them in such a shallow fashion. I also get precious few tips. Your statement would have me believe it's because I'm a poor dancer or don't dance in the right places, but it also might be because I'm a male. Maybe the original poster is a rotten dancer, or maybe they play a female bothan, who will probably make fewer tips than the human or twi-lek next to them. The point is, while location and skill do play a part in getting tips, it's not as simple as you make it out to be, and I dislike when people tell others they're doing something wrong when they don't even know the person.
- J
Some people tip others never will.. Sometimes you just get an unlucky run of the nontipping type and other times you lucky and a large group of high tipping people will be using your cantina to heal up between combat missions.
About the only you can do to keep yourself in tips is follow the groups that tip the best (look for names and guild tags of high tipping people). Make them your friends and go where they do. Often groups pick a planet or theme park for a while as they enjoy its content.. Just make sure you are following a group that tips well.
- Okokta Whira (part time Lowca entertainer)
The only time I expecta tip is if I am buffing someone. One night I got a 30 credits as a tip. The man told me that he was low on cash. My response to him was that it was a very generous tip then. Later on he found me and tipped me some more. Even if he didn't find me later it was all relative as to how much he had.
The fun I have is with the people in the cantinas.I just don't expect to automatically be tipped just for taking up floor space. I'll acknowlege all that enter to the best of my abilities and interact with those that I can.I don't overtly flirt and will slap a customer when he gets too fresh . The only thing that will negatively impact my tips is just to 'take up space'. Of course some weeks are better than others but the amount I have in the bank is always greater than zero and anything more than nothing is a good.
picklesSW wrote:
"Well, if you aren't getting much in tips you a) aren't very good at what you're doing, or b) are dancing in the wrong places."
I'm tired of hearing this. I'm glad some people have it good with regards to tips. Be happy you're successful. Don't tell others who aren't as successful how to play or what they're doing wrong, because it's just not that clear cut.
Waiters, like entertainers, are paid on tips, right?
Look, if you were a waiter and getting crappy tips, the first thing one might ask about would be how you behaved. Were you polite and friendly to your tables? Did you present yourself well? Did you answer their questions and offer them options? Did anything bad happen during their meal?
Then one might move on to other questions. Are you working at Denny's or at the Ritz? Were there any problems with the quality of the food?
Now if you're an entertainer in a crappy, run-down cantina in the cheap district ("core" worlds) and you're just standing there doing your thing, why are you expecting mega-tips? What service did you provide to your clients that was significant enough to deserve anything? Were you polite? Did you even say one word to them? Do you present yourself well? Did you offer to buff them?
Indeed, tips are a factor of what you do while you're doing your entertaining thing. It is completely relevant to point to entertainer behavior if they're not earning tips.
I haven't heard one story from an entertainer who says they are friendly and interactive yet get bad tips.Whenever I see entertainers talk about bad tips on these forums, they're flaming / blaming someone else for their woes. Sure sign of a personality issue getting in the way.
Thanks for the star.
In general, I have noticed that I get better tips when I am in small groups than in big. In large groups and crowded venues, there's always a dancer there or a musician so people are less appreciative. In places with smaller groups or no attendance there are lower crowds (read: you gain xp slower) but the people who are there, are more appreciative.
I recommend trying an under-served cantina on a starter world. I don't recommend going to an adventure planet unless you can afford to take the whole trip as a loss, just in case it is a bad day/night/week on that planet, because you never know. Under-served cantinas on your main planet though only cost a few hundred credits (if that) to go to and you can cover the cost with a deliver mission if you are really broke.
Good ones to try on the couple of servers I have been on are usually: Keren or Kaadara on Naboo, Kor Vella on Corellia, Mos Entha or Mos Espa on Tatooine. Those cantinas are almost always under-served. Now there will be less patrons, but in my experience those patrons are likely to be regulars, and regulars tip well compared to people just there for a quick evening of PVP and then gone. You are going to have to park yourself there and get to know people, and be ready for the xp to trickle in slowly. But the people in the smaller venues tend to be very appreciative and I usually make decent tips in such places.
You will have to try this out for yourself and see. It varies from world to world and server to server, and even within servers over time (Keren seems to have sort of dried up the last week or two, relative to the previous couple of months).
I do not recommend a strike. Strikes are an angry, vitriolic way to try to force people to do what you want. They breed bitterness and resentment in all parties involved. You risk angering the good/paying customers by trying to get even with the bad ones. It's been tried before, and it doesn't work.
C
You know... tips do seem to come in hand over fist for a tall, tone, blue, scantily-clad Twi'lek babe. Maybe race / looks / accessories have a lot to do with it.
Any fat, ugly, malewookie dancers care to chime in about how well or poorly they're getting tipped? 