Of snipes and men (with apologies to John Steinbeck)
[QUOTE=Dark Phoenix]...I was never a Boy Scout. However, I did take part in sending a few dweebs out into the woods looking for snipe in camp when I was a kid. True story: one of them got lost in the woods for 4 days, and we all got in a shitload of trouble. Wasn't so funny in the end. Guess that's why I had a conscience here, but in my own defense, I did tell the hapless noob to RTFF which is what he should've done in the first place.[/QUOTE]You are right. Having a conscience was the high road. I only led a snipe hunt once and they wanted to stay out all night until they caught one. Maybe the joke was really on me.
HOWEVER.
The "hapless noob" (boob? ) was obviously too lazy to RTFF and probably too lazy to even look up what RTFF even means, and; therefore, likely too lazy to check out the street before going there. I would have loved to be a fly inside his car when he tried to find the first exit after Girard (wouldn't that be the Vine Street Expressway/Route 676? ) and seeing the crinkled faces and puzzled looks as he asked everyone in Center City where the legendary "Hyattsen Road" was.
It was just a funny thought. The Golden Rule was the right thing to apply and you had some past experience to remind you. After what I have been through on this Forum I definitely have seen the dark side of that, like the kid lost in the woods. Perhaps a few mongers here will learn the lesson you did. One can only hope.
Size and impact on the K economy
AbcPanther and Runnow raise an interesting topic that I've thought about from time to time and more so recently as the economy has tanked in general. To Runnow's point about his "conservative" estimate I've got to believe that the amount spent by mongers on mongering-related activities (girls, rooms) is higher, possibly much higher than $1 million per year. The money we pump into the downtrodden K community not only helps fuel the local drug economy (not something to be happy or proud of certainly) but indirectly have to be making a major contribution to the survival of legiitimate area businesses. I don't live in or near K and wouldn't argue with residents' objection to our actvity as detrimental to their quality of life, but if LE were to shut prostitution activity down and keep it locked down I think the impact on the K economy at such a desperate time would be seriously negative in the short run. In the long run it might be a different story, but I'm just saying.....
Higher than 1 million? I would agree
[QUOTE=Mike 80]AbcPanther and Runnow raise an interesting topic that I've thought about from time to time and more so recently as the economy has tanked in general. To Runnow's point about his "conservative" estimate I've got to believe that the amount spent by mongers on mongering-related activities (girls, rooms) is higher, possibly much higher than $1 million per year. The money we pump into the downtrodden K community not only helps fuel the local drug economy (not something to be happy or proud of certainly) but indirectly have to be making a major contribution to the survival of legiitimate area businesses. I don't live in or near K and wouldn't argue with residents' objection to our actvity as detrimental to their quality of life, but if LE were to shut prostitution activity down and keep it locked down I think the impact on the K economy at such a desperate time would be seriously negative in the short run. In the long run it might be a different story, but I'm just saying.....[/QUOTE]I think you are right that an estimate of $1 million might be quite low. I did a quick calculation based on my observations: an average of 15 SWs on the Ave in a conservative 12 hour day at any one time (10 during the day, 20 in the evening and at night; don't forget: if you actually see 5 SWs, probably triple that number are already on dates; while SWs don't stroll all day, substitutes readily take their places; there are more than 125 SWs with pics in this thread and I would guesstimate, based on my experience, 3 times that many who either have not had pics taken or don't want them taken, so possibly well over 500 dates per day, even at one per day each). So multiply my simple conservative guesstimate of 15 dates per hour by a conservative $35 per date average, all-in (room, etc.) and you get 15x35x12 or about $6300 spent per day x 365 days= $2.3 million spent per year. And I think this number is conservatively low. This money is probably largely re-spent in the local economy for food, rent, and even drugs, but it has a multiplier effect. The money the SW spends is then spent by the vendor she patronizes and the vendors they patronize etc. on to infinity.
You are correct that if LE shut this down tight that there would be a dramatic and noticeable effect on the K economy, as if it weren't already suffering as a result of the state of the national economy.
Supply and demand reprised
[QUOTE=Abcpanther]If you watch Craigs, during this economy, I wonder if there is going to be a increase in talent? Also, will there be a decrease in price? The trends seem to be starting...what are your thoughts?[/QUOTE]I read Craigs, not because I use it, but because I like to comparison shop. There used to be a lot more ads for "erotic services," but that is because the ads used to be free (now there is a charge), and all you had to provide was an email address. So a lot of pimps would advertise there and flood the board. Now you have to pay (which identifies you by the financial transaction), provide more information and establish a "membership" with a telephone number, so fewer are doing that, and are likely afraid (rightfully so) that they will be targeted by LE for a sting. LE stings of Craigs postings are going on all over the country and are prominently in the news.
However, there is definitely a trend underway for "civilians" to earn a little extra cash, either because they are having a hard time making ends meet working a regular job or are out of work. I have experienced at least 10 "occasional" and "new" SWs on the Ave and Torresdale who were in this circumstance. All of them were "day-timers" and afraid of the dangers on the Ave for them after dusk. Not one of them was agreeable to having pictures taken, for obvious reasons. I have also encountered a number of SWs who used to advertise in Craigs but had resorted to streetwalking (probably because of the changes in Craigs posting rules), even though being an independent was far more lucrative (by a factor of at least 3 to 5 times).
The prices on the Ave are "soft." What I mean by that is that one can negotiate 1 Jack for a BJ and and .5 for FS (and in some cases even .4) with almost anyone, even including pics and even if they have to ride with you 20 minutes to an indoor place. These prices have remained at this level for a very long time, so there is no inflation adjustment operating on the Ave, and the state of the economy, more plentiful SWs in supply and what we are willing to offer, all definitely have an effect on keeping prices low.
I only ran into one suburban provider who stood firm on her price: .5 for a car BJ. I explained to her that I could get that for a Jack from any number of good looking 20 somethings with excellent skills on the Ave (she was late 30s and chubby; not ugly but let's face it, not as appealing as 75% of the talent on the Ave). I tried to negotiate .3 and be a regular because she lives in the very next town and much more convenient than going to the K, but she said she gets .5 from others and that was her price. So there must be a bunch of suburban mongers in my area who either don't know about the K or are too lazy or afraid to try it or just don't care one way or the other. After all, demand sets the price as much as supply and there seems to be a demand for her services at that price. The same dynamic operates on the K: what we will pay and what they will accept is a balance of forces.
Craigs prices are also becoming a bit softer as a result of all of the above, but, for my money, the best bargains are still on the Ave. You might have the convenience of door to door service with an independent on Craigs, but you are paying up for it by at least double and usually triple, and now that convenience comes with the risk that you will be stung by Uncle LEO. Even if legit, these independents are often exactly the same type of girls who would be working the Ave. I just don't see the positive tradeoff. Rather than pay a service charge to have my "groceries" delivered, I will continue to go to the store and squeeze the "melons."
