413047-Underground-Commercial-Sex-Economy

differently.” (A1). Centralized oversight of customer inquiries also allowed for efficient operations:
The way we did it was a guy would call in, I’d ask what kind of lady he is looking for, give
him the website, and then [ask for] the main intersection of where he is. And then I would
give the girl the phone number and have her book the call. And the way I did that was that
so the girl would know who she is getting, so that I didn’t promise full service or anything
they didn’t want. That way she could get a feel for the guy … she would know what she
was getting. (A8)
To avoid incrimination during communications with customers, pimps identified certain methods to
detect law enforcement involvement at the outset of contact with a prospective client. One respondent
required employees to complete a “verification call,” which was simply a procedure by which an employee
called the customer back at a provided number to verify their identity:
If they’re calling from a hotel, usually that’s what cops used, so that’s why we verified.
And the other things would be that I would call their cell phone back and have them not
answer, so I could see what their voicemail said. And so the other thing is I would call the
hotel and ask for verification by making sure the room was in their name. If it was at their
house, ask to see a bill. Hug the guys, make sure everything is alright. (A8)
While uncommon among respondents, some interviewees reported the use of call centers to manage client
communications. Call centers allowed pimps even greater control over the message communicated to
clients. While often connected to escort businesses, call centers were also run by respondents who had not
acquired an escort license.
Hours and Frequency of Transactions
We worked anytime. Anytime she got up and feel like it, that’s when we would start.
(E12)
Work hours varied, and many respondents reported that their business operation was available to clients
at any time that they called. As a result, employees could always be on the clock: “They worked 24 hours a
day. There were four girls and they would work 7 days a week, they were real go-getters; they wanted to
work. There were others who would work only on the weekends” (A4).
However, other pimps maintained more limited hours for employees. Particular hours and days tended to
prove the most lucrative: “I had no set schedule. We had a meeting around 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. Business
picked up then, and I wouldn’t send them out after 1 am. A lot of day business, business men on lunch,
married men while their wife is at work” (A1). Another pimp stated, “Girls come in around 10:00 p.m. and
get ready. We’d open around 11:30 p.m., 12:00 a.m. Then it was all up in the air when we closed,
sometimes 5:30 or 6:00 a.m.” (H7). Night hours were common and weekends tended to be the busiest
and most lucrative: “Friday and Saturday night you did a lot of calls between midnight and 6:00 in the
morning” (A8). Another respondent reported, “We didn’t do much during the day because it was more
profitable during certain hours of the night” (D8).
The number of transactions completed in a day or week also varied across respondents, and within
businesses. Variations were in part due to fluctuations in demand over the course of the week: “It varies
from day to day. Four or five johns a day [per girl] on Monday through Friday. And then Friday through
Saturday, I’d say 10 to 15 [johns a day per girl]” (A4). Similarly, one interviewee explained that the
number of transactions could range “anywhere from four to ten. On an average day, week day, probably
about four or five dudes each” (B3). For another respondent, the routine number of transactions was
“Probably about five. It just depends. Some days they would go without dates. Phone ain’t ringing, so the
girls would say just drop us off on the track” (B5).
The number of transactions completed by each employee and each business was shaped in part by the
rates charged for each sex act, and vice versa. As chapter 6 discussed, some pimps enforced monetary
quotas that employees were expected to meet. Alongside the rates charged, quotas could also shape the
frequency of transactions. While pimps reported some consistency to rates, prices fluctuated with market
demand.
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