413047-Underground-Commercial-Sex-Economy

Other Factors Influencing Rates
While pricing structures shaped respondents’ rates, other factors could heavily influence the price
communicated to customers, including perceptions of the client, special events, location of the
transaction, venue of advertisement, and the employee completing the transaction.
Perceptions regarding a client’s wealth and willingness to pay a higher price figured prominently into cost
determinations. One pimp explained that the price “depends on the john that picks them up. You can tell
from talking what price they can get them for. There was no set price” (E2). One respondent directed his
employees to assess wealth based on customer appearance to set rates: “Look at [the customers’] watches,
their suits, how they’re dressed. That’s what you go off of [to set the price]” (H8). One interviewee
explained that he would offer some services for a lower cost, but generally encouraged his employees to
never refuse money from a client:
Don’t turn down no money. If he got $20, go and take care of him. If he has $50, go ahead
and take care of him. I wouldn’t let them do less than $20. That’s a hand job or quickie.
My request would probably be $75. $75 … one position, no turning around or getting it
from the back. If you start doggy style and you pay $75, you better finish doggy style. One
condom rule. Whatever he paid you, if he paid you $60, condom busts, he tries to take the
condom off, his money is gone. Period. (D13)
Other interviewees explained why a flexible price structure was important: some clients might be willing
to pay more than the rate an employee usually charges “A john might come and be used to paying $200. If
she jumps in the car and says I will do it for $60, she is short changing herself” (E2). A respondent who
ran an escort service also described his pricing approach:
You call the escort service in the first place, and you might be thinking about doing it for a
week or two weeks, and you build up nerve, and they get there and it’s kind of like
whatever you want. He’s telling you the fantasy and he says how much it’s going to cost
You can shoot yourself in the foot if you say $200—he might have $500 or $1,000 he’s
planning to blow on the whole experience. It’s sort of like, “Surprise me,” and a lot if it
has to do with presentation. If you pull up looking like a seven dollar store and have no
bottom line, you can tell. The more class [you have], a big thing is conversation and being
able to converse on different levels. A female that does not have knowledge of certain
things, not well spoken, if you’re scared and he’s scared, you’re all going to be in there
looking real crazy. (D8)
Special events could also increase rates: “If it’s an event the price range goes up” (G12). Another
respondent reported “You can get more at an event” (C4). At the same time, a slow night could lead to
lower prices:
Respondent: [Oral sex] is $50, $60. Everything is $100.
Interviewer: Was that on the lower cost end
Respondent: Yes, very low end. That’s on a slow night. On a good night, $250. (C4)
Some respondents also charged different rates for in-calls and out-calls. 65 Out-calls were generally more
expensive. A respondent explained, “Each in-call was $250, each out-call was $300” (A1). Another
respondent reported, “In-calls was $200 an hour. $150 for half-hour. $100 for the quickie. Out-calls,
$250 for an hour, $200 for the half-hour, and $150 for the quickie. The hour was the most popular, for
both in-calls and out-calls” (B3).
The venue of advertisement could also influence the price. One respondent reported that dates arranged
online were more expensive than transactions made on the street. The respondent noted, “You might pay
$450–500 an hour [online]. The concrete, like $200” (G11).
65 In-calls required customers to come to a location chosen by the pimp—often a hotel room or apartment—to complete a
transaction and have sex. Hotels were the most common location of in-calls for respondents. Out-calls required the sex worker (and
based on business practice, the pimp at times as well) to travel to the location of the customer.
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