Is escorting a lead indicator to tell if we are in a recession?

[Guest bluboy]

I have a question for participating escorts: have you started to see a recession drop off in business in either regular clients just calling much less or fewer new clients or clients bargaining prices down more. I ask this to see if we could all get our own market handles. If escorting is a lead indicator of boom or bust maybe we can all make some money in the market. I also ask this of clients: are you as of this point buying less for economic reasons. In other words, as of this point last year had you bought more meat than you have this year? blu

[Guest jeffOH]

Blu...I was wondering the same thing just the other day. Rarely

do I go more than a day or two without a client, but after two

days no clients I began to think maybe that had something to do

with it. I have a couple of clients who I know lost a big chunk

of change in the stock market this past winter, but it doesn't

seem to have affected how often I see them. Most of my clients

are regulars. I may see a couple of new clients a week...summer

can be a bit slower though. Many married men are on vacation with

the wife and kids. It will be interesting to hear from clients on this one.

[Guest minstrel]

Yes, the market downturn has definitely affected my discretionary income. I am also hiring fewer escorts. But the two are not related.

 

Escort rates have risen astronomically - by about $50 per hour, every year for the last 3 years.

 

For every $250 I pay an escort, I have to earn $500 because I am taxed at a 50% rate in my country. And since I generally enjoy overnights and long weekends, it can really put a strain on my finances.

 

m.

[+ Charlie]

I actually have hired more escorts this year than I had last year at this time, before the market broke. My own discretionary income, however, is little affected by the general economy.

 

Sex is not a commodity like Armani suits or a service like four star restaurants that one automatically cuts back on in bad economic times. In fact, I suspect that when guys are feeling uneasy about their finances they may actually be more likely to spend money on the comfort of sex, to forget their worries for awhile. Even if escort prices are forced down by the economy, volume of business may go up--which is probably not a phenomenon that will please most escorts, but it is at least reassuring that they won't end up selling pencils (symbolic sublimation: see Freud) on the street.

[Guest jeffOH]

Charlie--I think you may be right about clients spending more to

forget about their worries. When I first started escorting in '91

my rates were $80 incall and $100 outcall. I raised them in '96

to $100in/$120out and this year $120in/$140out. My most regular

Regulars are still paying the original amount at which I started

seeing them, unless they've seen my new rates in my ads and took

it upon themselves to pay the new rate. I also believe it has to

do with in which area of the country you live and city. Some

cities don't feel the effects of a recession as much as others.

Columbus, being the state capitol, has alot of government jobs.

Another large employer is Ohio State University and of course

The Limited and Wendy's which are headquarted here. It has to do

with what types of businesses are predominant in your area/city.