Prattle of the Sexes
June 2, 2010
Over the past week or so, I’ve received more than a few pieces of correspondence from people who seem to be surprised that I have not addressed a particular injustice that is being perpetrated in my own backyard. (Damn, that was a long sentence.)
Apparently there is a civil rights crisis being perpetrated by Wynn Resorts as we speak. A crisis which threatens the very foundation of our democracy, and one which represents another step in our unobstructed march toward totalitarianism.
Encore Beach Club Sign
You see, the Encore Beach Club opened last weekend, and their admission structure has become the subject of some armchair controversy. For those who are not yet aware, admission to the Encore Beach Club is officially $40 for men and $30 for women.
They are also charging hispanic people $70 to enter and black people $90.
Okay, I’m just kidding about those last two, but can you imagine …
Anyway, my opinion has been repeatedly solicited for this particular issue, and upon giving it some thought, I have mixed feelings about it.
First of all, this is nothing new. I think the assumption was that I would be outraged because my objet d’ridicule was perpetrating this particular brand of discrimination, but “ladies nights” have been a fixture of bars and clubs since, well, since forever. Steve Wynn did not invent the concept, he’s merely doing what everyone else before him has done.
With that being said, I have absolutely no idea how such a price structure is legal. Were the situation reversed, there would be absolute outrage. When all was said and done, Gloria Allred would be wearing Steve Wynn’s balls as earrings … and I have no intention of turning my jewelry over to that bitch.
The EBC’s price structure seems to run afoul of gender discrimination laws, and unless the issue has been completely settled by high courts, it could be a lawsuit waiting to happen. Suing Jack’s Roadhouse is unlikely to be worth a class action suit, but Wynn Resorts has much deeper pockets. If I was a billionaire with a casino, I would err on the side of caution and thus charge the same price for everyone.
In addition to the legal issues, I also have some minor ethical misgivings about such a pricing structure. For those who aren’t there to be eye candy, say … an older man and his wife … it seems very insulting to charge the male an extra ten bucks just because he has a schlong. This is especially true when you figure that the male half will probably be the one purchasing the drinks and amenities once admitted to the pool.
Now, with the potential legal issues duly noted, I kind of understand what these pools are trying to do. I’ve been calling Las Vegas a lumber yard for the past couple of years, and this seems to be the way that the various venues are trying to balance things out.
There is, however, a large problem with simply charging different amounts depending on gender. You see, not all eye candy is created equal, and thus are of different value to the venue.
Flamingo Pool
Think about it. If Janet Reno showed up at the Encore Beach Club in a thong, is that really something that you would want to subsidize?
Instead of charging a flat rate based on the presence of a vulva, there should be a sliding scale for women based on the following formula:
10’s – Free
9’s – $5
8’s – $10
7’s – $15
1’s – 6’s – $50
1’s – 6’s who think they are 7’s – 10’s – $1,000,000
“Gee Rex, charging women different prices based on appearance is sexist!”
Yes. Yes it is.
Just like charging men $10 more to swim in the same pool as women.
Welcome to your Las Vegas paradox, ladies.
If you are willing to accept these discounts, then be my guest. Realize, however, that the men patrons over-paid good money to stare at your boobs, and conduct yourselves accordingly.
As long as you support and take advantage of this unequal admission criteria, you are complicit in your own objectification. Unless you eschew your own advantageous self-interest, you will be treated like a commodity by corporate America, and that is how the rest of us will see you. You are paying a reduced price based on the expectation that you will shake your ass for our own personal amusement, and you cannot complain about that expectation when you are willingly receiving compensation for it. Men are paying extra for your presence, and they expect value for that money. Why do you think that $10 price difference exists?
As a man, I do not find the Encore Beach Club’s policies insulting to me. I would want to pay full price. Paying full price is stress-free. Since no compensation has taken place, there are no expectations, and a man would not feel obligated to do anything.
If I was a woman, I might object to being let in for a reduced price. I would wonder why I was being let in for less, and I would wonder how I was expected to earn the comp. It would be kind of like work.
While the EBC policy may seem discriminatory to men at first glance, when one realizes that women are the entertainment at these parties … and their only compensation is a “25% off” coupon to the pool … one quickly sees that this is actually an outright bargain for the males.
Hooter's Girl Competition
I don’t know about the rest of you, but if Steve Wynn wants to hire me to shake my ass, it’s going to cost him more than ten dollars.
I’ll accept nothing less than twenty.
Last but certainly not least, the main reason that I am not up in arms about this practice is because of what the venue is. It’s a pool party. These places are already intellectually insulting, and it is very unlikely that I will ever pay anything to attend one. The whole “exclusive” pretense where hopeful people stand in line for an hour+ to gain attendance is something that I have never done, nor will I ever do. As such, I am kind of apathetic about the pricing.
For those of you who find the policy to be out of line, then do what I do. Vote with your feet.
The levers are really hard to manipulate, and sometimes the pollsters give you dirty looks, but I assure you that it can be done.
Written by Snotick on June 3, 2010 at 12:17 am
I’m sure Steve Wynn was in a quandary about what to charge for Transvestites. I’m sure he let them in for free, in the end.
Written by keith on June 3, 2010 at 12:23 am
i can’t see $10 breaking anyone’s bank. if ol’ Stevey had some real balls, he would have priced it Women – $30, Men – $50, Douchebags – $150.
Written by George on June 3, 2010 at 12:44 am
The reality is that many well above average looking women don’t even pay the standard cover that a pool or nightclub has posted for women, they get in for free.
Written by AaronC on June 3, 2010 at 2:30 am
I guess I’m missing something……people are willing to shell out $40 to go swimming/sit around a pool?
Unless that entry came with a full hand-release from a female once you walked in, I can’t see spending that much just to say, “oh, have you been to the WBC? OMG!, you must go!” gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy
@ keith…….the very act of paying $40 to go swimming automatically puts you in the douchebag category, so it should be $150 for every man that walks in.
Written by SPRUNT on June 3, 2010 at 2:55 am
When I’ve paid to get in to pools there were no gender discounts. There was also a lot less of a douchebag factor. People were there to swim and have fun, not to be seen looking cool. And if I remember right, it was only a couple bucks to get in.
Granted that was when I was 12 and it was the pool at the local high school.
Written by Team Valtrex on June 3, 2010 at 3:39 am
They should charge by gross tonnage, with an added vinegar surcharge for the douchebags. I’d be in the pool surrouded by hot women and midgets. That’s just a bottle of vodka and some nachos away from my happy place.
Written by BigRedDogATL on June 3, 2010 at 4:32 am
I’m outraged that there is no Senior Discount for those who can flash an AARP card at the gate.
Written by James on June 3, 2010 at 4:41 am
It might be worth it to reopen Lake Dolores/Rock-a-Hoola (that depressing, abandoned water park just north of Barstow). Charge the same prices Wynn does, but you get waterslides and the Douchangelenos get a shorter drive. Have a bar with overpriced drinks and who knows the difference?
It’s a pool party so blue laws don’t matter, and since Vegas forgot about the gambling, that’s not an issue as well. Who’s with me? We could have tattoo related gimmicks like Tramp Stamp Tuesdays, Tribal Thursdays, and Barbed Wire Wednesdays to keep attendance up mid-week.
Written by Aero on June 3, 2010 at 5:13 am
I agree w/ the different rates proposed for 10s-1s. It would make for a more enjoyable experience rather than seeing a sausage-fest or the “Throw Momma From the Train lady” sitting right in front of you with her ass crack in your face. It’s the only way I’d ever consider paying to go to a pool.
@ TeamValtrex – If you have to charge by gross tonnage, that is probably not a safe place. Run.
@Snotick – Shouldn’t Trannys have to pay both fees???
Written by par88 on June 3, 2010 at 5:24 am
I work in auto parts, a decidedly male dominated industry. When our company had a big party at Ceasars last fall they hired some good looking women just to show up and populate the party. I don’t see why EBC couldn’t do the same thing. They could fill the poolside with salaried bikini babes and raise the price for men to $100 or whatever. I’m surprised Steve hasn’t thought of this.
Written by dustin\ on June 3, 2010 at 10:20 am
Hey Rex will you be doing an update about the Gay Pool Parties that the Luxor is offering?
Written by keith on June 3, 2010 at 10:40 am
aaron – if you’re a guy bringing a girl with you (and you’re most likely already paying the cover for the lady), then no, you’re not a douchebag. there are plenty of couples who go to these things, hence the non-DB rate.
i never saw the appeal of paying $40 to go sit by a pool, then pay 800% markups on bottles of booze.
Written by James on June 3, 2010 at 1:35 pm
If you’re with a girl who insists that you shell out $70 for the two of you to go to a fucking swimming pool, you need to find a new girl. For $70, the two of you can have steak and beer every night for a week at Ellis Island. Hell, you can probably ask for it to go and sit beside the Super 8 pool.
Written by tommyvon on June 3, 2010 at 2:34 pm
i think at Rehab its $40 for guys and $20 for girls* Asterisk meaning, $20 if you a fug. Free if you are hot and not wearing much. Which is why girls wear next to nothing there.. they’ll probably be allowed to cut the line and get in for free.. not to mention guys to buy them drinks. Is it legal? probably not.
Written by Dean on June 3, 2010 at 2:47 pm
According to an article in todays Review Journal, $40 and $30 was just the cover at the beginning of the nite. Guests who arrived later in the evening ended up paying 3x to 5x as much.
If you are going to give away money while in Vegas, at least be smart enough to do it at a craps table or a titty bar.
Written by ColinFromLasVegas on June 3, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Nice article, Rex.
And like James comment above, I am totally and completely flabbergasted at the continuing idiocy of these casinos on the Strip and what they are doing to get money.
You got gambling. Then the gambling is manipulated from 3:2 to 6:5. It’s a gimme that gambling always will favor the house, but doing that new ratio thing shows ridiculous blatant outright greed. In other words, they aren’t saying, we want your money, we want ALL of it. Rake in that fucking money.
Then you got casinos making these high end restaurants and hiring people that won an episode of Iron Chefs on the Food Channel and they are elevated to some kind of grand goombah all high cooks his/her ass off moh foh, then they make some dish for their new Strip restaurant called “Fricasse of Beef Charred to Perfection on House Bread Complete with our new Oblong Trapezoid Onion Potatoes.” In other words, you get hambuger and french fries, but you have to pay an incredible price for it because of its obscenely long and innovative name on the intricately laid out menu. Rake in that fucking money.
Then you got casinos who hire managers who are basically pretty much the same as three time convicted felons put in place to run nightclubs in their casino. And these nightclubs attract the 20-30 something crowd who have more money than sense and attract them in there so they can look at Paris Hilton, a pseudo celebrity they pay big money to show up, tell her not to cross her eyes too much, try not to look stupid, try not to look bored, try not to text message to much and oh, make sure you wear clean panties. Rake in that fucking money.
NOW!??!?! You got Wynn charging an incredibly ridiculous amount of money (don’t matter if you’re male, female, transvestite, he/she or from Mars and are green with suckers and tentacles and bug eyes) just to go to a stupid ass pool? I think Steve Wynn is doing this to make sure he gets some extra money to pay his income taxes that he will be required to pay now. And even making this extra money, he’ll still complain that he wants to move his headquarters to Mount Everest and that he’s STILL not making enough money. Rake in that fucking money.
The point to all that above just goes to show that you have pointed out, Rex, as well as other people, especially tourists who come to Las Vegas, that Fremont Street is taking business away from the Strip. And it is happening daily. Because Fremont Street is providing stuff for tourists that actually attract them to come. The Strip? No. They could care less. Rake in that fucking money. But don’t give anything in return. This appears to be their motto.
Oops. I’m sorry. Kind of long there to make a point. But the point is….the Strip is failing. Because they are targeting an audience that….is not there. These are regular people that come to Las Vegas. WE don’t have the luxury of having all the top 10 percent rich moh fohs come here and blow money left and right. And the casinos on the Strip (collectively) are destroying it by making it more and more unattractive…to the regular folk…the bread and butter that has always been a success for Las Vegas. But what’s funny is they don’t believe it. Because they just want to rake in that fucking money. You have even the dumb ass LVCVA believing all this dumb hype the casinos are spewing, and they make efforts to advertise based upon the fallacies these casinos believe.
Written by ChuckReis on June 3, 2010 at 9:15 pm
I paid 50 cents to use the community pool in Iowa when I was a kid. I also pissed in the pool.
Written by mike_ch on June 4, 2010 at 12:14 am
There was a lawsuit against Las Vegas Athletic Club and it’s offering a membership discount to women. They actually changed the ads to say “$20 REGISTRATION FOR LADIES! (men registration: $20.)”
The entire nightclub industry is just continuing to discriminate and holding their breath that the legal eagles will not notice it. Probably more a sign of who really wields power in Nevada.
Written by The Fonz on June 4, 2010 at 9:42 am
there are states that have had legal challenges to “ladies night” promotions. bars that want to avoid any such hassle run promotions like “no hairy legs” night. i worked at a place that had run such a promotion, and a weird old dude who always showed up by himself shaved his legs so he’d get the discount.
despite the obvious discrimination, rex is right, turn the tables and you’re likely to start an estrogen holy war. and fail to draw a crowd.
women can argue they pay more in other ways, and have long been discriminated against in the workplace, earning less for the same work. i agree, but you don’t correct that by penalizing future generations.
i’m still blown away by the fact rubes pay $40 to go to a pool.
Written by tombrokaw on June 6, 2010 at 5:40 am
old news. Women are already charged according to hotness at pool parties and clubs.
old old news.
Written by Ron form MI on June 7, 2010 at 4:07 am
“These places are already intellectually insulting, and it is very unlikely that I will ever pay anything to attend one. The whole “exclusive” pretense where hopeful people stand in line for an hour+ to gain attendance is something that I have never done, nor will I ever do. As such, I am kind of apathetic about the pricing.
For those of you who find the policy to be out of line, then do what I do. Vote with your feet.
The levers are really hard to manipulate, and sometimes the pollsters give you dirty looks, but I assure you that it can be done.”
If I have to pay up $10 extra in order to bring in a female companion into the EBC, or any other “club” for that matter, I’d change my mind and say forget it: I’M NOT GOING IN!!!!!
If you are going to let a woman get a break because she’s “hot right off the grille” and gets a discount and you’re flipping the bill because you’re male, guess what: it’s no different than paying a hooker…..you WILL get screwed in the end. It one of the the reasons why I hate chivalry, even in these modern times…you get burned in the end.
Period.
For me, I have no problem with these places being in business; but its way of doing business of just being exclusive, excessive in its sales tactics and how people are/were treated (such as past incidents at Pure and LAX) rubs me the wrong way.
Eventually, these “shark-jumped” clubs will be phased out by changing trends in due time, when people get wise and “use their feet.”
Written by Bazzito on June 14, 2010 at 4:10 pm
RE: Price Discrimination
HEY!!
WHERE’S MY SENIOR COFFEE??!!