Economics lesson: it's the dismal science, not rocket science. I know most of y'all hold your own in the real world on a professional level...so what the hell's up with all the fuzzy math?
Boys: If the rates are too high, then just don't see that girl. If you don't think she's worth it, don't pay it. Wait for a special or find a substitute. If you can't find a substitute...well, that's why her price is high.
Ladies: If you aren't getting any calls, lower your rates or run a special. If you're getting too many appointment requests to comfortably field, raise your rates. You don't have to be a Barbie to make above-market rates and being a Barbie doesn't mean you can be successful at below-market rates.
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I have zero desire to wade far into this lovely thread but the rate/hr = profit/hr is incorrect -- I'll explain why. Onei mentioned incall costs, so that of course is one. But for every one hour appointment, a lot more happens behind the scenes. Y'all want a pretty face and clean sheets, right?
So...speaking for myself, I take about 90 minutes to get ready for an appointment of any length and about 30 minutes to clean-up both myself and the incall (an hour if you cum in my hair!) Throw in the time and pain in the ass factor associated with screening and setting up a date with the vast majority of boys and I'm looking at another 45 minutes of email/calling/etc per session. You might think that's high, but I counted all of the time spent with screening/prepping/etc for NCNS, last minute cancellations, screened but never booked, etc. Manicures, laundry, shopping for more toiletries and candles, emails to regulars to keep up flirtation, board stuff/marketing stuff is about five hours a week. So if every one hour of "work" translates into 4.5 hours of general labor, that puts a going rate a lot lower. For my rate, that puts me at $57/hr (not including incall costs).
Sure, I still wind up with a rate many people would be thrilled to pull, but my earning potential as a provider is far more limited than a goddamn engineer. I've known a variety of providers over the years and it's rare to find a provider that's pulling multiple sessions a day most days a week. The exceptions I've noticed are for new providers (which fades) and agency girls (less take-away earning, higher burn-out rate). THEN there's the fact that many providers are mothers, students, or possibly working another gig, so their availability is even further limited, further limiting their earning potential. Oh...then there's the whole hobbyists are a set group in any city and the hobbyists that want to bone a specific provider are even further limited...it's hardly an endless demand, even for the hottest girls. Oh. And menses. And "hooker-flu" a.k.a. a cold/strep/bug every six weeks. Making out with strangers is like being a kindergarten teacher. Wait...
If providers were legitimately pulling the numbers that y'all are throwing around in here, you'd see much nicer incalls, far fancier lingerie, red soles on black pumps, many more girls entering the market, and many familiar faces retiring early and asking for bartering opportunities with money managers and venture capitalists instead of mechanics and handymen.