We love Overheard In New York, the website that reports overheard private conversations between New Yorkers. It's a great window on the psychology, linguistic tropes and day-to-day habits of those in the city. So it was only a matter of time before Wall Street's troubles started showing up.
Today we came across a conversation that took place at the Cheetah strip club between a first time stripper and a patron. To find out what all this has to do with Wall Street, follow the jump.
20-something girl to stripper: Wow, it's really your first night?Stripper: Yeahh. It's pretty cool. Just gave my first lap dance.
20-something girl: Oh my god! How exciting!
Stripper: I mean, I gotta pay the tuition bills. My summer internship at Goldman Sachs doesn't pay so I had to make some cash somehow.
Of course, right now you are asking yourself the obvious question: was it really her first night stripping? That's something strippers say to the more naive customers on a regular basis, hoping to score some sympathy points by making themselves seem as lost and alienated in a strip club as the customer.
We're assuming the Goldman Sachs bit isn't true either. (But if we're wrong email us.) But the very fact that strippers know enough to complain about getting underpaid on Wall Street demonstrates how far the crisis on Wall Street has penetrated into the psyche of New York.
Plus, It's a Unique Résumé Bullet [Overheard In New York]
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 9:15AM
last time i went to the west side scores (rip) one stripper told me she used to work at GS, and told me it would be in my best interests to stay in touch with her because she could hook me up with a job
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 9:22AM
where's the post re: cayne's sickness...
Posted by MGR , Aug 04, 2008 9:31AM
or the post about Meredith Whitney being on the cover of Fortune
Posted by John Carney , Aug 04, 2008 9:48AM
Working on both now, guys. Sorry for delay.
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 9:53AM
2/3-- if you already read the stories, why do you care?
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 9:57AM
I hope Bess is writing the Whitney post so we can hear her opine on the full zebra skin on the wall!
Posted by GinNTonic , Aug 04, 2008 10:00AM
Isn't Cheetahs in Atlanta?
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 10:00AM
lame story. not funny.
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 10:02AM
7-
Cheetah's in Atlanta is the best! Nothing like having a pair of strippers cut and feed you your steak. NYC needs a spot like that!
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 10:10AM
Da skrit clup? Woooorrd.
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 10:22AM
I can't understand why this is news. I may not be an iBanker, but, as I understand, these internships don't pay. How can you pay the expensive NYC sub-leases without a salary?
Moreover, I would imagine that some superb iBanking networking could be found at these places.
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 10:25AM
Associate pay? Anyone??
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 10:30AM
actually, one of my high school friend's sister who is insanely hot and whose post graduation job at BS obviously fell through is currently interning at GS...hmmm.
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 10:39AM
13: what was she planning to do at Bear Sterns?
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 10:42AM
@10:22 What do you think parents are for?
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 10:43AM
mayo
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 10:43AM
15: my parents don't live in NYC, sorry. And I don't think they're interested in subsidizing my summer at one of the most prestigious iBanking firms in the world.
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 10:48AM
The recession hasn't penetrated New York's psyche if she admits that she's employed. The more pessimistic answer would have involved something like, "I was working at BS, but now I have to do this."
Posted by MuniShe , Aug 04, 2008 10:55AM
GS Chicago pays their interns very well.
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 10:55AM
Same thing happened in Houston when Enron collapsed - plenty of strippers giving guys their sob stories about losing all their retirement dough in ENE stock and being relegated to spinning around a pole.
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 11:03AM
20: excellent point. Most of these clubs gave out 401(k)s that were heavily invested in ENE.
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 11:04AM
19: So? This is NYC.
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 11:15AM
The mayo comments are more interesting than this story.
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 11:48AM
Anything a stripper or her customer says about themselves falls into the category of "It's not a lie if you yourself believe it to be true."
Which explains the ratings agencies *completely* by the way.
Maybe Standard & Poor's could use some poles in the office, right there alongside the cubicles.
-DK
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 11:53AM
Goldman needs to merge with Cheetah's in order to survive
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 12:05PM
Plenty of Ho's from different area codes dropping their taint on the dance floors of NYC clubs. Just go on Craig's List and look at all the females looking for cash in exchange for their services.
Nothing like giving an educated HO and Angry Dragon.
Posted by american bandersnatch , Aug 04, 2008 12:12PM
#24 - Excellent - Seinfeld references are always welcome.
Posted by Anal_yst , Aug 04, 2008 12:53PM
@ 11
Very few (if any?) of the big banks do unpaid internships, some boutiques do though.
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 1:10PM
being at Cheetah club in atlanta is like being a kid in some big candy warehouse...you don't know where to look when the 75 girls come out all at once looking like some some beautiful naked marine unit storming the beaches of normandy..
gold club too (where the knicks got in trouble for fucking some of the strippers/hookers a few years back)
Posted by GinNTonic , Aug 04, 2008 1:13PM
wealth management does unpaid
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 3:01PM
11, 30 - official internships at major banks are all paid, including i-banking, s&t, and wealth management. Most boutiques are paid as well. However, a few of them will give an unpaid internship to an MD's neighbor's uncle's son or whatever if there is no structured internship progam and he needs something on his resume.
Posted by guest , Aug 04, 2008 4:11PM
just goes to show you we're all whores