Tip Your Hat

Remember when you were little and your parents encouraged you to study hard, so you could ‘make something of yourself’ by becoming a doctor, or a lawyer, or an engineer? Well, after reading this, some professionals – particularly those for whom money is everything – may start to wonder if all those years in college, not to mention those hefty tuition fees, were really worth it.

In terms of making a fast buck, one of the most lucrative jobs going around these days is as a doorman at a Las Vegas casino or night club. At several clubs, these professionals are clearing $8,000 to $10,000 a night before they share tips. So much cash is pouring in that some doormen are making $400,000 to $500,000 a year, according to club officials.

The increasing frequency of celebrity parties is believed to be the reason behind doormen making such astronomical sums. Over one recent weekend, 5,000 people showed up for Paris Hilton’s 27th birthday party and her guest appearance with the Pussycat Dolls. About six months ago, on a busy night, two men were heard bitterly complaining about the cover charge. "They wanted $1,000 per person. I said the highest I’d go was $800!" one of them said.

Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Norm Clarke writes: "It’s no secret that most clubs understand that the longer the line the higher the anxiety. That’s where the ‘line slide’ comes in." If clubbers have been waiting all night, they’re not going to go somewhere else and start over. Club employees usually go down the line and fish for people who really want to get in. The greater the anxiety to get in, the higher the tip.

It may become less of a blast soon though. The cash-heavy operations have got the attention of those eternal spoilsports, the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Surprise! Surprise! This week, the IRS and other law enforcement authorities raided a nightclub and its headquarters, confiscating a number of computers. "(The club) has guys at the door making more than the president," said one official who specializes in the cover charge system. The annual salary of the president of the United States is $400,000. Go figure.

So throw away those college books and start building up your biceps. The job description does not specify that an applicant for a doorman’s job needs to look hot, but trust me, it helps. Nothing like eye candy to loosen the purse strings of inebriated clubbers.