Would you still cuddle as a Pro if hourly rate was mandated at Forty dollars?

Pretend new regulations mandated all professional cuddle sessions to not exceed $40 per hour. However, you’d be guaranteed the $40 for all cancellations and/or no-shows. Would you continue to cuddle professionally and advertise your services? If not, what must the amount be in order for you to continue?

For Non-Pros, would this “policy” drastically change your number of appointments and length of each session? How much more exactly?

_*Please disregard if you already charge $40 or less. Unfortunately, a policy like this would not be to your benefit. _

DISCLAIMER - This is a fictional scenario that was posted to engage communication among members. This discussion might be too silly for you because it’s classified in the “it will never happen” section. In that case, we kindly request that you refrain from using witty sarcasm or witty sci-fi stories as a reply. Please feel free to browse all the discussions and find one that’s more suitable to you. Thank you for your cooperation.

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  • edited August 2019

    Maybe.

    I wonder how much $40 would come out to in Glorbonks—the official currency on Ganymede? I’ll need to check with my contacts.

    I really should have done this ages ago. Thank you so much for inspiring me to finally do this, OP. It can be tough, forming a telepathic link to an alien entity on one of Jupiter’s moons, but I’m certain it will be worth it in the long run.

    To answer this question seriously: no.

  • That would be nice if we were guaranteed $40 for all cancellations and no-shows. This seems to be a common occurrence lately. Sometimes unexpected circumstances come up that results in a cancellation and that's understandable, as long as it does not happen more than once. In the case of no-shows the person who no-showed should have to pay a mandatory fee for the inconvenience and wasting our time. Some people fail to realize that many of us have other obligations that we had to rearrange in order to schedule a cuddle session. For those of us who are single moms that could mean that we had to arrange and pay for a babysitter to watch our kids while we do a cuddle session. It sucks for someone to cancel last minute or pull a no-show and means we take a hit, wasting money for a sitter that ended up not being needed. Non-pros are not allowed to accept payment in any form so any financial compensation does not apply to them.

  • [Deleted User]DarrenWalker (deleted user)

    @hogboblin: ...And this sci-fi vignette doesn't count as a disregard of the OP's request because it's not witty. Quite the loophole you found there.

    Regarding the original question—since the average monthly rent where I live is $700 a month, with a cap of $40 an hour a pro cuddler in my area would have to cuddle 17.5 hours every month just to have a place to live. Plus utilities, plus food... let's say $900 a month just to survive? Sure. 22.5 hours of cuddling a month... that's about six hours a week....

    Huh. Could a pro cuddler who was using this as their primary means of financial support really count on getting at least six hours of cuddling in every week? They'd need it just to live.

    ...Nah, I don't think it'd be worth it.

    If you were just doing it for a little extra cash in your spare time (and never traveled farther than $30 worth of gas), maybe it'd still be worth doing. Maybe.

    Now, as a potential customer, I couldn't afford to pay $10 an hour, never mind $40—so I'll leave that part of the question alone.

  • edited August 2019

    @DarrenWalker

    The first bit of the post doesn’t apply to you, because you’re NOT A PRO. Didn’t you read it?

    ...don’t incur the OP’s wrath.

  • $40 seems a little low for some of the potential costs involved in a session.
    It's definitely too low for those clients who are looking for something other than cuddling.

  • edited August 2019

    MOD: Comment removed - personal attack [SoulcuddlerZ]

  • edited August 2019

    MOD: Comment removed - personal attack [SoulcuddlerZ]

  • On the flipside to that, I wonder how many people would still complain about the prices being too high

  • @pmvines Actually, you’re probably right and that would eventually happen. I’m trying to understand the point of view of a pro who’s extremely passionate about the wellbeing of others. Are they more motivated by the money or by helping people?

  • A doctor working for free still has to charge patients to cover costs, or the doctor would soon have no way to treat anyone.... It's not about which of the two motivates people more.

  • [Deleted User]DarrenWalker (deleted user)

    @pmvines: I might be able to afford a pro session if they charged $5 an hour. I'd have to save for a couple weeks, live on rice or something, but I think I could manage $5. (If only this were an exaggeration.)

    Therefore, it would clearly be my responsibility to complain about these ridiculously high $40/hour rates.

    "Anyone," I might say, "who charges more than I make in three months (after the cost of rent and food are subtracted)—anyone who charges such unreasonably high rates per hour is clearly motivated by money, not by helping people." I could conveniently ignore how much rent the pros have to pay per month, what their food costs, how much they need to pay for gas, the cost of a babysitter and/or petsitter, a hotel room, and of course the social costs of rearranging their schedules for people who sometimes don't show up.

    I think I could pull off a pretty decent complaint.

    "I'm trying to understand the point of view of a pro who's extremely passionate about the wellbeing of others," I could say. "Are they more motivated by the money, or by helping people? Even if it's the money—I'd book way more sessions if I could afford them, and I bet others would too. At five dollars per hour, I bet they'd get lots of bookings!"

    "How much do you really need?" I could ask. "Charge the bare minimum!" I could demand. "And drop your rates for people like me, who're barely scraping by and really need a hug!"

    ....

    Or I could do the sane thing, and remember that survival of the fittest in capitalist society means someone who provides a service can charge as much as they like so long as enough people are willing to pay that it keeps them afloat—and many pro cuddlers do in fact charge less than the market will bear. Because they care.

    It's not their fault they have operating costs and I'm as broke as a peasant who's been trampled by a horse.

  • [Deleted User]CharlesTwisted (deleted user)

    @SoulcuddlerZ

    Can we get this @DarrenWalker response added to every topic discussion about what professionals charge?

    Thank you.

  • edited August 2019

    Many pro cuddlers cuddle for 40 per hour....
    so i guess the answer is yes...

  • Here is a thought if you break down the time you spent writing your profile or just changing it, add time for talking to clients on phone thru text before a session, the time to clean and prepare before and after, this also being the clients who no show or opted to not hire you on because you abide by rules, plus driving and actual session time. A pro doesn’t truly make $80 per hr let alone putting it to $40. I start at $80 but for those truly needing I will discount.
    I’m just saying people focus on the price because it’s in their face with no regards to time and energy it took for you as a pro.
    Last night for example I had someone message and I know between responses I spent a good 30/40 min. As soon as I stated I abide by rules he disappeared with no more to say. There was time spent on business making nothing you have to make it up somewhere.
    Just because you see your time having worth does not mean you are not about helping others.

  • @mokissia I can definitely see the entire pre-cuddle process being a huge pain in the butt. Have you considered mentioning the rules right away to save yourself time or would that sound too up front?

    @DarrenWalker is absolutely correct in mentioning how pro-cuddlers can "charge as much as they like so long as enough people are willing to pay." Furthermore, there was a recent discussion topic that questioned the surplus of men on this website. If both these statements are true, shouldn't there be enough demand for pro-cuddlers to build up a clientele of respectful individuals who repeat as customers? Of course, it would take months or even a year or so to build a solid clientele base, but the benefits would be worth it.

    However, maybe the demand isn't so good in rural areas and there's too many pro-cuddlers in the high demand places..... Honestly, I have no idea but hoping to receive feedback from those who do. Thank you.

  • Pro-Cuddling is like massage. Some people want it more often. Some people want it as a rare treat. Some people can afford it regularly and some people cannot. We cannot depend on people hiring us forever either. Sometimes a guy who sees us regularly gets into a relationship and no longer needs us. In the time it takes to build up regular cuddle buddies, they could all match up/move/go broke/etc.

  • [Deleted User]Kaiterpillar (deleted user)

    Yeah once you factor in things like preparing, driving, etc, I can promise you the math does NOT add up to 80/hour. If you think the prices are too high I have a very simple answer for you: DON'T HIRE A PROFESSIONAL CUDDLER. It's really that simple.

    If they had a limit for prices, I'd be leaving the site. $40/hr is not enough for it to be worth it to me, and I actually don't even get THAT many clients from here to begin with so I wouldn't be losing much by leaving.

  • @Kaiterpillar If money wasn’t an issue for you (not saying it is), would you volunteer to cuddle those in need if requested by a local hospital? The hospital would arrange everything and you just need to be present.

  • I would cuddle babies for free all day every day if my hospital allowed it. I would just hide in their area where I know it's safer.

    As for other ages... the risks of MRSA and other antibiotic resistant bacteria common to hospitals would definitely keep me away. It's fine and dandy until someone loses a leg and has no benefits to help cover the costs.

  • @luv2cudl2 There are actually volunteer programs for this in place in some cities, though it's for infants, like mentioned above. I'd take part no matter what the age is. I volunteer for the casinos when the schools need it, and I don't particularly enjoy it as easy as it is and as good as it is for the schools that need the money. Cuddling at a hospital sounds like a much more enjoyable type of volunteering to me that helps in a non-monetary way.

  • I would still professionally cuddle at that price, but I feel like I would get bombarded with requests that I would spend more time fending off the creepy cuddlers instead of investing more time talking with respectful cuddlers. Having a higher price point makes it easier to weed out the piggish ones. Granted, I still get piggish ones, but I find most that talk to me and book with me and are willing to pay $80/hour understand the rules and really just want a good cuddle. I hope that made sense! Lol

  • @RaindropSweetie You are dead on about MRSA. I wound up in a hospital with my eyes swollen shut from MRSA five years ago and it has left my vision blurry since then. I was quarantined at home for a month after with a Vancomyacin drip in my arm. And once you get it the first time, it is easy to get again and I have had it once since then....after surgery. Nasty stuff.

  • If you mandated $40/hr there would be fewer pros. I imagine the quality would suffer as well because catering to someone’s needs mentally and otherwise can be draining, and some look at the money as a way to recharge and continue doing what they do.

    I also do not buy the argument that if they are in it for the money they do not care. That is a simplistic generalization. I have cuddled those that because they charge $100/hr they make the session an event and left me feeling like I could walk on water. I have had sessions for $60/hr and their idea of cuddling was falling asleep in my arms 5 minutes in. My point is it is more about the individual pro than the $/hr. To further my point, enthusiast non-pros vary widely as well.

    Regulating prices in anything generally results in shortcuts, poorer materials and crappier products. Regulating prices in cuddling would reduce the number of pros and finding the really good ones would become a chore. In addition, the really good ones would become popular, get burn out and either retire or go independent with a select list of clients who will pay more. That is basic economics.

  • Some women cuddle for free. Imagine that. So if they can make 40 per hour instead of free im sure you would find many who would like that.
    What the 80 and above is needed is to make it worth cuddling with someone they ordinarily wouldn't want to cuddle with. That is the reality of it everyone glosses over.
    Things like rental space and preparing your room for cuddling etc is not the real justification. Otherwise why would anyone cuddle for free and host ?
    Ive cuddled with pros and non pros and the pros don't have a better way of cuddling or professional skills etc. They are just like non pros. The difference is that they will cuddle with most guys even ones that are shorter than them or not attractive in the slightest.
    Nothing wrong with any of this. Just how it is.

  • People who cuddle for free and host probably bring people home....

    As for hotel costs... If someone requires that I host, and I pay the site 15% of whatever I make and have to use the rest to pay the price of a clean, roach free hotel room. How much do people really think is left at the end?

  • @RaindropSweetie Well you could join the Hotel rewards program and recoup your costs. 😉

  • I think the prices on the site are reasonable. It is just that there are going to be plenty of pros that are not worth the money whether it is 80, 150, or 40 an hour. Some people are just bad at their job, no matter what industry.

  • @boomerang86 You just described Huey Lewis.

  • Lol Huey Lewis has a few great songs and also was a decent actor in the movie Duets.

  • [Deleted User]chococuddles (deleted user)

    Hard cold truth by @melancholy .

    Youch.

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