Posted on 01/05/2006 10:12:01 AM PST by day10
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Take a few leggy California blondes, throw in a passion for luxury cars, plenty of parties, and a distaste for parking your own car.
What have you got? A multimillion-dollar, female valet parking business, where struggling models and actresses dressed in bikinis, miniskirts or lingerie and Santa hats park the cars of the rich and famous in the Los Angeles area.
Beverly Hills, California-based Girls Valet Parking opened for business less than six months ago. This week, it took over its rival, Valet Girls, and announced plans to expand to San Francisco, Las Vegas, San Diego and Phoenix.
"Given the option of hiring acne-riddled teenage boys in red vests, or beautiful and sexy models and actresses trained in safety and hospitality, we're betting our success that restaurants, boutique hotels, clubs and private parties will prefer the latter," company founder Brad Saltzman said on Wednesday.
Saltzman said the privately held company expected 2006 sales in excess of $3 million (1.7 million pounds), rising to $14 million by 2010.
Clients, most of them movie stars and producers, can request a variety of uniforms, including lingerie, bikinis, capri pants, camisoles and miniskirts.
"If it is legal, we will do it, but we draw the line at nudity or topless," Saltzman said.
About half the business is based on requests for women valets dressed in the traditional dark pants and shirt.
Employees are hired through the kind of casting calls traditionally seen in the movie business and there are plenty of applicants. About 260 women showed up recently and six were hired.
I would have sworn you were already on mine but you weren't.
You are now!
They're pretty, but can they park cars?
I suppose for the same reason I do.
Thanks for the post.
Now, Designer has a series problem with this concept, namely: They are WOMEN fer cryin' out loud! We are talking about parking some very expensive cars, which probably none of these girlz have driven prior to working there.
Just in case we missed someone back there: This involves mechanical abilities and spatial awareness capabilities qualities that most women this designer knows simply do not possess.
Oh, I know I will be flamed all right, mostly from women who actually have those qualities, and from men who "know a female truck driver" or some such, but let's face the facts: most women are not truck drivers, and probably for a good reason.
Time for the operators of that valet service to buy some insurance.
And Designer some fire insurance.
(zipping up my flame-resistant suit)
Anybody check the stock at MAACO lately?
Are most men truck drivers? If not, then I suppose it is probably for the same 'good reason'.
Love it and Big Tips (I did say tips) help!!
Typical California driveway; surprised you don't have skateboard skidmarks on the wheelie bar.
LOL...Nevada.
Just in case we missed someone back there: This involves mechanical abilities and spatial awareness capabilities qualities that most women this designer knows simply do not possess.
Oh, I know I will be flamed all right, mostly from women who actually have those qualities, and from men who "know a female truck driver" or some such, but let's face the facts: most women are not truck drivers, and probably for a good reason./
Without getting into a debate about the physiological differences between the sexes, I'd just like to ask why you think the company wouldn't screen out those that couldn't drive, since you seem to admit that there are at least a few women that are competent drivers?
Of course this is moot, since the valets aren't the ones that actually drive the cars - they just greet the guests and take the keys. The shuttle driver is the one that parks and retrieves the car.
I drove semi professionally from 1978-1982. No accidents - no tickets. Not only did I handle sticks, but TWO STICKS AT ONCE!!
Congratulations ~ I drove big rigs from 1955 to 1986 and retired at 55 from the Teamsters after 31 years of driving for the same company.
A fun time was bad by all. :)
Whoops!
~~ oops, had not bad. *sigh*
How about here?
Or here?
But, never here
TEAMSTERS!! And you're conservative??
Sorry, I had to say that - I was independant.
I drove semi professionally should read as...
"I drove semis, professionally."
Not as
I drove semi-professionally.
I did actually drive two sticks.... but I said it more as a joke.... I handle sticks - get it.
So, you describing reaching through the steering wheel to handle two sticks at once is giving me the most unusual visual!!
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