You sell sex toys and videos?
We sell adult, magazines, clothing, videos, rental videos. We kind of offer a little bit of everything.
Who is your largest clientele?
It’s pretty split between female and male. It’s changed a lot in the past nine years. When I first started, the only females that you would see come through the door were employees, but now we gets lots of women. It’s become more acceptable; people are more open-minded these days.
What is your most popular item?
Movie-wise, it would be things with a storyline or the really hardcore stuff—there isn’t really a happy medium. The most popular toys for women are the vibrators, eggs, bullets. For men it would be the pocket toys. The S&M and bondage gear seems to be getting more popular with both as well.
Do most people come in knowing what they’re looking for?
Most people don’t know what it is they’re looking for. They usually have a general idea of what they would like, but they’re not really sure. It’s new to them.
Do you ever get complaints?
Occasionally. I mean, you get that with every retail business. Nine times out of ten, the complaint is “I didn’t like the video.”
What else does the job involve?
We get to do a lot of interesting things as well. I get to do a lot of traveling. I go to the AVN Awards in January. We did a large adult show in Detroit about a year and a half ago. That was something new and exciting to do. And we bring adult stars in for autograph signings. We’ve had quite a few over the past nine years.
Like who?
The last person we had in was Belle Bond. She’s fairly new to the industry. The first [signing] we had was a few years ago, and it was so busy that we had to stand at the front door and not allow anyone in, because the store was so full.
Just for a signing?
They do autographs, they do Polaroids, they chat with you a bit because a lot of people have a lot of questions. The biggest question I hear at every signing is, “How do you get into the business?”
What’s the usual response?
Send in a videotape to a production company.
Are there many in Canada?
There are a few. It’s very hard to film in Canada, because there are a lot of laws about what you can and cannot film. So 90 per cent of the films are made in the United States or elsewhere. Quebec and Ontario is where most of the Canadian production companies are located. I mean, in Quebec you can buy a Hustler at your local convenience store, whereas here you cannot.
Do you have fun at work?
It’s definitely a very interesting and entertaining position. As general manager, I’m responsible for a lot. Basically running the transactions and daily operations of 20 stores at one time while being in one location. It definitely keeps me busy. And if I get bored in the office, I go out in the store, which is usually a good way to get an idea of what the customers are looking for and what they’re interested in because trends change.
What is the current trend?
The trend right now seems to be the anal stuff, for him and her. Before it was ‘the bigger, the better’. Other times it’s been vibrating products. One week it might be couples-oriented, the next for single people.
Do you get more singles or couples?
It’s pretty even. We do get a lot of couples in, anywhere from your 18-year-olds to your 80-year-olds. The largest demographic is between late 20s and early 40s, but we get all ages. I personally helped out an elderly couple looking to spice up their love life. It just goes to show how much things are changing.
