Here's a bizarre question for you

[April]

***adult themed topic, if you are easily offended, click the back button please***

Ok. Has anyone here ever worked in an *ahem* porn store?

IOf so, what was your experience? Decent? Just plain creepy?

I just realized, that one of our local stores has *perfect* hours for me. I want to work about 9 PM to 2 AM and they close right at two.

DH says he wouldn't be thrilled, because he's worried it could be dangerous, but he isn't against it either (I think he wants the discount )

I'm not even sure if they are hiring, or if they even hire women at all, but I think it would be interesting.

Plus, I want to be able to scare people when they ask where I work

I've read the page about the woman who worked in a porn store before, and have one female friend who has worked in one. Anyone else?

[GyroKat]

I haven't worked with it myself, but I got a friend who has. And she says that you really need to have a super-relaxed relationship with it, because sometimes a female cashier will actually scare customers away, since they can't face a woman with their hands full of porn.

Other than that, she loved the job, joked about with the regulars and generally thought it was a great job, except the occassional pervert. But she always had a colleague nearby, she was never alone there since you never know what kind of people might drop by.

She works in a store that sells sex toys now :P

[Skandranon]

I've never worked at one, but I'm not ashamed to say I'm a frequent shopper, and I've chatted up employees before about their jobs. In my opinion, the quality of the work environment can vary dramatically. I've seen really awful dives where only the lowest lowlifes come for their porn fix, and I've seen pristine, attractive stores that very much resembled a Blockbuster, where the employees and customers both were well mannered, well informed, and friendly.

If you can get a job at one of the nicer places, I doubt it'd be dangerous, but avoid the really nasty ones. If the store itself makes you uncomfortable, you really don't want to work there.

[April]

I think it would be fun LOL

I know there is one fairly close to my house, that I've never been in, but the location doesn't seem all that great. It's one of those city things where you cross a street and suddenly you're in the "not so great" part of town.

The one that I'm thinking of, is further away, but in a better part of town. I've been in there plenty of times (actually it's the only one I've been in) and I don't think I've ever seen anyone really scummy in there.

Of course, I still need to call them because, like I said, I don't even know if they will hire a woman for the night shift.

[tollbaby]

I worked at a porn store when I was in college, and I liked it Of course, it wasn't one of those seedy, hole-in-the-wall type places, and sexual banter was acceptable, propositioning was NOT. The owner was very clear with all the customers about that, so we had a fairly polite, if ribald, set of people coming in. You also have to turn your "gross" receptors off, because watching a 90-year old grandpa buy motion lotion and some whips & leather chaps is just disturbing

[MCSledgehammer]

I worked in a smut shop for a little over a year. It was DEFINITELY a seedy hole in the wall type place. We even had a spank tank in the back. (No, I didn't have to clean it. Our janitorial staff was brave and valorous.) I worked the night shift, all by my lonesome, and had no problem with it. If you're genuinely okay with other people and their particular "penchants", whether or not they're yours, you'll be fine. If there's even a little tiny part of you that thinks "people who like <insert kink here> are gross", you will NOT enjoy it.
A lot of the regular customers are like big dogs- they'll try and get the upper hand, but if you yank their chain down nice and hard the first time, you've got their respect and they don't bother you anymore. A few of mine became downright protective. Plus, at least at my store, if somebody was being obnoxious, you could tell them exactly what you thought of them. Yay!
As far as safety goes, I never had a problem. I kept a phone on me at all times, just in case, but never had to use it. Some of the stories I've got could be made into a freakin' book. WAY better than cable.
I loved it, but then again, I'm a libertine of the first degree.

[MCSledgehammer]

Oh, I forgot to add- PM me if ya want.

[tollbaby]

A few of mine became downright protective.

OMG that part was fantastic! We had our regulars, like any store, and there was this one guy... 6'8", about 250 lbs, all muscle, biker dude (he was a member of both the Hells Angels AND the Outlaws to hear him tell it). Really tough character, and not the sort you'd want to get on the wrong side of. He was the SWEETEST guy... big pussycat. And he was sort of my bouncer when I had to work the evening shift He'd come to the store to check out the new bondage comics and hang around until my shift was over, get all threatening with any n00bs who walked in the door, and then he'd walk me home (across the street) when my shift was over. He had absolutely no interest in me, other than friendship and protection. It was by far one of the coolest parts of working there.

[JustADude]

... We had our regulars, like any store, and there was this one guy... 6'8", about 250 lbs, all muscle, biker dude (he was a member of both the Hells Angels AND the Outlaws to hear him tell it)... Really tough character, and not the sort you'd want to get on the wrong side of. He was the SWEETEST guy... big pussycat...

Hey, don't let the rep they get from the uptight crowd fool you. The Hells Angels... at least the old-guard, don't know about a lot of the young blood these days... are pretty much great guys. Most aren't overly concerned with the legality, but they're definitely the people to know if you want a good, old-fashoned Guy's Night Out. And yeah, any one of the ones I know would look after someone like that without thinking twice.

[tollbaby]

Yup. I enjoyed superior protection the entire time I worked downtown (this isn't a high crime city, but downtown after midnight is still a rough spot), and my kids adore their "uncle Snake"

[Bagga]

I no longer have the link, but years ago there was a very amusing and long-running blog of a lass who worked in a video store that had a downstairs porn section. It was well worth a read, does anyone have the URL?

[Rapscallion]

http://www.improvresourcecenter.com/mb/tpcs.html

True porn clerk stories. Hilarious and thoughtful at the same time.

Rapscallion

[TNT]

I don't need to work in an adult bookstore... I work for a cable company. When you get right down to it, we're the world's largest pornographers. PPV, etc.

And employees get the Playboy Channel for free...

[Horsetuna]

I haven't. I've been in a porn store perhaps, twice? Once with friends to browse, once for products. (and a few browsing sessions I forgot about).

Re:Hells' angels. We were in Toronto when they had their big meeting in Niagra Falls (Ironically during the World Youth Days with the Pope visiting). My then-BF freaked out cause I smiled and waved to a few from the car at a red light. I was like 'What? THey wont shoot us out for being FRIENDLY, if at all!"

[TNT]

Re:Hells' angels. We were in Toronto when they had their big meeting in Niagra Falls (Ironically during the World Youth Days with the Pope visiting). My then-BF freaked out cause I smiled and waved to a few from the car at a red light. I was like 'What? THey wont shoot us out for being FRIENDLY, if at all!"

Every year, we have a night in my town that we're totally invaded by bikers of all types (though not Hell's Angel's, but that's a long story).

A friend of mine is close to 80 years old. He says, "All those bikers running around... it's the one night of the year I feel totally safe walking downtown at midnight."