Perks

Happy Thursday, everyone :) Working at a sex shop for over a year was so much fun, with plenty of ups and downs, and along the way, I enjoyed quite a few perks. In the 5 1/2 years I've lived in San Diego, I've had a variety of jobs where I either got free food, retail discounts, puppy playtime, or free gym memberships, but (after free food) I'm pretty sure this shop had the best perks. Besides having a blast at work, here are some of my favorite benefits:

1. Discounts: Ok, obviously everyone knows that the best thing about working somewhere is the employee discount. We all work (relatively) hard, so it's nice to be able to buy the products we sell for cheap. Everyone loves a sale, right? I just really liked getting discounts on stuff like sex coupons and edible body paints ;)
2. Lingerie: Yes! Lingerie! What girl doesn't love playing dress up or buying sexy outfits for them-self or their other half? The first free item I was given was from my former manager; a red and pink Valentine's Day mini-skirt and bra set. I was helping her change out our window displays, and because we no longer sold some of the styles we took down, she gave me three different outfits that day. Later, when I became manager, I was in charge of receiving any new products and choosing what we would or would not sell, especially when it came to clothing. I had one distributor who was going out of business and was trying to get rid of several leather bustiers and thongs. I was actively working as a burlesque artist at the time, so I took them home because we wouldn't sell them. They were pretty out of date, but in good shape, so ended up saving a bit of money on costumes. And btw, this has to be one of my favorite perks. There aren't enough days in the week for me to wear all the outfits I want to. You name it, I have it: geisha, baseball theme (Go Padres!), referee, cops, nurses, pirate, storybook, student, secretary, frilly, dominatrix, slutty, demure, etc. Not to mention all the stockings and tights. Raver girls, be jealous.
3. Make new connections: Since I was also in charge of PR and advertising, I had the pleasure of meeting a lot of cool people, including models, clothing companies, magazine editors, and venue promoters (which is awesome because I am a fashion designer and will most likely use these connections in the future). Some fun items I was hooked up with was a free bathing suit from a local designer, as well as free food from local restaurants.
4. Lubricants & Enhancers: I was wrong. This was the first item I received for free from my former manager. We used to make and sell our own store brand lubricant, but had to stop due to cost, but when I first started, I received a goody bag with our brand along with many others to learn about lubes first hand. Since the owner of the store didn't like to give us free items (although I explained that the best way for our employees to help our customers was to have experience with most, if not all, our products), I would go directly through the distributors, who were more than happy to send us samples. I already mentioned which lubes are good on Toy Tuesday, but I would definitely recommend Wet and Aloe Cadabra for lubes, and G for clit stimulators. On, not so much. I'm pretty sure at this point, my employees and I have lube for daaaaysss.
5. Toys (for me): Another kind of product distributors were kind enough to send us, were toys! I've received handcuffs, furry restrains, paddles, internal vibrators, and clit stimulators, thanks to these companies being awesome! So thank you to Doc Johnson, Pipedream, and Screaming O for all the goodies!
6. Toys (for friends): But hey, I don't keep all the fun to myself! Sharing is caring after all. When the store got several sample toys from Tantus, I could not wait to share the wealth. One of my friends had just started dating her current girlfriend and they were in the market for a good harness and toy, so I gave them one of T's top of the line strap ons. Another friend never had a vibrator before...she has one now. After I became manager, I made sure to pass the tradition forward and gave my workers as many free goodies as I could.

I'm sorry if this post came off as bragging, it was not my intention. I'm just looking back and appreciating the opportunities and gifts I was given by some awesome companies. As I said before, we all get some sort of perk from our jobs, and I thought this would be a good insight into what you could expect if you got into the sex shop industry.

I'd love to hear what some of your favorite benefits from your work are, so leave me a comment.

See you tomorrow!