After a whirlwind month or so that saw the closing of nonessential businesses due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the adult retail industry is breathing a sigh of relief. The month of May saw a surge of stores resuming their operations and rekindling business under unprecedented circumstances.
Last month, XBIZ Premiere’s special report shined a light on the initial impact to the adult retail industry, and the many ways that leaders from all facets of the industry were coping with the sudden interruption to business and life as we know it. The most severely impacted were the retailers, which were forced to shut down throughout the month of April. With news circulating of more layoffs, store closings and trade shows canceled for the year, the pandemic’s uncertainty plagued the industry. However, the adult retail community came together (virtually, of course), and through countless Facebook Group posts, Zoom chats and other forms of non-physical contact, they forged ahead.
By early May, social media was buzzing with stores announcing their return, albeit with many caveats brought on by social distancing requirements. Over the past month, retailers have been employing new strategies such as curbside service and local delivery, as well as beefing up their presence online — where retail has seemingly been unaffected.
While cleanliness has always been important for adult retailers to make a positive impression on potential shoppers, COVID-19 has made it essential for retailers to provide a sterilized environment for customers to shop safely. With facemasks, acrylic sneeze guards at the cash register and hand sanitizer at every corner of the store, the adult store shopping experience of today is a lot different than what people are used to.
Nevertheless, as adult retailers turn the corner from the coronavirus’s initial devastation to business, many are gaining perspective about how best to serve customers amidst a pandemic, and a positive outcome appears to be on the horizon.
COVID-19 Takes Its Toll
In March, as non-essential businesses were ordered to shut their doors, brick-and-mortar adult retailers went into crisis mode. Taking their business to the internet, curbside and handling customer phone calls from home, adult retailer experiences ranged from a surge in business to nearly having to close their storefronts permanently.
Situated in what’s often referred to as the epicenter of the pandemic, New York’s Museum of Sex was forced to close its trendy location — which typically draws visitors with its boob bouncy house exhibition, naughty-themed cocktails and other unique offerings from the multifaceted retailer.
“Being located in the heart of Manhattan once drove our business to wild success, but now our location has become the very thing that is jeopardizing our current success,” said Kit Richardson, associate buyer and merchandiser for Museum of Sex. “NYC has been on lockdown since March due to the pandemic. Many of us wonder if NYC will ever be the same and that applies to the Museum as well. We will most certainly bounce back after this, but for the time being, the doors of the museum are locked, the lights are off, the floor sparse, and not a person within the building.”
Nationwide adult retail chain Lion’s Den felt the effect of the pandemic reverberate throughout its more than 40 stores across the country, affecting the 300-plus people that the company employs.
“Along with the uncertainty about our ‘business,’ there’s the extra burden of worrying about our people,” said Pete Potenzini, Lion’s Den’s director of marketing. “One positive thing it has done is to remind us how strong a brand we are, in that the outreach from our customers has been tremendous! We got several emails and social posts about how much they missed us and couldn’t wait for us to open up again — which we did in several states on May 12.”
With stores in Orlando, Kissimmee, Cape Canaveral and Key West, Fairvilla’s warm, welcoming locations that are typically buzzing with tourists saw a downturn in business.
“The financial impact was significant,” said Debra Peterson, Fairvilla’s director of purchasing. “At one point, three out of five Fairvilla stores, along with our web store, were closed. Two of our stores are located in what are normally high tourism areas, so even though they are now open, they will take a bit longer to recover as convention, cruise and festival tourism will likely be slow to return in Florida. However, our stores and employees are resilient and we have been astounded at the dedication and determination from our teams. We consider ourselves fortunate that a few locations were able to remain open during the lockdown and that we are able to keep our company moving forward.”
In Largo, Florida, Adult Factory Outlet closed down for just over a month, resulting in the store’s employees needing to file for unemployment. The adult bookstore, which includes two theaters that remain closed, is considered the largest in Pinellas County.
“I have been in the adult industry for 45 years; I have owned three adult bookstores, a publishing company, as well as a distribution company — I have never had to close for any reason, this was a first and hopefully the last,” said Mark Weishaus, the owner of Adult Factory Outlet.
In Sarasota, Florida, Giggles closed for nearly eight weeks — and it came unexpectedly, Giggles store manager Brandy Meyers said. On May 1, the store was allowed to re-open its doors.
“We've had an amazing, steady flow of customers and we feel confident that we will see an even larger increase in traffic once all of Florida re-opens,” she said. “We have a large clientele of bar staff and dancers, and they have not yet been cleared to return to work, and we will welcome them with open arms when they do!”
Also being impacted by the absence of tourists in Florida is Lover’s Boutique, which is located in Key Largo. In addition to offering pleasure products, the 6,000-square-foot boutique also has an area dedicated to apparel, including beach, resort and cruise-wear.
“The pandemic has had a tremendous negative effect on our business,” Lover’s Boutique owner Jerrold Benowitz said. “We have been open all along, but with less hours open each day. Our gross income is down at least 75 percent, compared to last year. Unfortunately, even though the economy is opening, for us we are now going into the off-season. If there is a second wave of the pandemic, I really don’t know if we can survive.”
As reported in last month’s “Road to Recovery” special report in XBIZ Premiere, about 63 of 78 total Adam & Eve stores across the country had to close their doors as stay-at-home orders were placed. Like every other storeowner trying to keep their business running during the pandemic, Adam & Eve store franchisees adopted some of the popular alternatives like curbside service, reduced hours of operation and local deliveries.
Shona Jones’s Adam & Eve stores in Wichita Falls, Texas and Lawton, Oklahoma are back to working their normal business hours, but not before what Jones says was a rollercoaster ride with a lot of uncertainty.
We've had to change the way we work in-store to ensure the environment is safe for employees and customers,” Jones said. “We had to change the way we interacted with our customers while the stores were closed. I had both stores’ phone calls forwarded to my cell and spent a lot of time helping customers over the phone and on Facebook Messenger!”
According to Jones, making buying decisions for the stores was made more challenging with the uncertainty of the lockdown.
“Before we closed I worried about not being able to source product when we re-opened, so I placed re-stock orders for bestsellers,” Jones said. “This was a hard decision to make considering I didn't know when or if I'd be able to open again.”
Despite the hurdles, Jones says that online sales have increased dramatically while people have been isolating at home, and continue to remain high even while the stores have both reopened. Her physical stores are seeing an uptick in sales as well.
“The average sale is higher (no doubt due in part to the stimulus checks a lot of people received) and sales revenue is above that of the same period last year,” Jones said.
In Texas, Adam & Eve Dallas storeowner Shonda Cleveland says her store had to shut down for a month; plus the pandemic prevented the opening of her new Adam & Eve location in Haltom City, Texas. Originally slated to open in March, the store is now set to open on June 5.
“We lost an entire month of in-store sales, but thankfully we still had some sales through our website,” Cleveland said. “We definitely had to get creative to drive people to the website versus the store.”
In Hawaii, Sensually Yours had to close its doors from March 24 through May 15 — which crushed the company’s sales, Sensually Yours General Manager Zondre Watson said.
“We were able to push a lot of sales online, but nowhere near what we did before,” he said. “Luckily, we had already set up in-store pickup several months ago, so we just changed that to curbside pickup. And, we’ve been working with a digital marketing company to build our online sales.”
As an upside to having to shut down, Watson said Sensually Yours’s local pickup option attracted new shoppers that have become repeat customers.
“I hope a lot of them decide to continue using it because it’s very convenient,” he said. “However, we’ve lost a lot of our tourists, which makes such an impact on Honolulu. You can definitely tell the difference in the feel of the island. And, we’ve lost those adventurous vacation customers.”
With layoffs rippling across the adult retail industry and an uncertainty about whether the U.S. federal government would provide disaster relief to adult-related companies, some adult retailers did qualify for SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program — which allowed them to resume business, and pay their employees.
While their store was closed for in-store shopping, retail stores’ staff have stayed on duty revamping store interiors or delivering goods to local customers.
Nevertheless, as Starship CEO and President Kelly Rogers points out, government aid for businesses wasn’t immediately available.
“We had employees begging us to transfer them to a different store — because they could not be without work,” he said. “It was heartbreaking to have to furlough employees. A trickle-down effect occurred over the next two weeks — counties and cities began passing different ordinances, all of which passed late at night with little notice. Scheduling became an HR nightmare — reopening dates were constantly changing. Employees were going on various forms of leave, store hours were changing daily, and the state was struggling to get employer-filed unemployment set up. Our employees were scared — some of COVID, some of losing their jobs, some of not having jobs to come back to.”
Rogers applauds the dedication of his staff that have stuck by the company through the pandemic’s ups and downs.
“To ask people to work during a pandemic is really difficult and something we struggled with a lot,” he said. “We kept trying to juggle the health of our employees, the long-term survival of our company, and our employees’ financial wellbeing in an unstable economy. Any decision we could make felt like the wrong decision but our employees stuck with us and worked with us in many ways. I feel like when this is done those who have been around and will continue to be around are going to have a stronger bond and passion for this business.”
Columbus, Ohio’s The Garden has been hit especially hard during the pandemic. In addition to having to close its doors, the store has had to deal with vandalism and construction disrupting business.
The Garden’s owner, Lacey Thompson, says that on top of trying to save her business, as a mother she also suddenly had to divide her time between her family and business.
“I was feeling guilty that I was at home not being able to do much,” she said. “Then I stopped and took a breath and decided to start doing curbside pickup.”
That’s when The Garden’s staff stepped in, helping to keep the store running on a volunteer basis.
“Even still, we’re on a volunteer basis although our doors are now open to the public,” she said. “I want and need my staff to know that they are just as important to keep safe.”
Palm Desert, California-based boutique Skitzo Kitty Lingerie is still trying to recuperate from the effects of the pandemic.
“COVID-19 has been a real setback for Skitzo Kitty Lingerie,” owner Dave Goldman said. “We were closed for 10 weeks. Upon re-opening, business has been about 25 percent of normal volume. In order to maintain our exceptional staff, we kept everyone's benefits active and brought everyone back who wants to work.”
Skitzo Kitty Lingerie staff that are working in the store are wearing face coverings, using latex gloves, maintaining social distancing and sanitizing areas regularly. They are also selling hand sanitizer, branded facemasks and sanitary wipes. Nevertheless, if any team member feels uncomfortable about going to work for any reason, they are not required to come to work. “Skitzo Kitty Lingerie is still maintaining all benefits until they feel comfortable coming back to work and continuing,” Goldman said. “But, business is really slow.”
Goldman says that COVID-19 has changed the Skitzo Kitty experience for the long run, and the experience has inspired him to beef up the store’s online presence, and modify the in-store experience to further engage the staff with customers while maintaining proper distance and sanitary practices.
“The advantage here will be more opportunity to increase sales by providing greater information exchanges and more individual attention,” he said.
Love Shack of Lake Charles in Louisiana quickly set up a website to serve customers while its physical location scrambled to set up a pickup service.
“We created a website in about two days and put our top-selling items on there first to start and then have continued to gradually add items to it,” Love Shack of Lake Charles’s Breanna LeFevre said. “A lot of customers — I believe especially millennials, which are a large part of our customer base — will continue to use this curbside option even after this pandemic ends, so we are really trying to get a head start on this new way of business. We have always looked to give our customers a great experience shopping with us, including keeping our store clean, well lit, and full of information — but now we are also adding the convenience factor as well.”
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Self Serve Toys has had to shut its doors not only to its store but also its event space that usually provides an LGBTQ+-affirming and sex-positive setting for the local community. The company’s closure has led to employees being laid off or having their hours reduced, but while the company can’t host in-person classes or events at the moment, Self Serve Toys has found an alternative.
“We've been able to move all our event offerings to live or recorded virtual content,” said Hunter Riley, the director of education and outreach at Self Serve Toys. “Before the pandemic, we were moving in that direction with a few of our classes, but this gave us the opportunity to throw more effort into it, because it was our only income stream for over a month. We have lots of friends and fans of Self Serve who don't live in New Mexico, and wanted to take our classes, and now they can.”
Keeping It Social
Social media and video conferencing platforms have made it possible for people to keep in touch with their friends and loved ones, as well as the stores that they love to frequent.
“The biggest thing we have found to be beneficial in staying relevant to our customers throughout this pandemic is social media,” LeFevre said. “When we look at our traffic on our site most of that traffic comes from our Facebook page.”
To keep its social media profile active, LeFevre says that Love Shack of Lake Charles posts at least three times at week about new products, specials and funny images to engage customers.
“Unfortunately, due to the nature of our business we are not allowed to advertise on Facebook like any other business would,” LeFevre said. “We sometimes can get around this by doing a sponsored post of lingerie or a very mild product. Other than that, we have done giveaways which helps attract new followers and ultimately new customers. During this stay-at-home time, people have been on their phones and social media even more, so we were using this to our advantage and engaging as much as possible.”
As Hustler Hollywood’s nationwide retail location grappled with stay-at-home orders, the legendary brand continued to serve its customers via its website, along with newsletters inviting shoppers to take advantage of promos and other online content.
“We’ve found new ways to connect with and provide education to our customers,” said Philip Del Rio, VP of retail for Hustler Hollywood. On May 13, the company held its first virtual workshop.
“We partnered with WOW Tech brands to talk about sex and masturbation during COVID-19 — what’s new and what’s tried and true,” he said. “We are very excited to give this a go and think our attendees will learn and have fun as they always do at our events.”
Hosting virtual events also has become more common with adult retailers. Lion’s Den’s Chris G. said that the stores’ “Ladies Nights” events that are typically held in the spring have been moved online.
“Participants from across the country gathered virtually to laugh, learn and win prizes,” he said.
Self Serve Toys is extending its reach beyond New Mexico with free and low-cost events that engage customers from their homes with sex-positive education and conversation. The events range from “non-monogamy meet-and-greets” to “Sex Church: a Sex-Ed Ask Me Anything Brunch with Dirty Lola.”
“These have been a way for people to socialize with other sex-positive folks and get ideas on how to stay connected and stay safe,” Riley said. “We're still posting regularly on our social media accounts and have loved to see how busy people are on social media right now.”
Home party company Intimate Tickles, which has more than 150 consultants, decided to go virtual with its parties — which has proven to be wildly successful.
“Incredibly, we have seen higher revenue in March/April 2020 than in 2019 — a spike of 25 percent,” Intimate Tickles CEO Virginia White-Brown said. “We speculate that this increase is due to the fact that our party guests can be anywhere in the U.S. and still attend a party — virtually. We have added a full virtual training curriculum to our training schedule, which includes Facebook Live, Zoom and Google Hangouts. We added a Virtual Party [option] to our corporate website, and supplied virtual party landing pages to our consultants. We see them grasping this situation by the horns and not just making the best of — but excelling in — this unusual situation.”
White-Brown says that Intimate Tickles consultants are delivering personalized, one-on-one support to customers via video chat on Facebook messenger, DUO and Houseparty, which are available as mobile apps.
“We have trained our consultants through this time to offer video-chatting to offer that feeling of privacy for asking questions about products, sexual education and just in general. Again, we can demonstrate products, answer questions, and do courtesy call follow-ups with anyone in U.S. (anywhere in the world if we needed to), and do so in a way that is almost like physically being face-to-face.”
With a customer base that’s made mostly of international tourists, the Museum of Sex has focused on its staff during its period of closure.
“Our staff are a pillar of the museum and without them the museum would not exist,” Richardson said. “We must look out for them, so I managed to organize weekly trainings with a myriad of vendors, distributors and leaders in the industry to keep the retail staff engaged, knowledgeable and happy. Most trainings, staff have received some type of incentive or goodie from the host and it really boosts morale.
“I am eternally grateful for all of the vendors and companies who are supporting myself and staff during this time,” she added. “Along with trainings, staff have been given resources to expand their skillset such as Blush U, Williams Trading U, and much more. I need to make sure that when the museum does open, we have staff that is prepared, comfortable and ready to kick some ass. To be creating a thriving positive team is a priority, especially during this period of ambiguity.”
As brick-and-mortar retailers tend to place their focus on the in-store experience of their stores, some stores weren’t prepared to shift online.
“The unique challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic sort of caught us with our pants down in the virtual world — and not in a good way,” said Wil Tietsort of the 30-year-old Fantasy adult boutique chain, which has locations in Missoula, Mont. and Portland, Ore. “Our operations manager had to make tough decisions about whether to invest financially in making changes to how we do business, to support paying staff through the 'stay-at-home' order, or to close everything down, conserve cash flow, and wait for the storm to blow over. We decided to hunker down, wait it out, and trust our customers to return when it's safer to do so.”
Tietsort said that thanks to a great relationship with another Oregon adult retail business, As You Like It, which has stores in Eugene and Ashland, he decided to direct customers to his fellow retailer.
“Knowing the struggles we all face, and that Kim Marks was already set up for online orders, for example, we did add a post to our website, redirecting anyone who visited us online to support ‘another friendly and inclusive Oregon-based adult shop,’" Tietsort said. “I've personally kept in touch with Kim through the stay-at-home order, and sharing information and strategies with another business owner — even if the end results differ — builds camaraderie and has helped us both keep our sanity.”
A New World of Safety Protocols
Social-distancing measures are changing the adult retail experience with stores reopening their doors under strict guidelines requiring masks and gloves, constant sanitizing and maintaining their capacity at about 25 percent.
Adult retailers report taking all sorts of measures to keep their customers and staff safe, including providing protective gear, establishing hand-sanitizing stations throughout the store and taking temperatures. Commonly-touched areas like the cash register and door handles are getting disinfected by retail staff after each customer visit, and customers have the option of not entering the store at all with curbside service available from a variety of retailers.
Laura Lee Degruise, store manager of adult boutique Noty Kity, which has locations in Houma, Louisiana and Galena, Illinois, says that beyond offering hand sanitizer, the store is giving customers alcohol prep wipes as they exit, in case they have other stops to make. Additionally, Degruise says that the store is limiting guests inside the store to a maximum of two, and only allowing one person per vehicle.
“This should slow cross contamination,” Degruise said.
Signage reminding customers to practice social distancing is also becoming more standard in retail stores, as are floor markings that are six feet apart to direct customers to maintain their distance. Acrylic guards are being added to cash registers to protect staff and customers during payment transactions.
Adult retailers are also adopting safety measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
“We will be taking everyone’s temperature before their shift and when they come in the door, Watson said. “The staff has been instructed to disinfect anything right after it’s used, like keypads, pens and any toys. Face shields will be provided to the staff that they can use during customer interactions and at the register rather than trying to install plastic barriers. And finally, we will be limiting our hours a little to get an idea how our customers adjust to this new normal.”
Del Rio said that although Hustler Hollywood’s online business has long been established, the retailer is a brick-and-mortar store at heart.
“You just can’t beat the in-store experience that most of our customers want,” he said, adding that the company is following guidelines set forth by the CDC and local government, including social-distancing measures and requiring protective gear.
“Hustler Hollywood also will make curbside service available at all of its locations once they open,” Del Rio said.
Jones says that with her Adam & Eve stores in Texas and Oklahoma subjected to different mandatory guidelines, she opted to adopt the most stringent of both states.
“The safety of my employees and customers is my biggest priority and I am not cutting any corners in this respect,” she said.
Along with implementing many of the aforementioned safety measures for social distancing, Jones says that before their shifts, employees must complete a health-screening questionnaire from the CDC that is posted in their store offices.
“If they answer 'yes' to any of the questions, we send them home immediately and seek further advice,” she said.
Hattiesburg, Mississippi-based retailer Pepper’s Parties, Too! is keeping customers safe by providing free masks and gloves, while limiting shoppers to five people at a time.
“Most do not mind waiting if they have to,” said James M. Hubbard of Pepper’s Parties, Too!, adding that when it comes to the store’s cleanliness, their mantra is: “Disinfectant to the max!”
In other parts of the globe, adult retailers are also embracing best practices for COVID-19 safety. Passage du Desir, a boutique retailer in Paris, is requiring every customer that enters its doors to wash their hands upon entering the store — and then again if they wish to enter the store’s sex toy section.
“We have testers but people cannot touch without assistance,” Passage du Desir’s Patrick Pruvot said, noting that although internet shopping may be more convenient, “Buying a sex toy is also an impulse buy so the internet will never satisfy all potential customers.”
Although Lover’s Boutique in Key Largo never closed amid the pandemic, owner Benowitz said that the store implemented suggested safety measures, including wearing facemasks and gloves.
“To date, we have had to ask only one customer to leave the store because of his refusal to wear a mask,” Benowitz said. “We really don’t think that the shopping experience or our store operating procedures will change. It appears that our customers are more aware of the health issues and they act accordingly.”
Some retailers have yet to open due to local regulations, as well as out of concern for the safety of staff and customers.
“A very important subject that has been at the forefront of the re-opening conversation — we’d like to think that in the past [the Museum of Sex] kept a safe store for all those that visited, but now those past measures will be greatly increased,” Richardson said. “From contactless admission to hand-sanitizing stations and disposable facemasks, and much more, we will be making the necessary updates. These are all preliminary conversations, however, as we still do not have a date for re-open, but I can ensure that once we do, it will be a safe space in all aspects of that term.”
According to Hunter Riley, Self Serve Toys is taking time to make decisions about its reopening and how to move forward intentionally and with the well-being of its employees, customers and community in mind.
She said that although New Mexico’s current order does allow the store to operate at a reduced occupancy (25 percent) and with enhanced safety and cleaning procedures, Self Serve has decided to keep its storefront closed for the time being.
“We are prioritizing the needs of our employees and customers by encouraging them to stay home,” she said. “We recognize that there is great privilege in this choice and it is not one that every business can make. Our lives, and the lives of our coworkers and customers are not something we're willing to risk for the security an increase in sales will offer our bottom line. We are examining and re-examining our next steps in our weekly virtual meetings, and will continue to make our decisions with intention and compassion.”
The Future of Testers
Often viewed as fundamental to sales — particularly when it comes to intimate items — testers can seal the deal by allowing customers to see and feel the quality and features of the products first-hand. With hygiene at the forefront of everyone’s minds, these frequently-touched fixtures in retail stores are now a cause of concern for storeowners.
“We pulled all our testers, including lube testers when this first started, and we do not plan on putting them back out,” said James Gruender, manager of Passions Adult Boutique in Columbia, Missouri. “We will keep them behind the counter and only show them if people ask for them. We discourage people from trying on lingerie; we ask customers to put batteries in their toys to test them themselves instead of the employees.”
Gruender says that because testing out items in-store isn’t being encouraged, Passions Adult Boutique has relaxed its return policy to allow customers to still make well-informed shopping decisions.
“We still allow our employees to go on the sales floor to help people but we ask them to stay six feet away as much as they can,” he said. “It results in a less personal touch, but we have to balance our employees’ health and customer service.”
Although Personal Preference adult shop in Fort Mohave, Arizona is discontinuing its in-store testers and adhering to a more stringent cleaning schedule, the store’s Thomas Raffman says that the biggest difference to the shopping experience will be the limited amount of guests allowed in at a time.
“We will still be available to help our customers in any way we can to make their shopping experience the best we can in these hard times,” he said.
Hubbard worries about the challenge that discontinuing product testers creates for retailers, noting that customers are most inclined to enter into an adult boutique “to talk, touch, feel, smell and taste.”
“We can certainly provide the talk,” he said. “The sensory experience has changed for the foreseeable future. We are going to get it figured out, but it looks like personal samples may be a key alternative — kind of like the old ‘swatches’ for construction material.”
Within two weeks of Louisiana’s Crave Boutique and its sister store Diggler’s Adult Superstore reopening their doors, owner Mike Menard says he sees that customers are being understanding about not being able to test products in the stores. Nevertheless, customers can test out the toys that they are purchasing.
“We test all toys going out the door because we don’t do returns,” he said. “We still plan to use testers in the store. We have provided nitrile gloves for doing so.”
The level of access to product testers might depend on the retailer, but they will definitely not be disappearing completely from the pleasure product shopping experience. However, the days of freely touching openly available samples seem to have come to an end.
“I keep my testers in the office, and if a customer would like to see one, I bring it out on an individual basis, sanitizing it before and after a customer touches it,” said Heidi Lowe Frix, owner of St. Petersburg, Florida-based boutique Frisky Business. “For now, we are not allowing anyone to try on clothing items and we are asking customers not to handle items they are not intending on buying. I also am no longer opening products [to allow] customers to touch the materials that they’re made from.”
Noty Kity’s Degruise predicts that customers will be more cautious about lingering inside of stores, perhaps driving some to shop online. She points out that toy testers might not be as unsafe as one might immediately think.
“They can be cleaned with toy cleaner very easily,” she said, “But I will not allow tasting of lubes and/or spraying body sprays.”
According to Corey Bayer, manager of the Love Shack boutique and smoke shop located in San Angelo, Texas, the limitations that are being imposed due to the pandemic are only making people want to shop more.
“We are not doing any drastic changes to our business,” he said. “We sanitize our toys; we wipe down our counters already, and we never have more than maybe eight people, including staff, in the building at any time. So, we are well within the social distancing guidelines based on the square footage of our property.”
At Giggles, Meyers says that not much has changed with the shopping experience that the store offers — although customers aren’t currently being allowed to try on clothing or wigs.
“Customers and staff still feel comfortable utilizing the testers we provide and we sanitize them after they've been handled,” Meyers said. “Most guests still accept our offer of placing batteries in toys to make sure they work, and we sanitize our hands before we do so.”
As an integral element of its customer service, Tietsort said that Fantasy would continue to offer product testers and allow access to its dressing rooms.
“But we will be more proactive for the comfort and safety of our customers — and we'll be following rigorous guidelines to keep testers, dressing rooms and garments clean and sanitized for our customers,” he said.
Adult stores that are used to having a lot of people in their stores are adjusting to limiting access to smaller numbers. The Museum of Sex, a tourist hotspot, has a capacity of over 300, but with new safety measures and social distancing, the business will have to monitor how many people enter the establishment — which Richardson says will allow for more engagement between staff and customer.
“In return, those more intimate conversations can be had about what the customer is truly looking for, questions they may have, and what could be best options for them,” she said. “With more time spent on a customer, there’s a stronger rapport built and more confidence in the purchase made.”
Richardson says she believes that the pandemic will change the shopping experience in many ways, and the handling of testers is just one of them.
“We are facing tremendous challenges and will be enforcing many new and enhanced protocols, but we will make sure these adjustments don’t sacrifice the experience or comfort of our customers,” she said. “We will ensure that customers get the experience they deserve in a safe way. I am curious to see, once we open, what products do well and which do not. I am sure that quarantine has changed people’s appetites quite a bit.”
Shoppers Return
As adult retailers adjust to their new normal, most retailers are emanating a sense of optimism — while still remaining cautious as the pandemic continues to threaten business.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect as far as return sales go, but on the first three days we were open, we experienced a substantial bump in sales,” Frix said. “People were definitely excited to be shopping again.”
Because Fairvilla was able to have two of its stores open while stay-at-home orders were in place, Peterson said that they saw firsthand how willing people were to shop.
“It helped that we carried so many essential items as well,” she said. “In the past week that all stores are now operational, there is no doubt that people are eager to shop in person — with proper precautions, of course. Our numbers are looking very promising.”
Adult retailers have nothing to worry about because, as Richardson puts it, “Sex never goes out of style and neither does shopping.”
It helps that the Museum of Sex offers added attractions such as its interactive museum, bar and workshops.
“We are a space for gathering, and as long as we conduct this gathering safely and with other necessary precautions, I have no doubt that the museum will return to its bustling glory,” she said.
Chris G. from Lion’s Den said that while retailers may need to adapt formerly highly-interactive customer service models, business will still be thriving, particularly after a period of isolation.
“We actually expect a surge when we reopen — people have been cooped up, and they're ready to get out and play,” he said. “Many of our customers shop with us because our staff are trained to educate and to create a comfortable, playful atmosphere — experiences that are difficult to find online.”
Honolulu-based Velvet Video has stepped up its safety protocols and is enforcing social distancing at its stores, and although owner Kimberly Aguon-Zehner says that she sees a lot of shoppers heading online, there is still a demand for shopping at a physical location.
“A lot of our customers are excited that we are reopening, to get their favorite products,” she added.
Citing reports of Hawaii’s unemployment rate reaching 37 percent and the absence of tourists on the island, Watson says that it might take a while for the economy to recover.
“We are getting a lot of calls every day asking if we are open,” he said. “So, I do think business will pick up. But our economy has been heavily impacted. I don’t think it will go back to what it was right away. I’m hoping over a few weeks people will be more comfortable. And, as more businesses reopen there will be more people with money, ready to shop. Grocery stores and Costco are pretty busy. So, hopefully people will be ready to prioritize sex toys over other necessities. But of course, we all need to be very cautious, so that we don’t have a worse outbreak.”
Although most people are ready to step out of self-isolation, with restrictions on public gatherings, cancelled events and economic insecurity, people will be selective about where they go and what they buy, predicts Tietsort.
“A crisis like this teaches you how to live with less,” he said, noting some of the adult-shop essentials that will fare well, pandemic or not. “I imagine we'll sell lube, pills and other key items (such as facemasks and app-controlled/webcam-compatible toys).”
Retailers can expect to see the familiar faces (albeit behind facemasks) of their frequent customers, Tietsort adds.
“People are craving social interaction, even if limited,” he said. “But I expect our business to be a fraction of what it was before the pandemic, especially for apparel and accessories. The nightlife, festivals and other events in the Portland area drove a large part of our business — and I expect summer of 2020 to be relatively quiet. Everyone will need to adjust their sales expectations for the year.”
Sandy Wall, COO of 11 stores in North Carolina and Virginia, including Sweet Dreams, Nite Dreams, Tender Moments and others, says that customers have taken to social media to express their desire to shop in stores.
“According to the feedback on social media our customers seem very eager to continue the in-store experience,” she said. “Our employees are like immediate family and our customers are like extended family — we welcome them like family. We pride ourselves on product education and sexual wellness and offer true personal feedback. Thanks to our successful curbside service the pandemic has had little effect on sales in some of our stores.”
Rogers says that once Starship opened up its doors, it was like the floodgates opened. With a limit of 10 people allowed into the stores at a time, customers waited in line for their chance to shop.
“We have tried to be crafty with these wait lines,” Rogers said. “One of our stores wanted to hire a part-time person for their busy hours. When the store is at capacity, they are greeted from a distance and the employee lets the customer know that they will be able to come get them when someone comes out. At other locations, an employee will come outside and try to take orders for people who already know what they want.
“We have had customers wait 30-40 minutes to get into our store, which definitely changes the experience because a lot of people usually get in and get out,” he said.
In addition to booming in-store sales, Rogers said that an increasing number of customers are heading to Starship’s online store.
“We have even seen more out-of-state website sales, so it will be interesting to see if this trend continues or if more people will return to stores once they feel safe,” he said.
The Garden reopened its doors under less-than-desirable circumstances with local construction blocking access to the store and its parking lot. Nevertheless, owner Thompson called their first day back in the store “stellar.”
“I think a lot of people realized how important our business is for their mental health during all of this,” she said. “The phone would ring off the hook before we were open — even before we started doing curbside pickup, which we will continue for the time being. I had so many people reach out via social media to my personal page, as well as the business pages. I love this city and the surrounding areas. They have shown their support. It has helped me so much to pull through all of this and come back bigger and better than ever before.”
According to Menard, Crave Boutique and Diggler’s Adult Store are inviting customers to “Turn Your Stimulus into Stimuli Here!” with signage outside of his stores.
“I believe that is just what our customers are doing,” he said. “They missed us and we missed them. Daily receipts are actually up from pre-COVID on reduced hours.”
Adult Source in Calgary, Alberta, saw a similar surge in business when it opened its doors.
“We are already seeing the excitement, and have been absolutely swamped since we opened our doors,” Adult Source General Manager Sarah Franson said. “We’re happy to have everyone back. Curbside pickup is a lot more work than you might think!”
Franson said that she doesn’t expect the store’s shopping experience to change.
“We’ve always been a very clean group of stores, and we plan to continue with our sanitizing efforts,” she said. “We will continue to offer product testers, but will increase our sanitization of each product.”
The pandemic has reignited the battle between brick-and-mortar and Amazon. As more homebound consumers turn to the ecommerce giant to shop, retailers are turning to manufacturers’ support to stay competitive.
“When customers come in-store, we notice people looking at their phones while shopping and researching reviews and prices,” LeFevre said. “When you offer a service like curbside, you are giving your local customers the information on the product, pictures and prices, before they even step into your store. This lets them then look to other sites, like Amazon for instance, and compare prices and ultimately realize they can get this product faster through your store pickup as opposed to waiting on shipping. This method works if you have comparable prices to online sites.”
LeFevre says that although price margins have changed, Love Shack has managed to adapt, and the key to its success has been to utilize the resources that are offered by manufacturers.
“Throughout this process I have found certain manufacturers to be a huge help in building our site and it being successful,” she said. “CalExotics is a our top-selling brand in-store and when building the site, their resource site has helped us get all the information out there for our customers, in addition to pictures and videos. Like I stated earlier, today’s customer is all about the research. For us to be able to give them all the information they need — down to sizes, materials and key points — with just a few clicks on a website is amazing.”
While there’s no telling when or if the adult retail experience will go back to what it was — an invitation to unabashedly interact with pleasure products — adult retailers are striving to retain their allure. While change is inevitable, retailers are embracing the ups and downs that the pandemic has brought on. No matter how sterile adult stores are becoming due to the pandemic, they will always be a destination for consumers to explore their “dirty” desires.
