An Introvert Works at an Adult Shop

After learning about my occupation as a sales associate at an adult shop, family and friends would generally ask me, "Why there?", which was odd; being that I'd never been asked that after informing someone about my traditional nine to five jobs. "Why not?" I'd answer in my head. Instead, I'd answer with, "You know, something different."

Prior to working at an adult store, I was working a mundane work-from-home job as a Hotel Support Coordinator. Although I wouldn't be asked why I was doing this job, many would wonder what a "Hotel Support Coordinator" was. It was basically a customer service and administration job combined, assisting hotel patrons that booked stays through our websites. We'd receive about 50 calls a day from angry hotel guests ranting about how terrible their hotel stays were, most of them demanding their non-refundable fees to be refunded. Oh, it was fun--I was being sarcastic if you didn't catch my drift. I worked for this company for a little over 2 years and grew bored and irritated over time.

I had just moved to Georgia from Florida and met my friend Camm who was also new to the area. He told me about a store that he initially thought was a thrift store. One day he told me to come with him to check it out. We walked in and boom! -- a decent size store filled with lots of fun products--an ADULT store. The "We're Hiring!" sign near their register piqued my interest, especially given the circumstances with my job at the time. Working at an adult shop should be interesting and exciting, I thought. Plus, I'd been in the house for about a year due to COVID. This would give me a chance to gain some stimulation.

I knew I'd be taking a serious pay cut moving from my Coordinator job to the Sales Associate position, however, I couldn't stand the agony of waking up "going" to a job I grew to hate any longer. I could no longer stomach the monotony of waking up, turning my computer and phone system on and throwing away 9 hours of my days, sitting at a desk being yelled at about terrible hotel stays. It was draining and exhausting. Nothing was without risk, I counseled myself. It was time for something different and out there that would keep me on my toes. I submitted my application and received an offer within the week.

Keeping me on my toes is exactly what this job did. I met people of all types of personalities with many different erotic interests. From the outgoing and boisterous about the ins and outs of their bedroom to the ones who were quieter about their affairs. Some customers probably only wore their masks in the store to conceal their identity and guilt of delving into the "dark world" of erotica. There were customers who had no issues dishing out the details of their tantalizing sex lives while others kept is short, sweet, and the point of making their purchases although the products they bought spoke for itself.

I was not only able to educate my customers on how products would enhance their love lives, but my customers also educated me. I learned that products had "nicknames" or names other than their given ones-- such as "tails" being whips. I remember a customer waltzing into the store excitedly inquiring about where we kept our "tails". "Right up here!" I replied enthusiastically, happy that I actually knew where a product was located without having to ask one of my co-workers. I was still new at this time and had a hard time remembering where things in our store was located. At the front of the store was a glass-covered display holding butt plugs with the animal tails attached to them. The plugs came in small, medium, and larges with a variety of tail types--racoons, deer, foxes, you name it. "Not those," she replied. "THESE!" I followed her to the back of the store where she picked up a whip, slashing it through the air emphatically. I remember thinking, "Well I just learned something new today."

While the job offered some exhilaration, it too soon became tiring. Working in this industry and with the public came with a price as an introvert... the overexertion of energy. Although this was an exciting and "out there" type of job that I yearned after working from home for over a year, I quickly realized how daunting and draining constant face-to-face interaction could be. What was more tiring was having to approach each customer asking them what they're looking for, what brought them in, how I could assist, ya know, having to ENGAGE with each individual. I can't express the gratitude I felt when I got customers who didn't care to indulge in conversation. "I feel you," I'd say to myself. I know you're probably thinking, "What did you expect? It was sales position!". My response is: You're absolutely right. I have no rebuttal to this sentiment *face-in-palm emoji*. I mean I did work a "Sales Associate" position at a grocery store years ago, my only responsibility being fixing up the aisles all day. I was kind of expecting the same thing here. I wanted to be that Sales Associate that didn't have to really sell anything, just ring people's purchases *shrug emoji*.

As my employment continued, I started to feel a pressure to exert an extroverted energy that I didn't naturally have. I was consistently being "coached" on how to probe a customer in conversation, unveiling how I could possibly make a sale even if the customer clearly didn't want to engage. I wanted to work in this industry while being able to be myself--interactive, but not pushy or constantly having to converse. You're probably wondering how it ended. Long story short, I ended getting "Craig'ed"--fired on my day off like Craig on the movie "Friday"--via e-mail for "performance", asking me to return my store keys as soon as possible. I was shocked yet relieved at the same time.

I've always been a creative individual that also has an interest in learning, writing, and speaking about the nature of sex or anything taboo. Taboo subjects were always my place of comfort while they'd make the average person uncomfortable. "Taboo and introversion?" you might ask yourself. Yes, it's clearly a thing. The beautiful thing about individuality is that we're multi-faceted with many layers to our character. What inspired me to start this blog? To be free to be my authentic, expressive self in my own unique way with a community who can relate. Us introverts can have large and creative inner worlds but a lot of times we are suppressing this nature.