I'm a Sex Salesman
Working at a Porn Shop
By Alex Gutierrez

Let's talk about sex baby. That's right ,I said it, its human nature and it's also my job. I work at a porno shop. Adult retail is mostly the sales of adult toys, movies and the viewing of arcades (which are not really arcades). Now working at a porno shop one would think you would be able to talk to beautiful freak in the sheetz type women, but from my experience, nope. The action you could get you really don't want. Having worked at the porn shop for a year, I can say that the last people you would guess are into porn frequent stores like ours, and that sex sells big in San Jose. There are all kinds of different people at porn shops. I've talked to people from all different backgrounds and places from across the world -- New York, Mississippi, Florida, even talk to people from Beijing, China. But there can also be the occasional crackheads, women who are not related to the store in anyway trying to conjure up adult business for themselves, or even the everyday drunks bugging customers for change as they walk in and out the door. But sometimes the costumers want more than just the merchandise. The offers are crazy. It doesn't have to be a Friday night for stuff to be crackin', anyday of the week, some customers may ask you what are you doing after work, would you like to go and have a few drinks or even give you a personal invite to their household. None of those offers are wise to take at any time. But you do have some cool customers, even if they're a small group. For those customers, sex isn't the only topic, often times its even more of serious intellectual conversation ranging from issues in the community or the government, or relationship issues they're having. But most of these conversations all end the same, with them talking about hiding porn from their woman.   The environment of the shop is kind of like a sit-com. One time a pastor I knew came into the store trying to stock up on some special DVDs. He saw me, got real nervous and bolted out of the store. And on another Saturday night a man walked in with dry chapped lips that had puss seeping through the skin. He pulled up a bag and placed it on the glass frame.   In the bag was some hamburger meat, pounds and pounds of hamburger meat. He then offered me two pounds of hamburger meat for three hours of time in the arcade booth. Then there are those guys who come in the store buying lingerie the say for “their girlfriends” but measure it to their own body, and ask if I could tailor it. Some customers that come in are actually just trying to practice safe sex, in that they have an STD, sometimes AIDS, and don't want to infect others. Actually, one of our coolest regular customers told me one day he was HIV positive. I remember thinking, he didn't look sick and always seemed to be in good health. I felt kind of weird at first, but then I thought, if I was cool with him before, there is no need to treat him differently now.   To this day he is still my best customer.   One of the main topics all adult novelty stores should be concerned with is security. Police often times do not respond if we call because of the industry we work for. Last month,   I had to fight off a crackhead who was harassing the employers. He tried coming after me, even hit with a newspaper stand. I retaliated for my own defense and whipped his ass. But still the point is we had called the police earlier and they failed to respond. Employees from the shop are not what the police think, females are not super-freaks and guys are not pervert s. We are just people who got bills to pay and families to feed. The porn shop is a good business and means of employment, and working here doesn't make us any different, or it wont put us below anyone else. The porn shop is a job and the main topic for sales might be sex, but sex sells, and as long as it does,   I always have a job.