Over 50? Your sex toy store experiences

Joan at Smitten Kitten Minneapolis

6/30/17 update: So many folks in our age group have never shopped in a sex toy shop, or think they’re all dark, scary, and sticky-floored. I describe today’s progressive sex toy store, demystify the experience of shopping there, and encourage you to find the closest store and visit in “How to Shop for Sex Toys” for Senior Planet. I quoted several of you! I hope you’ll comment there and copy your comment here, too. Thanks for being part of our community.

original post 6/10/17:

How old were you when you first visited a sex toy store? If your first visit was after age 50, what was that like for you? How did the staff make you feel comfortable (or not)? Was it difficult for you to ask questions? I invite you to share by posting a comment.

Good Vibrations San Francisco

Many of my events are in sex toy stores. At 73, I’m comfortable in stores whose walls are populated by shelves of vibrators and dildos. I love to visit to see what’s new. I pal around with staff members, delighting in the kinds of discussions that sex nerds enjoy.

Yet I frequently hear from people of my generation that they don’t feel comfortable even going into a sex toy shop, let alone asking intimate questions of strangers who look to be the age of their grandchildren. I know what terrific resources these stores are, staffed by trained sex educators and filled with sex toys (aka “orgasm tools,” as I sometimes call them) that can intensify your sexual pleasure in ways you thought had disappeared or at least decreased after a certain number of birthdays.

Pleasure Chest NYC

I’d love for this post to become a discussion. Whether you love sex toy shops or you’ve never dared go in one, or anything in between, please share your experiences and views as comments on this post.* You don’t have to use your real name (choose something other than “anonymous,” please, just so we can keep track of who’s saying what), but please give your real age.

I might want to quote from your experience in an upcoming article. I won’t identify you, except by age, unless you want me to. Thank you!

* Please, though, don’t post a comment aimed at promoting your own business. If you want to advertise on this blog (a very good idea if you want to reach our age group, but only after I scrutinize your site, the quality of your products, and your customer service), email me to inquire. Any commercial promotions disguised as comments will be swiftly deleted.