ASB Magazine

There’s two times during the year that mean the most to adult stores. The Holiday Season and the time around Valentine’s Day.

by DAVID OBLAS

The difference is that the time around the Holiday Season is a shopping spree that begins the day after Thanksgiving and lasts until Christmas Eve, a full month’s worth.
Shopping for Valentine’s Day usually impacts adult stores almost as much as Holiday Shopping, but is more cramped into about a week or less of shopping (us men call this "procrastination").
We’ve surveyed some adult stores throughout the country to find out what the Valentine’s Day shopping spree means to their store and how they deal with it.

Dawson Video Outlet
Dawsonville, GA
Steve Lehner - Owner

It’s probably the biggest time of the year for us besides Christmas. We pretty much do a two week build up to Valentine’s Day, and usually even past Valentine’s Day as well. Lingerie, massage oils, and all toys. We try to put the stuff that Sportsheets and Kama Sutra sells out for gift baskets. A lot of Sportsheets stuff does well during Valentine’s Day.

Video Town
Narengo, IL
Woody Woodruff

DVD sales go up. Not everything, but DVD sales do go up. I think guys bring home a box of chocolate, jewelry, and try to slip in an adult film. We stock up on story-driven movies, but that’s about it.

Pretty Girls Adult Video
Great Falls, MT
Gary Napsted

It’s good for us. It’s not as good as Mother’s Day, but it’s as good as Christmas. Toys usually sell the best on Valentine’s Day. I get a lot of women in my store, more than other stores. Valentine’s Day business will last for a week; it will be a good week for me.

Private Lives
Woodland, WA
Ruth Johnston - Owner

Two weeks before Valentine’s Day are really busy. Everything sells more around Valentine’s Day, but lingerie, toys, and lube sell the most. The amount of men and women that come in to the store around Valentine’s Day is about equal.

Private Pleasures
Elk Mound, WI
Amy - Manager

We stock up on a small order of Valentine’s Day stuff. It’s fifty percent busier than any other time of the year, but lingerie sells the most. I get a lot of couples in the store during that time.

Purple Ringer
Pinellas Park, FL
Jason - Manager

Sales don’t really increase. It’s a smoke shop.

Quail Roast Adult Video
Miami, FL
Debbie

The DVD sales at this store don’t increase, but the lingerie does a lot. We stock up on toys, lubes, massage oils, and Valentine’s Day novelties. It gets busy one week out with last minute shoppers.

Quonset Hut
Canton, OH
Rev - Manager

We sell more couple friendly toys, lotions, and Valentine’s Day stuff around that time. Sales start to increase a week before Valentine’s Day. Mostly men come in the store so they don’t end up in the doghouse. We stock up on couples items before Valentine’s Day.

Rail Road Video
Durham, NC
John - Manager

We stock up just a little bit. The entire month sales increase about forty percent. We sell the most of toys, lingerie, flavored lubes, and sex games. Mostly couples come in around that time.

Ray’s Over 21
Kansas City, MO
Nicole - Assistant Manager

We stock up for Christmas and Valentine’s Day. The store gets about forty percent busier the week before Valentine’s Day. Mostly men come in to the store, maybe three females a week. Toys, lubes, flavored lubes, and single packet lubes sell the most around Valentine’s Day.

Rocky Mountain Video
Colorado Springs, CO
Andy - Manager

It’s the biggest time of the year. We stock up on and sell the most of couples gifts, lingerie, oils, lubes, some toys, and couples movies. The store gets fully stocked for couples one week before Valentine’s Day when the rush begins. There are more males buying for their ladies around this time.

Romantic Depot
Elmsford, NY
Shep Ozeroff

We stock up on top products and new products. Massage oils, lingerie, and board games sell the most around Valentine’s Day. It starts to get busy around a week in a half before Valentine’s Day. Sales increase close to forty percent.

Secret Desires
Sunrise, FL
Stacey - Owner

I stock up on lingerie, games, toys, and romantic type stuff. It’s not that much of an increase in sales at our store. It’s only about a twenty-five to thirty percent increase in sales. Within a week or sooner it gets busier at our store.

Sensual Sinsations
Pellston, MI
Arnold

We stock up on sexy candy, panties made out of candy, and red lingerie. Our biggest seller is lingerie. Within a week to the day before Valentine’s Day we get busier. We get mostly men buying sexy panties and lingerie.

Showgirl Video
Las Vegas, NV
Jim

There is no big sales increase at my store. We stock up on a little bit of everything two weeks before Valentine’s Day. There is around a twenty-five percent increase in sales. We get more males buying for their wives and girlfriends around that time.