Then there is also the need to strive for a careful balance between being a confidante and a stranger, said an adult shop assistant. To get to the counter, one has to walk past a wall lined with products shaped after the intimate parts of popular Japanese porn stars.
The manager of the shop, Lincoln, is an industry veteran with 17 years of experience under his belt. And then there are couples who approach the shops when trying for a baby. One of his particularly memorable experiences was of a middle-aged couple who strove very hard for children. Taboo within a taboo industry. Customers entrust him with problems that go even beyond sex. If he met customers on the streets, he would smile but not greet them, said Francis.
Grace Lee, a year-old who works at Asia Exotic Novelties, a subsidiary of House of Condoms located along Orchard Road, shares the same peeve but said she would just tell customers to use their hands. Other times, customers think the staff are fair game just because of the nature of the industry.
Francis said that he hates it when customers casually pop into the store and ask for date rape drugs or sex enhancers. But being in the industry, it is common for people to ask for these products. Another customer had returned to the store to ask him why there was a hole in the crotchless underwear he had purchased.
Lincoln said that he gets unusual requests from customers to organise themed parties, such as dungeon getups. The workers also get their fair share of pranks. Francis had a prank call where the caller requested a inch toy, while Lincoln recalled when someone threw a used condom into their Geylang branch β on two separate occasions.
