Ladies, ladies, not all at once.
I picked on the boys a few days ago. Now it is time for the ladies to step onto the microscope stage, for as much as men patronize this establishment, women are not rare either.
The single woman in an adult store is actually pretty rare. Whether the store has a disreputable mein to it, some stigma associated with venturing in alone, or the purest whimsy of fortunes, one does not often find an unescorted woman in the store. Sadly, this provides me with less robust sample size to extrapolate my data from. I pray you will be forgiving of the higher degree of error in regards to this first data set.
A woman entering the store by herself has an agenda, a specific errend to tick off her "to-do" list. She will take a moment to gain her bearings if she hasn't been in the store before. If she doesn't see what she is looking for, she will immediately approach the counter and inquire about what she is looking for. Very rarely will this be a general question. Most often she will know make, model, color, batch #, and next of kin for every worker who was on the assembly line, etc. In short, she has a specific item in mind, she is not looking to shop around. If we carried clothing and/or shoes that would change, but at present, no. As such, she will exhibit confidence in regards to that purchase. In some cases, she may be a little anxious about the clerk's reaction. In some cases, she will be wary of other customers in the store. Almost without exception, she will be in and out the door in a handful of minutes.
A woman that comes in with a companion is the usual case by a huge margin.
A woman in the company of man seems to fall into either an active role or supporting role. In the event that they are acting in concert, she will be quite relaxed and engaged. They may even start to form plans for their next visit and what products would combine best for them. They are often a pleasure to help because she will not be trying to edit her questions. She will be open to input, suggestions, and if appropriate lower cost substitutions.
If by chance, she is in an active role, it usually means that the man with her is there to carry things and/or provide the wallet. She will be aggressive in demeanor. She is looking for things that appeal to her and her companion's opinion is not required or requested. It may be part of a relationship dynamic, however I have noted a correlation between the degree of autocratic dictitorial behavior and passive-aggressive response from the companion. This suggests to me that she is either horribly inept in the dominant role of a bdsm variety relationship or she has insecurities she is determined to mask. Overhearing some of the by-play in these cases, I am more prone to think the latter as it seems quite common to discover her venting some private aspect of her relationship in a public setting.
Then there is the subordinate role. In this setting, it means the woman is closed off. She may be meekly following the male about attempting to stay out of his way and fending off his attempts to shock, perhaps degrade her. She may be radiating disgust, boredom, disapproval, or pity. Her body language will be stiff. Her words will be chosen with care to either convey as much subtext as possible in the shortest volume of words or to betray nothing of her inner thoughts.
A woman who hits the store with another woman also tends to fall into three general catagories. As with the boy-girl pairing, if they are shopping in concert, they are great. Everything I said before regarding the previous teamwork applies.
Or she can take the "ringleader" role. She has to show her companion the coolest, niftiest, or most intense product. She has been trying to sell her friend on this item even before they hit the door and will waste no time in trying to enlist the clerk as an ally in making sure her friend leaves with "something good." She is vivacious, personable, and enthusiastic. The variant is what I think of as "bounty hunter." She has an idea of what she wants, but for one reason or another needs a confederate on her side. She wants a second opinion or hates the idea of being the only one to buy something.
Or perhaps she is in the "wingman" position. This woman is there to watch her companion's back. To offer support. She will follow the other woman's lead but will on occasion make suggestions or point out something that may be of interest. If her friend selects something that needs additional parts like batteries or lubricant, if the clerk doesn't inquire, she will. In many cases, they will find something to buy just to make it more of a shared trip.
(On a slight aside, there can on occasion be moments when a lesbian couple will decide to work through some relationship issue as they shop. No idea why it is that other flavors of relationships seem to do this less often. As much as communication is important in a relationship, it does tend to have an overall negative effect in a public venue such as my store. Please don't.)
If three or more people enter the store, odds are excellent that the women involved will fall into behavior eerily reminiscent of large groups of men. They will giggle. They will critique the actresses in the movies. They will measure up the toys. Any male in the group will either be egged on in acting in a "fratboy" manner or looked upon as unenlightened.
Your mileage may vary.
The single woman in an adult store is actually pretty rare. Whether the store has a disreputable mein to it, some stigma associated with venturing in alone, or the purest whimsy of fortunes, one does not often find an unescorted woman in the store. Sadly, this provides me with less robust sample size to extrapolate my data from. I pray you will be forgiving of the higher degree of error in regards to this first data set.
A woman entering the store by herself has an agenda, a specific errend to tick off her "to-do" list. She will take a moment to gain her bearings if she hasn't been in the store before. If she doesn't see what she is looking for, she will immediately approach the counter and inquire about what she is looking for. Very rarely will this be a general question. Most often she will know make, model, color, batch #, and next of kin for every worker who was on the assembly line, etc. In short, she has a specific item in mind, she is not looking to shop around. If we carried clothing and/or shoes that would change, but at present, no. As such, she will exhibit confidence in regards to that purchase. In some cases, she may be a little anxious about the clerk's reaction. In some cases, she will be wary of other customers in the store. Almost without exception, she will be in and out the door in a handful of minutes.
A woman that comes in with a companion is the usual case by a huge margin.
A woman in the company of man seems to fall into either an active role or supporting role. In the event that they are acting in concert, she will be quite relaxed and engaged. They may even start to form plans for their next visit and what products would combine best for them. They are often a pleasure to help because she will not be trying to edit her questions. She will be open to input, suggestions, and if appropriate lower cost substitutions.
If by chance, she is in an active role, it usually means that the man with her is there to carry things and/or provide the wallet. She will be aggressive in demeanor. She is looking for things that appeal to her and her companion's opinion is not required or requested. It may be part of a relationship dynamic, however I have noted a correlation between the degree of autocratic dictitorial behavior and passive-aggressive response from the companion. This suggests to me that she is either horribly inept in the dominant role of a bdsm variety relationship or she has insecurities she is determined to mask. Overhearing some of the by-play in these cases, I am more prone to think the latter as it seems quite common to discover her venting some private aspect of her relationship in a public setting.
Then there is the subordinate role. In this setting, it means the woman is closed off. She may be meekly following the male about attempting to stay out of his way and fending off his attempts to shock, perhaps degrade her. She may be radiating disgust, boredom, disapproval, or pity. Her body language will be stiff. Her words will be chosen with care to either convey as much subtext as possible in the shortest volume of words or to betray nothing of her inner thoughts.
A woman who hits the store with another woman also tends to fall into three general catagories. As with the boy-girl pairing, if they are shopping in concert, they are great. Everything I said before regarding the previous teamwork applies.
Or she can take the "ringleader" role. She has to show her companion the coolest, niftiest, or most intense product. She has been trying to sell her friend on this item even before they hit the door and will waste no time in trying to enlist the clerk as an ally in making sure her friend leaves with "something good." She is vivacious, personable, and enthusiastic. The variant is what I think of as "bounty hunter." She has an idea of what she wants, but for one reason or another needs a confederate on her side. She wants a second opinion or hates the idea of being the only one to buy something.
Or perhaps she is in the "wingman" position. This woman is there to watch her companion's back. To offer support. She will follow the other woman's lead but will on occasion make suggestions or point out something that may be of interest. If her friend selects something that needs additional parts like batteries or lubricant, if the clerk doesn't inquire, she will. In many cases, they will find something to buy just to make it more of a shared trip.
(On a slight aside, there can on occasion be moments when a lesbian couple will decide to work through some relationship issue as they shop. No idea why it is that other flavors of relationships seem to do this less often. As much as communication is important in a relationship, it does tend to have an overall negative effect in a public venue such as my store. Please don't.)
If three or more people enter the store, odds are excellent that the women involved will fall into behavior eerily reminiscent of large groups of men. They will giggle. They will critique the actresses in the movies. They will measure up the toys. Any male in the group will either be egged on in acting in a "fratboy" manner or looked upon as unenlightened.
Your mileage may vary.
posted by Lanius at 7:42 PM
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