As I said yesterday, on the recent trip back from NYC, Sexyhusband and I stopped at two sex shops-Penthouse and VIP. Since I reviewed Penthouse yesterday, today we'll compare that experience with the one at the VIP near New Haven.
We had to use the nav system in the car, as there was a sign for it on 91, but beyond (take this exit) we didn't see any sort of clear directions on the billboard. This may have been because I drive sliiiiiightly over the speed limit, but anyways.
The thing about VIP, as the General Manager of the chain said in AVN News, is that they're aiming to be the Wal-Mart of Sex shops. They succeed, more or less.
The nice thing about the VIP we went to is that it was on a main drag of shopping near an Arby's and other "normal" shops. Other than the Purple neon sign and the whited out windows (to keep those little innocent eyes innocent, one supposes), there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. I'm so used to sex shops being in the seedier parts of town or just being seedy, period, that it was a pleasant surprise to find two sex shops in "regular" areas in the same night.
What makes it Wal-Mart like is that it is a big box shop. Primarily it's rows and rows of big metal shelves full of the products. When you first walk into the shop it's videos on your left and novelty nonsense on your right. The videos take up the first quarter or so of the shop. The selection was decent, if not impressive. What Sexyhusband and I did like was the selection of sale DVD's, although it's worth noting that we didn't find anything we were interested in adding to our collection.
The magazines then run the rest of the way back to the far wall, where they wrap around to finish next to the shoes. The magazine section was standard, and sizable with a decent chunk of fetishes represented. The selection of shoes was decent, with a variety of colors and heights. Ellies were also present in abundance here (again, Diablo Cody's recommended brand). Between the videos, magazines, and shoes are the fetish toys, clothes, and acoutrements.
Across the way from the BDSM selections are the vibrators, dildoes, ass plugs, etc. The selection is ridiculously huge, and I thought most of the toys were only about 1-5$ more than I usually found them online or at stores I generally patronize. The selection is worth noting. I have never seen that large a selection of toys in my life, and I'm certainly no stranger to sex shops. Every possible girth, length, and shape was represented. The selection for the bullets alone took up two sections of a wall.
There is a sizable clothing selection. Unlike at Penthouse, the plus sized wear is grouped together and easy to find. They have the usual lingerie, a decent selection of costumes, and an assortment of corsets and other options. The smaller sizes, of course, have a much better variety, but that's sadly the norm. It's a personal pet peeve of mine that there isn't a better selection and variety of plus sized sex clothing, but that's a rant for another day.
There is also the usual assortment of glass dildoes. I was annoyed to see the section of knives, the incense, and the bongs. While some people choose to get high while having sex, and good for them, I worry about the conflation of the sex positive cultures and the drug positive cultures. They really should be two separate fights, kiddoes.
I purchased my first waterproof toy-a cute purple hard plastic vibe for around $10.
Overall thoughts...
The pros-This was also a very non-threatening environment, so I can see singles and couples comfortable here. The pricing was decently competitive, although again, the mainstream videos are way overpriced ($25-35+). The selection and grouping of the plus sized clothing was useful, even if I didn't find anything I felt like owning on that particular trip. The toy selection was outstanding.
The cons-Truth in advertising. It's a lot like Wal-Mart. It's big, feels like a warehouse, and isn't terribly attractive (although they claim the Manchester CT store is much prettier with marble floors, blah blah blah). The videos are, again, largely overpriced ($25-35+), and I didn't find the variety of selection as impressive as Penthouse. There aren't any bathrooms, which is annoying. I am also pretty sure I didn't see a fitting room, so that's a minus as well.*
I don't have any tips, as I did for the Penthouse store.
There are three VIP stores-Hartford, New Haven (ish), and Manchester. VIP is currently waging a legal battle with these prudes who do not want the fourth location to be Berlin, CT. As Berlin has some fairly old and comprehensive blue laws, the prudes will most likely win, sadly. I'm sure, though, that they will successfully expand elsewhere, should they lose.
*Update--I have received an email from VIP, letting me know that their stores do, in fact, have changing rooms.
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