The title of this post is about Amazon's success being based on sex toys … but before I address that, I want to talk about some background semi-related issues.
There has always been a strong factor in the growth of technology that has been based on or fueled by the Adult Industry. Those outside the industry might try to argue the point, but the facts still tell the story.
Although porn may not have been the only reason vhs triumphed over betamax, the overall logistics make sense. Sony wouldn't let anyone else make machines to play/record betamax tapes, while vhs machines were like todays "open source" licensing model.
VHS tapes also ran longer (3 hours vs. Beta 60 minutes). Because anyone could produce VHS machines and VHS tapes, prices continued to decrease, pushing more and more into the VHS market.
Lower prices meant porn producers could cheaply and easily distribute their product to the new masses that were VHS equipped. Lower prices meant MORE porn titles available, and lower COSTS meant there was a LARGER market to sell to. We were renting porn for $5-10 per tape per night! Just ask anyone who owned an adult video store — porn rentals in VHS were flying out the door every night.
My dad had a Sony Betamax machine, because it was expensive and of "the highest quality". He didn't care about porn (his loss) — he only cared about the bragging rights to owning a BetaMax machine. And just like his Philips LaserDisc machine, it sat idle most of the time until he stumbled on something he wanted to watch. (And with his betamax machine, he had to make sure the movie he chose to record was less than 60 minutes long!)
After a while, Sony finally saw the writing on the wall and began making VHS machines. It always reminded me of Radio Shack's cluster-f*ck of make all computers cables and connectors "proprietary" so the only cables you could use with a Radio Shack machine was a cable purchased AT Radio Shack.
See how far that got them? They changed that program a few years later when their computers were left in the dust. And today? No more Radio Shack. Just like Radio Shack, Sony didn't understand what consumers WANTED. Sony "thought" consumers wanted a better quality machine and would pay more for it. They were wrong.
There is even a term in use today called "BETA-MAXED". It refers to a product that came quickly on the market, but had a limited shelf-life and quickly failed.
The same is true with the internet. PORN built the internet (regardless of what Al Gore says). I ran a "BBS" in the early days (mid-to-late 80's). Most of you reading this probably don't know what a BBS is … I was running a 32-telephone line chat system on "AT" computers. Yes, 32 phone lines in my house! (PS: For those of you who know or care, I was running the most advanced software of the time — DLX. This software developer took at xt/at computer and let 32 people dial in and use the computer at the same time!!)
The "community" chatted, exchanged porn and had sex. It was amazing how many people on the board were screwing someone else on the board. Two of the biggest BBS systems were dedicated to posting and exchanging porn (MILLIONS of images) and hooking up (swinging couples).
Understand how this works – because it wasn't "internet". People connected their phones to their computer and dialed our computer — allowing all of the computers to connect and talk. It was slow, unreliable and costly.
GTE was developing and testing various technologies back then including today's DSL. But in those times, no one knew it was going to be used for data/internet. Everyone was jumping up and down, excited that they could get 7 conversations on 2-wires (previously only one conversation on 2-wires was possible). It was only later that GTE realized, "hey we could move a lot of fast data" on those two wires and the rest of DSL research changed forever.
When high-speed internet started being offered, do you REALLY believe Dad's forked out the money so Junior could have faster and easier access to his studying? NO. Dad was secretly thinking about the online porn that was being put on the internet at a rate no one can begin to understand.
With the desire for online porn, came the need to process credit cards online, and another industry was born — the online payment industry. Porn sites needed a way to get money from customers wanted to become a "member" and look at porn. Mainstream companies were still in the diaper stages of "getting a website" and an "online presence" and putting nothing more than yellow-page information online, as no one except adult websites knew how or WHAT to sell online.
And with more and more people getting email address, the SPAM industry took control. The number one most frequent spam from then until TODAY, is promoting VIAGRA (a sex drug!). Do you see the connection and the trends??
AND THAT BRINGS ME BACK TO THIS POST, "Amazon Successful Because of Sex Toys".
The story originated from the KTVN-Reno early morning newscast. It is not clear whether the newscast was live or being recorded when this occurred, or whether or not it went over the air. But here is what happened.
The female news host was explaining that Amazon had just been valued at more than Walmart. This was quite a feat for a virtual store vs a company with more than 5000 physical store fronts.
The male anchor shared his opinion, which shocked (and annoyed) his female co-host:
Do you know why? Because they [Amazon] sells sex toys. And WalMart can't or won't sell sex toys, because Amazon does. A friend of mine works in warehouse, and he say they sell a TON of them. I'm just telling you how it is!
Although we want to agree, his logic is a little off. But it is not to say that the sales of Adult products hasn't helped Amazon grow. Which is what I have said in this post from the beginning — the adult industry (like it or not) has driven technology for mainstream America.
Watch for yourself!
What no one wants to talk about however, is the proliferation of FAKE and COUNTERFEIT branded sex toys sold on Amazon. No one bothers to consider why a quality toy is for sale on amazon at 29.95 but sold elsewhere on the net for 59.95. There is a reason folks!
Where to buy sex toys? LoveWorks has been selling sex related toys, games, gags and gifts online since 1998. When other companies were trying to add their name and address to their "web site", LoveWorks was listing, selling and shipping hundreds of items all over the US — we got in early and built our online sex shop.
Online stores are unique, and often provide lower prices than brick-and-mortar locations because costs are substantially less. WIth our warehouse, we are not in a expensive mall or shopping center, we don't have pretty and aesthetic displays, there is no walk-in customer traffic and no lunch rush! We are able to serve more people from a centralized location with fewer staff! When you add it up, lower costs for us, means lower prices for our customers. And we want you to know where to buy sex toys from a company that will stand behind the sex toys sold.
Over the years, we have tracked our online customers and found without-a-doubt, that customers within 25 miles of our stores will visit a store; customers local to our stores still want to see and feel the toy in their hands, as well as obtain the instant satisfaction of taking that toy home immediately. That says volumes about the LoveWorks in-store experience. It also tell us that our well-trained staff is doing everything possible to provide a comfortable in-store shopping experience.
These same staff are the ones who are testing products and writing reviews for our online sex shop. Their experience helps customers both in in-store and online, because if they don't like a toy, they won't sell it.
Just like our in-store guarantees, our online customer are assured of satisfaction with our products and protection against defective items. We stand behind what we sell and always have, and that is why our customers know where to buy sex toys: LoveWorks!
LoveWorks should be your only place to consider when considering where to buy sex toys. So, if you are in our neighborhood, we would love for you to visit one of our stores! But if can't make it, then feel free to enter our online sex shop and browse in your pajamas!
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The LoveWorks adult store idea began around 1979, as adult store began to transition to nicer, more upscale lingerie, gift and novelty boutiques. The LoveWorks concept centered around a female-friendly store, that was well-lit, inviting, and in a safe geographic environment. Our stores are designed to be very well-lit, and cater to a majority female clientele.
It wasn’t until 1989 that the concept moved from “idea stage” to the actual planning of a “real store”. In 1991, that store opened in a 1200 square foot suite in the back of a large shopping center. More than 90% of our floor space was devoted to lingerie, dance wear and other apparel.
Over the years, the product mix has changed. Lingerie and dance wear, although an important part of our sales, no longer occupy a majority of floor space. Customers began asking for lotions and oils, and personal lubricants, and LoveWorks began adding these items to the store, indirectly transitioning toward the concept of an adult store.
In 1998, getting “Online” was all the buzz! LoveWorks registered the domain “loveworks.com“, and immediately created an “online store”, with operations based in Las Vegas, NV. From Nevada, we began shipping everything from lubes, to massage oils, to the largest and heaviest sex toys! To put this “time in history” in perspective — Google went online in 1997, and Target didn’t sell online until 1999.
To this day, the LoveWorks website provides all the same quality products you’ll find in the stores. The website includes in-depth product descriptions, product reviews written by trained store employees, and the same guarantee you’ll find in the stores. Whether our customers buy online or visit a store, LoveWorks makes sure you have access to the years of knowledge of our employees.
Also at this time, sexual devices (aka: “Sex Toys”) were considered to be illegal (to be sold in stores) in the state of Louisiana. LoveWorks continued to expand its selection by adding greeting cards, gag gifts, novelty items, and a very limited selection of massagers, that would keep the store in line with all legal requirements.
In May of 2000, the Louisiana Supreme Court overturned the “Sexual Devices Law” opening the door for many new and exciting products to be added to our adult stores. We immediately developed our own “Sex Toy University” to train our employees about the thousands of new items being added to our adult store. Even today, all employees must complete and master the training offered in each store.
However, we were still weren’t able to sell sex toys in Texas, because Texas had the same legal restrictions, preventing us from selling some of the newest and greatest sex toy items on the market. In 2008, the Texas law was overturned, allowing our Texas store to add many new items as well. As in Louisiana, our Texas employees were enrolled and “schooled” on the thousands of new toys, lubes and lotions added.
Adult video is regulated by local jurisdictions, and is only available in some of our adult stores. Today’s stores are 3-5 times larger than the first store, and carry thousands of products.
LoveWorks adult stores still caters to a majority female clientele and is proud to be a Louisiana company.
LoveWorks — because it does.
For many years, Love Works participated in Mardi Gras parades in Lafayette and Lake Charles, LA. We set-up a mini-city with tents, tables, chairs, private toilet, huge cooking burners, campers and our own water supply and opened this celebration to our employees, good friends, and loyal customers.
There was something cooking every day, from gumbo, to etouffee, to sauce picante to jambalaya. And if nothing was cooking at that moment, we could always scrounge up a sandwich or hot dog for our visitors!
Although Mardi Gras is rich in cultural significance, it is a time of celebration. It Louisiana, that means partying. Although Louisiana’s residents are already known to be the friendliest in the United States, Mardi Gras gives people “carte blanc” or unlimited permission to be everyone’s friend, and introduce themselves to every person they encounter. Until you have experience the enveloping atmosphere of Mardi Gras, words just don’t do it justice.
We built our own “float” (the parade vehicle), with specially designed racks in the middle to hold all the ice chests we needed to keep food and drink iced down. As part of the annual tradition, we bought “party sandwiches” from Subway (those 4-foot subs!). We also iced down cases of small water bottles and gave these free to the police officers standing in the hot sun all day keeping traffic moving, and crowds at a safe distance.
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Our “throws” included beads of every type, from the “cheapies” to the coveted beads! T-shirts by the hundred were thrown. Koozies and other items imprinted with the “LoveWorks” logo were thrown. This was Love Works time to shine and we wanted everyone to see us!
It was a great time, that we all looked forward to all year! And made plans for all year! But sad as it is true, I got older, and orchestrating this event became less and less fun. I stopped participating in parades a few years later, and still miss them to this day!
Almost every Louisiana company was impacted in September 2005, by the devastating power of Hurricane Rita. While most of the smart people deserted everything and headed for higher and safer ground, some of us refused to go – or refused to stay away!. I don't advise it, but that was my choice in 2005, when I avoided police check-points and blockades and returned to Lake Charles, LA, the day after Hurricane Rita wreaked havoc.
LoveWorks was in the process of preparing our new building, finalizing the installation of display fixtures. It was in an area that we thought to be safe from flooding, and far enough from the water to avoid any storm surges or secondary damage caused by the surges.
As I drove down our main street, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. It was an eery feeling, almost like I had entered the scene of a scary movie, where all the residents of a town had "disappeared". There was NO one visible. There were NO cars on the street. I didn't see another person or another car for more than two hours after arriving. Lake Charles, LA was a ghost town.
It didn't take long to arrive at our new building, since there was no traffic and no traffic lights. From the direction I arrived, the building looked fine. No broken glass, no missing metal panels, wall intact. Of course there was trash everywhere – and by trash, I mean steel beams, parts of cars, trailers and other metal objects that I couldn't identify. Parts of the billboard that was above the LoveWorks store were also strewn around like paper.
I drove past the building, to make a circle around it. That is when I saw it – a billboard, owned by the Lamar Company, had broken at the base like a twig or a toothpick, and had fallen forcefully on to the side and roof of the building. It is one of those moments when you can barely swallow, because you know that every person, business, insurance company in the world can use the (Hurricane Rita was an) "Act of God" clause and avoid any costs for reparation.
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I took another deep breath and walked to the doors, inserted the key and went in. I knew that before the hurricane rita evacuation, we had mounted our wall display equipment (called "grid wall") on the wall where the billboard had damaged, and the parts of the suspended ceiling had been changed and leveled.
In the pictures, you can see that the entire wall is leaning inward; the billboard had come punctured the wall and the roof; rain had been pouring in, damaging and destroying the insulation and ceiling tile. Although only a small amount of water is visible in the pictures, we were unable to stop the rain from coming into the building until we could hire a roof repair company.
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We struggled for months (!) to get a repair company. Everyone who lived in this area was gone. The people and services coming to this area were price gouging, and even they were so busy you were lucky if anyone would come talk to you about the work you needed. There was so much work to do in this state that we (and many others) would be waiting for many months.
BUT WE STILL HAD OUR OLD LOCATION – OR DID WE?:
But we were lucky, we thought, because we will had a few more month in our previous location. It was being demolished January 1, 2006, and we had until the last day of December to get out. That gave us three months to get the building repaired and moved.
Because of hurricane Rita, the demographic of Lake Charles had (temporarily) changed – Lake Charles was now a "MAN'S TOWN". The influx of (temporarily) single males coming to Lake Charles to fill the unlimited employment positions breathed a hurricane-force-wind-of-life into the local strip clubs. We noticed that slightly at the end of October, but full force on the first of November.
STRIPPERS WERE OUR BEST FRIENDS:
There weren't enough women to be selective and the club hired anyone who agreed to strip and dance. All of these "stripper noobies" weren't prepared. They began earning $2,000 per day in tips! Every new job requires "tools" and "uniforms" and stripping is no different. 10-20% of their daily earnings were being spent in our old store location on lingerie, shoes, dancer-wear, costumes, panties, and anything else that resembled anything they could use at the club.
During this time, we wrote to the landlord and asked if it was possible to extend past our deadline of December 31. We assumed that they wouldn't be able to demolish on time since construction work was so far behind. They vehemently answered NO. Actually, not just "NO", but "HELL NO".
We were having the best sales in the history of LoveWorks. I was drooling at the thought of a few months of these super daily sales. And with the construction boom still moving forward, I could see no immediate end to this windfall.
OUR LUCK AND GOOD FORTUNE ENDS:
A short time after I requested to remain in the building after our deadline, an arsonist lit our building on fire. We weren't open and no one was in the building or was hurt. The fire was lit at the opposite end of our building, on the side where a "vacant" store front was located.
No flames reached our side. But the building filled with smoke and ash. Did you catch the word "smoke"? The terrible, putrid, rancid small of smoke from an old wood fire. Every item of clothing ruined. Every item in the store STUNK. Many absorbed so much smoke (even through the packaging) that is wasn't sellable. (I didn't keep any pictures from this time. It was a bad time in my life and I didn't want to have pictures to remind me).
We were out of business.
It took weeks to argue with the insurance company for any amount of settlement. They refused to compensate us based on what the sales were (and would have had with the new stripper business). In the end, they looked at the month of November of the previous year and said, "You made this amount of profit that month, so we will pay you a portion of that amount".
WHERE TO NOW??
We could no longer stay in the old location as it was un-inhabitable. We tried getting the smell out but it didn't work. Our new building was still leaking water like a sieve. We had no sellable merchandise. What do we do??
In the end, we drove to the new leaking building and setup up a small mini-store using the back door! We had no signage, a building that was obviously damaged and looked deserted, and were operating out of a back door trying to sell sex toys. You can imagine how well that went over. Our terrible Christmas season passed as slowly and painfully as a gall stone.
2006 HAD TO BE OUR SAVIOUR:
We operated out of the back door until late January, when the contractor finally had time to fix our building. As soon as he was finished, we began unpacking all of the new merchandise and getting the store ready for opening. Signs went up and we no longer looked like a deserted out-of-business location.
CUSTOMERS OF ADULT STORES CAN BE FUNNY:
A few customers began to complain that our back door wasn't open anymore. They had been shopping with us during this time, and could hide their company truck and come in the back door, making sure that no one saw them. We laughed, and told them we hope to never open that door again!
This was the turning point, and the year began to take off. Once I got over the aggravation and frustration, I never looked back. And even though I will never forget Hurricane Rita, it is over and behind me. Oh, and the arsonist was never caught. Go figure.
LoveWorks Today