Hustler Girl's Blog

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I have decided to write this post as I have had many requests for the latest Hustler South Africa Magazine.

Well to answer the question ” Where can I get the latest Hustler South Africa magazine?”  Well … you can’t.

There has not been a magazine since last year November! and this  includes Hustler, Hustler Gold, Loslyf, Stokstyf.

Why?

Well this may be bacause of a few reasons:

Perhaps the Film and Publications Board have become too strict re the pornographic material in the magazine and what is deemed as acceptable content.

Perhaps magazine sales have dropped too drastically that producing the magazine is not financially viable.

or Perhaps the publishers do not have the financial means to produce the magazine anymore.

I think it is a combination of all three.

Pretty sad if you ask me.

Cleo Magazine July 2011

In the July Issue of Cleo Magazine 5 Female owned or run sex shops were featured, I was one of them Thanks Cleo for the opportunity!

If you want to see my Q’s and A’s read below.

Any weird customers? “I get unusual requests, but I suppose everyone has their ‘thing’. Recently I was asked for a bondage toy that gives electric shocks. Men and women most often want to know if I sell a product that will make women horny.”

What are your customers like? “They’re regular people like you and me – no strange people in coats … okay maybe one or two!”

What’s your policy on returning toys? “Due to our no returns policy, I encourage customers to look at a few options before buying. Batteries are put in all the toys and the customer can feel the different vibrations and textures of the various toys to see which is most suitable to them.”

 Bestsellers? “Men love the Fleshlight (1), which is a realistic-feeling masturbator, disguised as a flashlight. The Nomi Tang – Better than Chocolate vibrator (2) is very popular with women – it’s a clitoral stimulator that has a touch sensor for easy operation, and is ergonomically designed to fit the female anatomy and curves.”

Explaining the low down … “Many customers don’t have the first clue about how something works or where it should go. So I give them as much information as possible and answer any questions they may have. I make my customers feel comfortable by handling the situation in a professional manner, without getting embarrassed.”

What’s your personal favourite? “The bonus of owning an adult store is that I get to try out anything I like! My new favourites are the Mycero finger vibrators (3) from Feelz Toys. The pure silicone finger vibrators are soft and durable, and come in a pack of two. I’m definitely one for clitoral stimulation and I absolutely love the fact that the Mycero are small enough to use during intercourse.”

Advice for sex toy first-timers?  “I always recommend that if a couple want to introduce sex toys into their relationship that they come in together and have a look at what’s available, and then make an informed decision. There’s nothing worse than one partner going home with the wrong item and putting their partner off toys forever! I remind them that toys aren’t a replacement but an enhancer, and changing things up a little can definitely spice up their sex life.”

Any tips on toy shopping? “If you don’t want to come in on your own, bring a friend for moral support. If you really don’t want to come in you can always purchase online on our website (Hustlerextreme.co.za). All parcels are packaged discreetly and we offer a courier service to your nearest  post office.”

The last two months have been a really trying time with the story mentioned in my previous blog post. The supplier continues to try intimidate and bully me and really the owner and his “business partner”  are acting like children who can’t get their own way. Their behaviour is actually a tell-tale sign that they are desperate and that the wheels are eventually starting to fall off. They are mad and want to get even and instead of picking on someone their own size , they think they can intimidate and bully me.

They were the ones that came to me with their demanding upfront IMMEDIATE payment for the consignment stock I was holding or the second option they gave me was to return all their stock IMMEDIATELY and  that if I did not agree to ONLY purchase stock from them then they would not supply me at all. When they realised that things werent going the way they thought it would, they then gave me the option to purchase from them at a reduced rate but on a COD only basis. What fools, surely they should have thought about everything clearly and in a mature manner before just bursting in to my store.

The ”business partner”  came into my store last week knowing I was not here asked my staff how busy the store is. He then called me while he was in my store saying he can see all the stock I have in my shop and none of it is theirs and how can I purchase from other suppliers etc when I still have an outstanding amount with them. I told him  it is none of his business how I run my store and who I purchase from and what arrangements I have with other suppliers and that I had agreed to apye them over a period of time and that was that. He  felt it necessary to inform me that they had a “payment problem” from another store and they had that store/business sequestrated. I told him not to threaten me, can you believe it?  I mean seriously??? I have not disputed the fact that I have an outstanding amount owing to them and confirmed that that I am going to pay them off.

The next best part is that they are hell bent on opening a shop right on my door step. They want to “show me” and “destroy me”  you see. The owners made an appointment with my landlord and requested two shops in the same centre as me, one store down from mine. They were so desperate to get in to the building they offered the landlord rent right then and there and due the the fact that a) the landlord is loyal to his existing tenants and b) doesn’t need another adult store in his building, he declined their offer. When they realised that they were not going to get into this building they approached the leasing agents from the building directly accross the road from me. They have been running around telling other stores in the vicinity that they have infact already signed a lease and will be opening a store and will be competing with me and taking me down.

I did see renovations going on accross the road and assumed that what was being said was true. I decided before I took further action I would call the leasing agent for the store accross the road to confirm the signing of a lease. The agent informed me that they declined their offer and that another tenant is actually taking the shop. What idiots to run around telling people they have signed a lease. The funniest part is they actually owe other companies money and aren’t paying their debts but have money to open new stores.

I emailed the owner of the company acknowledging that I have an outstanding amount owing to them and that I would be paying them off at an amount I found to be financially viable due to the fact I did not anticipate an outstanding amount. He has replied demanding a more unrealistic payment amount as well as indicated to me that interest would be charged with immediate effect on the oustanding amount.  He also informed me that if an agreement could not be met he would then need to take the necessary steps… seriosuly?? Does he not think I can take my own necessary steps? He also wants to know if I would be buying stock from them , you see he says that no one in the area is stocking his stock ( i wonder why) and if I am not going to stock his stock then there will be a demand for his stock and you see this is his justification for opening a store on my doorstep.

All this rubbish over a bruised Ego!

On the 25^th of March I received an unexpected visit from a rep from one of my suppliers. The supplier is one I have been dealing with for almost 6 years. My stock arrangement with them has always been on a consignment basis with me paying them on a monthly basis for items sold. Originally this supplier was my main supplier but over the years I have added other suppliers to help grow my range in store and be able to offer my clients variety.

The rep walked into my store on instruction from the owner of the company to demand that I pay up immediately for all the stock I was holding in the store or they would remove the stock immediately. Needless to say the rep started taking the stock they supplied off my shelves and pack it away into boxes. I tried to get hold of the owner of the business as well as his wingman but both would not take my call. His wingman eventually replied via sms to inform me that the decision is across board and that he could not help me in any way.

I was not very happy to say the least. I was given no prior warning and the way in which the situation was handled was very unprofessional. I always supported this supplier and paid my consignment timeously every single month.  I decided to exercise my right of admission and asked the rep to leave my store and sent the owner of the company an sms informing him that I would require a reasonable notice period to get the stock together and do discuss my account with them.

This is a very involved story and this supplier is going around to each store they supply and demanding money from the stores or taking all their stock back. They are cancelling all consignment accounts and moving everyone on to a COD account. Apparently they are sick and tired of customers being on consignment with them but purchasing on a 30 day account with other suppliers. A sign of desperate financial times and they seem to be grabbing whatever they can.  Do they not realise that by doing this they will in fact not be keeping customers but losing them? Do they think they are the only supplier of adult toys and dvd’s?

The owner of the company also accused me of a few things which were unfounded. He was on a personal mission as one of the reps that had worked for him for a period of 12 years had left him in January and joined another supplier. He was annoyed that this rep was now going into stores and selling products and “taking away” business from him.  He accused me of buying the same stock from her at a reduced price and then sending my consignment stock back to him. This of course was unfounded as the stock I purchased from her was in no way the same to his stock  and even when I showed his rep the stock from her he agreed the items were not the same but the owner  still refused to believe it. He then accused me of buying herbal Viagra alternatives from her at a cheper price as he said that over a 3 month period I had purchased the same quantities from him and that since January I had not purchased any more stock of this particular item. I then explained to him that even though I purchased those amounts from him over 3 months I did not sell those amounts and the stock carried me through. I told him that he would be able to see this from my detailed sales reports over the last few months.  He still disagreed with me on this point, so foolish as it was there in black and white for him to read.

The owner then contacted me and told me he did not want to argue or fight with me and that he would give me the option of paying him for all the stock or I must send back all of his stock. He also told me that I was obligated to only stock their products as they had helped me initially with stock to set the store up. There is no agreement between me and this supplier indicating that I should only purchase stock from them and I decided that after the way the whole situation was handled that it would be best to send back all of their stock and have no further dealings with hem.

A few days after this call I received another call, this time form his wingman telling me that they may have assumed incorrectly and that the owner doesn’t think I’m buying the exact same but that I’m buying the same products from her but different colours, again not the case as the stock I purchased from her was nowhere near the same as his stock. What an idiot! They also admitted that they realised I wasn’t buying the tablet stock as they had taken a look at my sales reports.  The wingman then wanted to know how I would like to go forward and that they would be able to supply me at better rates once I moved over to a COD account. I informed him that the way the situation had been handled and the way I was treated as a long standing, good paying customer left me no choice but to send back all of their stock and that I would have no further dealings with them . I am in no way bound to them and I would rather deal with suppliers who know how to treat their customers.

I packed up all their stock and provided them with return sheets indicating the value of the stock returned. After all the bullying and harassment and threats of attorneys, on the day of collection no one arrived and I had to call them to tell them to come and collect their stock otherwise it would be put on the pavement.

There is  a shortfall which I need to pay them due to delivery fees over 6 years and for items such as stands and clip frames which I purchased through them which when paying back consignment stock doesn’t get paid as it is not reflected on the system. The owner demanded I pay this amount in full immediately and I have indicated to him that I will be paying this off over a period of time as I am financially able to. 

I managed to get stock from other suppliers who have agreed to assist me with longer payment terms to allow me to get back on my feet and I am so grateful. The toy stock is of much better quality and prices are better which means I can provide my customers with better pricing. The dvd stock is low at this point in time and I do not have 2 popular dvd studios which I used to get from the other supplier but in time I will build up the stock I have and the store shelves will look full again.

This month in retail was quiet and I am not sure if it is because of the change in stock or the fact that there were so many public holidays. I am hoping it is the latter.

South Africa’s first reality pornography show has been announced and auditions for this reality show will begin next week in Johannebsurg and then move along to Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Durban. 

The competition is open to anyone no matter race, sexual orientation or size as long ast they are over 18 years old and have a certificate proving they are STD- and HIV-free.

Contestants will be filmed and judged by a panel. Contestants will be voted off until the best male and female performer are left. Each will receive R5000 and a contract to star in Hustler’s year-end film as well as a contract to star in one film every six weeks next year.

I get many calls from people wanting to be porn stars so I can just imagine how much interest this competiton will generate. 

The show will unfortunately not be aired due to the explicit nature of the show however a softer version made for tv will be aired.

If you would like to be South Africa’s next Porn Star call 084- 195-9956

My lightbox was hit by a massive blue 10 ton delivery truck belonging to the hardware store across the road. They have a building supplies yard across the road from my store. They park their truck on our pavement all day long which blocks my store and 2 other store fronts and often block our parking lot exit and cause traffic jams while they reverse in and out all day. This is not the first time they have hit my lightbox, the day that it was installed they reversed their truck straight into the lightbox. I was lucky enough that the person that installed the sign was still here and repaired it immediately. 

I have requested on numerous occasions that they refrain from parking their truck on the pavement, only to fall on deaf ears.

When I noticed my sign had been hit I immediately went across the road to notify the owner of the hardware store that the sign had been hit and that I would hold them liable to have it fixed. I spoke to the owners son and asked him to pass on the message to his father. Yesterday I went back to the store and handed them the quote I received from my signage guy to have the sign repaired. The owner immediately told me that he would not be paying for any repair as I could not prove that it was his truck that hit the sign. His stupid wife then pipes up that I need to prove that it was their truck that hit the sign as it could be any truck for example a garbage removal truck.  I pointed out to them that their truck is the only blue 10 ton truck that is parked on the pavement the entire day and the sign has blue paint underneath it from where it was hit. The owner then says his truck fits under my sign and couldnt possibly hit my sign. What an idiot, I told him the cabby and 2 rods that stick up infront of the truck bed can easily reach my sign. I also mentioned the blue paint on the underside of the sign again.

By now I was causing a scene in the hardware store so the owner said he would come inspect the sign himself. He took a look at my sign and told me it is fine and doesn’t need any repairing.  The whole sign is skew and hanging on by two metal strips. I told him that I have been advised to have it repaired as it will come off  and in that case I would hold him responsible for the replacement of the whole sign which is over 15k. When I showed him the blue paint he said the blue paint on the underside of the sign is light blue and his truck is dark blue. Seriously???? What a prick!He refused to pay my guy to fix the sign as he said why must he pay to have the sign welded on properly if it wasn’t done properly the first time around. I told him that it would still be fine had his 10 ton truck not rammed into it. He walked away from me, at this point I said it was fine as I would then go to the police station and they could make the decision which is when he turned around and told me he would get his own guy to weld the sign back on and nothing more.

I typed up a letter stating that he had refused the quote from the preferred supplier and that by using his own welder he agrees to take full responsibility should any further damage occur.

I then decided to contact the JPMD to come and witness his truck all over the show, typically when they got here the truck had been moved. I told them that the truck is parked on the pavement all day every day and not only blocks the shopfronts but causes a traffic hazzard as people coming out of our shopping centre can not see the road clearly, nevermind when they block the entire road when they drive in and out of the yard and then ramp the pavement.

I took the letter to the owner and he signed it and then he confronted me on the fact that I had called the JMPD and he told me that he had just told them he never parks on the pavement for longer then 15 minutes as he only uses the pavement when a customer of his is in the yard. What a fat liar. I told him that if necessary I would get an affidavit from every shop owner in the vicinity to state that his truck is parked there all day long. He told me he has been here for 10 years, I think he thinks this gives him some sort of authority which it doesn’t. Perhaps I should have offered him a medal.   

On a related matter the streetlights haven’t been working including my lightbox and today I was informed by the landlord that is is more than likely because of the sign being hit and water now causing the lights to be faulty. I now have the pleasure of having to inform the owner of the hardware store that he also needs to have this fixed. Can you imagine what his response will be. I am still waiting for him to come and see me as he wasn’t there when I went across earlier, I am sure he wont come.

So this whole episode has caused such unecessary agrevation.

Owners of  Magnificent Paint and Hardware I have news for you, you are far from Magnificent!

***Update***

I was advised by my attorney to inform the owner of the hardware store that he can’t just use anyone to fix the lightbox as it has to be repaired properly to the same condition it was before getting hit. I went over to the owner of the hardware store this morning to tell him not to touch the sign until he hears from my attorney where she will provide him with 3 competitive quotes from reputable companies. He informed me that he had a company over this morning to quote him and they would be here on Tuesday to repair the sign. He was more courteous today and said he would have the sign fixed properly. I told him that the most frustrating thing for me was that he couldn’t just admit that it was his truck that caused the damage instead of his wife’s suggestion that it could have been a garbage removal truck and then she pipes up from behind the counter saying she never said that. WTF? I know what she said.  Anyway I am just glad the sign will be fixed, that is all I want. Lets see come Tuesday.

I had this bright idea recently to take down all the old posters in the shop that were in snap frames and change them, what a mission. I took down the old snap frames and the walls looked terrible from all the dust. I had not changed the posters since the store opened.

I decided that instead of replacing the posters with more pornography type pictures or dvd releases I thought I would go for something more sensual and something that doesn’t date. I went all over Joburg to any place I could think of that would sell such a thing and had no luck. It was then suggested to me to have a look online at allposters.com.

Allposters.com is a massive website that has any poster of any art print you can imagine. The posters are very affordable and they post it to you. I placed my order for 6 posters and the delivery was confirmed for 10 days time. I patiently waited and 10 days came and went and I thought I would wait a bit longer and eventually after 20 days the posters were not here. I contacted allposters and they said that orders outside the US usually take up to 20 days so I should just wait a little longer. They did tell me that if my posters did not arrive soon then they would either refund me or send me a new batch. I waited and waited and eventually the day I decided I was going to tell them to refund me my posters arrived. I had to pay a customs clearance fee and in total my posters with postage and customs clearance came to R850. I didnt think that was too bad.

I brought the posters back to the shop and put them in the snap frames and they looked amazing. I had to wait for The Boyfriend to come and put them up for me as the walls are very high up, double volume and all, and I’m afraid of heights. So the posters have been sitting in the kitchen. Due to the bad rains and poor drainage in the alleyway the back of my shop flooded! My staff managed to save my posters, Thank the Lord! I then decided the sooner the posters go up the better so I got The Boyfriend to put them up last night. I think they look really nice.

These are the posters I chose

In November Carte Blanche Consumer ran a story about Sexual Stimulants. They investigated whether over the counter sexual stimulants where in fact what they claimed to be – 100% natural and herbal.

There are Prescription drugs for Erectile Dysfunction namely: Viagra, Levitra and Cialis.  They are all powerful schedule 4 drugs which can only be precribed by a medical doctor after a full examination. They contain the active ingredients sildenafil citrate (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra) and tadalafil (Cialis).

Then there are the 100% natural and herbal alternatives sold over the counter in health shops, pharmacies as well as adult stores. There are many products on the market, some of the most popular brands being Panalt, Phyto Andro, Rocky, Rock Hard Weekend, Erect24, Super Powerful Man Tablet. I have stocked a few of these products before but I decided to limit my stock to two different products. I stock the Super Powerful Man Tablet as well as MSS.

Carte Blanche consumer purchased a few different herbal alternatives and had them tested at Pretoria University Chemistry Department to see whether they are indeed natural and herbal. The investigation found that that 7 out of the 8 products they tested contained undeclared scheduled substances. This finding  is very alarming. I was also concerned with the fact that I too was not aware that the herbal products are spiked. I was under the impression that  all herbal ED products are 100% herbal and passed by the Medical Control Council.

 The problem with selling something that does not declare all of its ingredients is that people taking these products may be taking other medication and the combination can be dangerous. When selling the herbal Viagra tablets I have always told my customers that even though they say herbal on the packaging they should always consult a physician before taking the products, and this was even before I knew what I now know!

As mentioned I sell two herbal viagra alternatives, Super Powerful Man Tablet and MSS. The supplier of  MSS sent out a letter to every customer after the Carte Blanche Consumer episode. The letter confirmed that their product MSS had been tested by the Medicines Control Council for spiked substances and was found that MSS was not spiked with any of the banned substances and that it is a 100% safe herbal product.

The supplier then sent me an article that was published in the Witness Newspaper 6 December 2010. The article stated that Die Beeld also conducted an investigation into the validity of over the counter erectile dysfunction products. They found that 4 of the 14 products they tested were spiked with illegal substances. 

The only solution to guarantee the safety of  herbal products in stores is for the MCC  to monitor and regulate these products.

This year has been a very long year and I am glad that it is coming to an end!

Another year and the shop is still going and I am blessed. It hasnt been without major headache though. This year I had so many staff issues and so many staff that I never want a repeat of this year. This year alone I have had 5 staff members, I am now on numbers 6 and 7. 

I thought the guy Lee (staff member number 5) was the one, hell was I ever so wrong. He was the worst one ! He worked here for almost 3 months and in that time managed to cause such devastation to my business that I feel sick to my stomach. Lee turned out to be a master manipulator and liar. He was using drugs and alcohol and stole from me to fuel his addiction. 

I do blame myself for not doing something about the situation sooner, the warning signs could not have been more clear. I was just so sick of having to deal with staff leaving that I allowed the situation to carry on for longer than it should’ve.  Lee arrive some days intoxicated or high. On a few occassions he would use the till like it was his persoanl ATM. I gave him warnings and let him know that the next offence meant he would loose his job. My breaking point came when one day while checking the footage I witnessed Lee take money out the till to pay his drug dealer. The guy left and Lee and his friend that was in the store at the time then made their way into the kitchen they both snorted away.

When Lee arrived that day to work I told him that I would be going straight to the Linden police with the footage I had of him taking money from the till and using drugs on the premises. He denied the whole thing , um dude I have footage!  I then contacted his mother and informed her about what her son had done and  that I would be doing a full stock take in the store and that all the money taken and value of stock missing would be calculated and that every cent would need to be paid to me in full by midday that day or I would be going to the police. I completed a full stock take and wanted to be ill. I have never in the history of the store had theft at this level. Almost 8k worth of stock was gone.

Lee told me he had no idea how the stock went missing, he suggested that perhaps it was customers. The majority of the stock missing was all from under the counter where only he had access to and one of his functions as an employee is to watch customers and check that they do not steal, so insinuating that customers walked out with hoards of stock is just ridiculous. It later emerged that Lee would pay his drug dealer not only with money from the till but with stock from my shop.

I got paid back every cent and was glad to see the back of him. I still can kick myself though!

Since then I have employed two staff members, Lynn and Janine. They have both been here since October. Lynn works the week evening shifts and Saturday mornings and Janine works here on Weekends and occasioanlly during the week if I need her. They have both been great and I havent had any problems with either of them. Having themm here has really allowed me to have nice time away from the store. It has been a difficult year for me as I have had to get back into studying and had exams to worry about. I know that early next year Lynn is going to be leaving for the UK but I’m going to try not stress about it now. I will have to find a replacement and just hope that I will find someone that will be suitable.

So heres hoping I will have better luck next year!