DISCLAIMER: I have spent a lot of time in adult/kink/fetish/toy stores, and so my claims about prices are backed up with actual experience, not invented. I know that some people consider GV sacred, and might see offering less than 5 stars to be an attack...I don't mean it as such, and honestly hope that the new Good Vibes corporate management reads my review and considers it constructive criticism from a long-time, loyal customer who STILL goes there for most of her adult purchases.
THE STORY: When I first moved to the Bay Area, this was my favorite store: it was liberating, women-owned-and-run, and the vibe was so comfortable I couldn't resist! The prices were very reasonable, the selection thorough, and they made a point of not carrying adult novelties, something that plagues other adult stores (you know what I'm talking about: penis candles, boob pasta, etc.). In fact, I used to make a pilgramage there every several Sundays with my partner and a good male friend!
But times have changed...now Margaret Cho hawks their products, and political correctness runs rampant! While I love that this store exists, here are the things that have changed that I'm NOT fond of:
1. Good Vibrations is no longer a female worker-owned cooperative. It's now corporate: don't believe me? Read it and weep on their website.
2. The prices have shot up: I can now find some of the same toys for a few bucks less at Big Al's on North Beach, and definitely for much less online. I realize again that GV is trying to appeal to the mainstream, but remind me again why I should pay $26 for the GV riding crop when I can get a better one at Leather Etc. in SoMa for $14, or a similar novelty at Torrid at the Stonestown Mall around Halloween for $15?!! While I'd love to support Good Vibes, as they are no longer a worker-owned coop, I'm less inclined to feel like it's imperative to keep buying products there for more money than other places, especially since...
3. They now sell adult novelties. This dismays me most of all.
4. The store is a lot more hetero-focused than it used to be. For those of us who are queer and used to value this as a queer-friendly space, it might feel...awkward.
5. No longer are you given your goods in a "plain unmarked" brown paper bag. Now, the bags your items come in are emblazoned with the Good Vibes logo. That's great if you're comfortable buying sex toys and having the whole world know it, but for those of us who don't want to be sexually harrassed en route to our cars or public transportation in that area of the Mission because we're carrying a bag that might as well be a scarlet letter announcing, "SEX TOYS HERE!", it's definitely less than desireable, even unsafe. And since the Mission tends to be ground zero for sexual harrassment of females in San Francisco in general, I'd say that the Good Vibes claim of being "female-centric" no longer really applies using this as evidence.
6. The store is overall a lot sparser and vanilla, a lot more mainstream and white-washed. I get that the GV strategy these days might be to be sterile and mainstream to stay afloat and hopefully someday expand to a mall near you, but I miss the days when there was an entire wall devoted to strap-on harnesses, leather floggers, and kink/play items that went beyond faux-fur-lined handcuffs and bachelorette party novelties! No longer is GV a one-stop-shop...these days, if you're kinky, you'll get more of your needs met, and probably at a cheaper price at the Stormy Leather store in SoMa (I can't believe I just wrote that, but sadly, it's true!).
7. The people who used to work at GV were alternative and more approachable. Now they just seem clean cut and chipper...gone are the tat's, piercings, crazy hairdo's and outfits, or at least they're covered up and/or seriously toned down.
8. If you're going to carry cute thongs, carry plus-sizes, da*nit! This is 2007!!
Okay, in all fairness GV serves a purpose and does offer some really fabulous things, too, so I should list those in the interest of being even-handed with my reviewing:
The Pro's:
1. A FULLY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE store with fixtures moved far enough apart to accomodate even the biggest scooter or powerchair.
2. A clean, safe, lurker-free environment for sex toy shopping.
3. Events and parties that seriously kick butt!!!
4. Real dyke pr0n. Not just the long fingernail fluffy teased blonde hairdo kind, but also the gritty Pink'n'White Productions kind, which is a breast of fresh air...erm, breath!
5. A reading corner with a thorough selection of kink/fetish/self-help books and a large comfy bench to sit down on while browsing.
6. Courteous service.
Overall, I'm glad that Good Vibrations exists and that it isn't sleezy, smarmy, LGBT-ignorant or male-dominated the way other adult stores often feel...I guess I just miss the old Good Vibes!!! read more