by Karissa Ketter, News Writer

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought financial challenges to many small businesses. It has also created an unexpected rise in sales for some sectors of self-care. A manager of a local Vancouver sex shop — who asked to remain anonymous — reported that online sales have risen due to COVID-19. However, they noted that there has been a drop in in-person sales.

In an interview with The Peak, the manager commented that the increase in online sales can be explained by the many people who “got bored and didn’t have anything else to do while they were in quarantine.” They added that this could also be attributed to people who may not have wanted to physically shop in-stores.

When asked their opinion on the increase in sales, they responded, “I think it’s incredible. [Sex toys are] a really good way of self love and self caring. And I think people really need to get into that during the pandemic.” They added they were happy with the idea of people giving themselves pleasure and trying new things. The store noted that strap-ons and harnesses are particularly best sellers. 

These findings come after Global News reported in April 2020 that sales for sex shops in Canada were rapidly increasing due to the initial lockdown. Naughty North’s sales went up 142% last February. 

Similar results were found by CBC. Venus Envy Ottawa’s floor manager, Julia Bueneman has recently noticed an increase in sales to first-time adult toy buyers. “I always recommend exploring [new toys] by yourself first to really get comfortable with it,” said Bueneman. Venus Envy has seen online orders spike up to three times as much as they were before the pandemic.