We're about to reach the end of a year of glorious
Staff Picks, and I, for one, couldn't be happier.� It's one of my favorite parts of the website.� Stay tuned for lots of exciting
Staff Picks in 2011 (including our Valentine's Day Staff Picks: what our staff will be giving their nearest and dearest thie year). And for our final staff spotlight of the year, may I present to you... Cristen!� Cristen is the beloved Receiver (in addition to her fabulous Sex Educator work) at our Brooklyn store, and she's quickly become an essential part of the Babeland family.� Read on to find out more about her job, how she got here, and her favorite slang for genitalia.
Abby: Tell us the story of how you started working at Babeland.� What brought you here?Cristen: I was first introduced to Babeland as a store about seven years ago by my then best friend, now husband.� I fell in love with the place!� All those things to play with! *swoon* I instantly wished I worked here.� In March of this year, I had decided to leave my previous job at a corporate law firm and applied to Babeland on a whim.� Imagine my surprise when I got a call about a week later to schedule an interview.� I was ecstatic!
Abby: Where were you before Babeland, throughout your career?Cristen: I have worked a ridiculous and varied number of jobs. I went to school for acting, so that is still my passion and drive, but I've also worked as an event planner for a corporate law firm, security for political debates, gift shop associate at a theme restaurant in Times Square, and a bank teller.� I also own my own bakery catering business so if you attend a special event at Babeland in NY and have cupcakes, chances are they're mine!
Abby: Yum.� You should ship some to us at the warehouse in Oakland, please!� But back to the real questions:� what do you do here?� What?s a day in the life of you at your job?Cristen: I work both as a Sex Educator and an Inventory Receiver here at Babeland Brooklyn.� To be honest, I don't think we even have such a thing as a "typical day" here.� So much of what we do depends on what our customers need and ask us about.� One day I could be answering questions about lube and condoms, the next day I could be giving a flogging demonstration (one of my favorite things to do) or talking about the finer points of a blow job.� It all depends on the questions we get during the day.� To be sure though, if it's a day when I'm in the basement receiving shipments, I'm probably buried under boxes of dildos and bandaging a wide assortment of paper cuts.� I love receiving shipments because I'm always the first one to see all the new pretty stuff we got.
Abby: What was your family's reaction when you told them you work at Babeland?Cristen: My mom was pretty shocked at first.� She liked the fact that talk a lot about safe sex here, but I think the fact that I teach classes about spanking and write porn reviews kinda freaked her out.� She's been more receptive to it lately, though.� I may even be able to get her to come into one of the stores soon!� And I did get a lot of support from my in-laws; my mother-in-law thinks the work we do here is incredible.
Abby: Tell us about your favorite/most touching/life-changing moment(s) with a customer, coworker, whoever.Cristen: Oh man, I've had so many incredible moments in my short time here.� One time, two older women came in and were over by the harness section, giggling to each other.� A coworker and I helped them pick out a new harness and dildo along with an assortment of other things. While we were ringing them up, one of the women burst into the most amazing, face-splitting smile and said, "We've been together for 25 years and we're finally getting married tomorrow!"� Turns out, they were splurging on some new toys for their honeymoon.My second favorite moment right behind that one was an interaction that I had with an 82-year-old woman.� She was buying the
Hitachi Magic Wand and while I was going over the care and cleaning, she leans over, stops me, and says "Honey, this is my fifth one.� I'm just here because my last one broke and I didn't want to be without it for long!"� Just goes to show you, you can never judge a book by its cover.
Abby: Very true.� What?s something you?ve learned about yourself through your work at Babeland?Cristen: That I can teach!� I have always been good at public speaking, but speaking to an audience and teaching an audience are two totally different things.� The first time I taught a mini-workshop, I was terrified.� What if I messed up?� What if people got bored?� What if they didn't learn anything?� But as I got into it, I started have a ton of fun with the audience.� And where else do you get to teach people about sex in all its varied forms?
Abby: And how about something you've learned about sex?Cristen: That there should be no shame as long as things are consensual and you aren't hurting anyone else.� I grew up in a really conservative area of the country, and harbored a lot of shame about sex and sexuality.� I have been able to let so much of that go since working here, and it's an amazing feeling.
Abby: Finally, my favorite question:� what are your favorite words for sexy anatomical parts?Cristen: Cunt, pussy, junk, bits, tits, titties ? tee hee! of other things. While we were ringing them up, one of the women burst into the most amazing, face-splitting smile and said, "We've been together for 25 years and we're finally getting married tomorrow!"� Turns out, they were splurging on some new toys for their honeymoon.My second favorite moment right behind that one was an interaction that I had with an 82-year-old woman.� She was buying the
Hitachi Magic Wand and while I was going over the care and cleaning, she leans over, stops me, and says "Honey, this is my fifth one.� I'm just here because my last one broke and I didn't want to be without it for long!"� Just goes to show you, you can never judge a book by its cover.
Abby: Very true.� What?s something you?ve learned about yourself through your work at Babeland?Cristen: That I can teach!� I have always been good at public speaking, but speaking to an audience and teaching an audience are two totally different things.� The first time I taught a mini-workshop, I was terrified.� What if I messed up?� What if people got bored?� What if they didn't learn anything?� But as I got into it, I started have a ton of fun with the audience.� And where else do you get to teach people about sex in all its varied forms?
Abby: And how about something you've learned about sex?Cristen: That there should be no shame as long as things are consensual and you aren't hurting anyone else.� I grew up in a really conservative area of the country, and harbored a lot of shame about sex and sexuality.� I have been able to let so much of that go since working here, and it's an amazing feeling.
Abby: Finally, my favorite question:� what are your favorite words for sexy anatomical parts?Cristen: Cunt, pussy, junk, bits, tits, titties ? tee hee!
