Bridal Shower: sex toy sales shower

[ladycrim]

So I don't hijack the 'Slut Shower' thread, here is the story I sent in to the most recent update, along with Miss Jeanne's wonderful (and accurate!) response:

When my boss got engaged, a co-worker threw her a bridal shower and invited most of the women in the office.  (A faux-pas in itself, since most of us weren’t invited to the wedding – but as the wedding was 3 hours away and most of us couldn’t have gone anyway, nobody really seemed to mind.)

I wasn’t able to attend the shower, but my co-worker “Kathy” told me what happened.  Everyone got there, and the hostess announced that this would be a sales party shower, with the guests expected to purchase items.  This was not mentioned in the invitation!

And of course, it wasn’t just any type of sales party; it was a sex toys sales party!  Just what you want your co-workers to see you purchasing!  Kathy had brought her elderly mother, and was mortified.  (Luckily, her mom had a good sense of humor about the whole thing.)  I don’t know if people purchased items for themselves, the Bride, or both - and frankly, that’s information I’m just as happy to do without.

FauxPasoftheYear1127-07

EWWWW!  Not only would I not want my co-workers to know what type of sex toy I buy, I wouldn't want them to even have a teensy hint that I could be the type of person to own and use them.  Nor do I want my work experience tainted with the knowledge of what my co-workers have purchased for their off-work pleasure.   I can see it now.... "Now Jeanne", the elderly senior secretary said, patting me on the arm matronly, " I really didn't think you were a 'jiggly fluffy bunny' kind of girl.  Between you and me, I've got my eye on that 'raging bull horns of love' thingy."

Umm, yeah. 

[magicdomino]

I wouldn't want to go to a regular sex toy/lingerie shower, much less a sales party.  I'm pretty open-minded, but that is way more information than my co-workers need to know.  For that matter, it is more information than I would want to know about them.   

Also, my office is about 2/3 male.  And they gossip.  Can you imagine if they found out about the naughty shower?

[snowball's chance]

Was the hostess your boss's subordinate as well??!!  That's even worse.

I agree w/ the Jeanne, there's nothing wrong with what scrabble accessories people choose to buy, but 1) I don't want to discuss that stuff with colleagues , 2) you should tell the guests beforehand when the party has that theme, so they can bow out politely if they want& 3) did I mention I hate sales parties?

[TylerBelle]

I've been to I think one lingerie shower, and a couple of lingerie sales parties, which I knew of both kinds prior to going, so there were no surprises. If I remember correctly the sales parties may have had a few little "scrabbley" -type accessories, nothing too risque, but I believe yeah, that stuff is best left behind closed doors. And especially should not be for a surprise and not at folks' workplace.

Gotta add though I'm glad I wasn't gulping a beverage at the time I first read Miss Jeanne's comments to this entry. Hee! Or I would have had one splattered-on monitor.

[VorFemme]

Unless I were to work in a Scrabble accessories store - I don't wouldn't want anyone (but the person I play Scrabble with who might SEE the danged accessories I'm using) knowing that I know what these are, much less that such accessories exist.

But I grew up a preacher's kid and I really didn't know that such things existed until I got married........

[ladycrim]

Was the hostess your boss's subordinate as well??!!  That's even worse.

Indeed she was (is)!  I don't even know if my boss knew about the shower theme prior to the day.

I agree w/ the Jeanne, there's nothing wrong with what scrabble accessories people choose to buy, but 1) I don't want to discuss that stuff with colleagues , 2) you should tell the guests beforehand when the party has that theme, so they can bow out politely if they want& 3) did I mention I hate sales parties?

'Scrabble accessories'.  I like that. :-)

Yes, the fact that it's a sales shower is bad enough; since nobody knew it was a sales shower, they showed up with gifts, and then got the sales pitch!  But add on the personal stuff, and - no.  We all get along for the most part here, but we're nowhere near close enough to share that sort of thing with the whole group!

[Joannie81]

I would rather buy my "scrabble" accessories in private, thank you.  I really don't want to know about my supervisor or manager engaging in "scrabble" let alone if they use accessories for it.  And I definitely DO NOT  want them to know about my "scrabble" games!!

[lady_disdain]

I wouldn't want them to even have a teensy hint that I could be the type of person to own and use them.  

This hit a nerve - what exactly is the type of person to own scrabble accessories? I may be reading too much in this, but this sounds as though using this type of product is somehow reprehensible.

But I agree that coworkers don't need to know what happens (or doesn't) in anyone's bedroom.

[Sterling]

I agree that line sort of annoyed me but I chose to beleive its because some people would prefer to think that no one ever played "scrabble" because we shouldn't be thinking about other people and how they play or how often they play and not intended to sound like a judgement.

[ladycrim]

I agree that line sort of annoyed me but I chose to beleive its because some people would prefer to think that no one ever played "scrabble" because we shouldn't be thinking about other people and how they play or how often they play and not intended to sound like a judgement.

Agreed.  Sex is still considered so terribly naughty, especially (it seems) in the US.  I think it's more a matter of "I don't need to wonder if my co-workers are smirking at me, wondering about my bedroom activities while we're trying to conduct business."

[VorFemme]

The people at work are NOT going to be invited to any Scrabble games in my bedroom - so they don't need to know or even speculate whether I might be inclined to fence with a foil wearing a long tight black satin gown before hand, like Morticia Adams.

That information is "need to know" in the strictest sense...........and they don't need to know.  They can have my bean dip recipe, though.

[Browyn]

We had a sales party like that as part of a bachelorette night when one of my best friends got married.

There were less than a dozen of us, 3 of us were bridemaids, so we were among the brides closest friends and we laughed and made bad jokes a lot during the party.  Any ordering was done in a separate room with only the sales lady present.

It boils down to "know your audience" in my opinion.  We were all very close, none of us were the type to be offended, and we all knew what kind of a party it was going to be.

I had a wonderful time.  The same party with my co-workers?? not so much.

[Blurgle]

I can't see how this couldn't be anything but completely uncomfortable for all involved.

Although I do have to admit that if I had taken my late mother to such a party, she probably wouldn't have stopped laughing for three days.

[Kendo_Bunny]

Okay, it's not my thing at all... I only have one girlfriend who I talk Scrabble details with at all, and she certainly doesn't hear much beyond 'I'm extremely satisfied' or 'Don't try this ever- it is dangerous and painful, and I was stupid to read a random online Scrabble manual'.

I can see that it's okay with some people, but I have no desire to let my friends know too many details of my extreme personal life. I also don't care to know more than that they're satisfied, that their DH/SO's have done something extremely romantic that they're squeeing over, or that they have discovered a tip that went horribly wrong. I couldn't imagine attending a party like this with co-workers. They can speculate that every night I whip out the leather and the chains, or that my sweetie and I spend the night chastely talking over cups of chamomile tea. They are never going to find out.

[MsOverThinker]

Also, my office is about 2/3 male.  And they gossip.  Can you imagine if they found out about the naughty shower?

My office is more like 3/4 (or more) male -- and they speculate already about what we talk about on our Ladies' lunches.  I can't imagine what they'd have to say if we had such a shower.  Besides, even with my female co-workers, most of which I'm friendly with, there's a line you just don't cross.