Sign of a trivialization of this type of product, sex toys are now available on the shelves of two Monoprix in Paris. In the middle of cosmetics and make-up, you can now buy massage oils, erotic games or sex toys.
The words "Naughty Objects" written elegantly but in large above the radius tend to surprise. It is in the middle of perfumes and cosmetics that the Monoprix brand has chosen to install, in partnership with “Passage du Désir”, a space dedicated to pleasure. Before or after doing your usual shopping, it is therefore possible to buy different sex toys, intimate gels and lubricant, an anal plug, a masturbation sleeve, geisha balls or more simply card games to manipulate … several. An innovation launched at the same time as the implementation of the curfew. As a remedy for the boredom and sadness of a period weighed down by the pandemic. "We thought that being stuck at home could also be an opportunity," smiles Maguelone Paré, concept and innovation director at Monoprix.
In recent years, the few items available were stashed at the top of a shelf, above the condoms and wedged between toothpaste and soaps in the hygiene department. Monoprix has chosen to widen the choice, to move upmarket and to install them as soon as they enter the store. The predominantly pink and pastel colors of the elegant packaging also blend quite naturally next to the lipsticks. Their implementation nevertheless posed some problems for some employees. A large part of the customers of the first two stores where they are sold in Montparnasse (XIV) and Abbesses (XVIII) do not always pay attention to it. But others stop there without embarrassment.
“I was surprised when I discovered it while going shopping, recognizes Marine, a quadra living in Montparnasse. I'm not sure this is where I'll buy a new toy but I don't mind grabbing some lube or massage oil if I need it. Afterwards, maybe it will give my boyfriend a gift idea…” Since the establishment of this space, around ten products are sold there daily in each store. A success that should push the brand to extend the offer to other shops. “We were born on the idea that these products could be everyday consumer items and that they had to leave the ghettos where they were sold, explains Patrick Pruvot, founder of “Passage du Désir”. Finding them in such a mainstream store contributes to their trivialization.