I work in one of the world's biggest gay-sex stores. Here are 7 things you shouldn't do when in a sex shop.

• I've worked at Prowler, one of the largest gay-sex shops in the world, since 2021.
• I've seen customers behave poorly for years and learned what you shouldn't do while in a sex shop.

In summer 2021, I started working at Prowler, the biggest gay-retail store in Soho — London's LGBTQ district. The store has been open since the 90s and is considered one of the largest sex shops in the world. It's also one of the few gay-oriented shops to survive and thrive in the UK.

The shop is located near gay bars and gay clubs, so we often see drunk people wander inside. I've seen my fair share of inappropriate behavior in the shop, so I know exactly what you shouldn't do while shopping in a sex store.

Don't take photos while shopping in the store

Our official policy is that we do not allow any photos or videos. Of course, we make discretionary exceptions. For example, I'll turn a blind eye when someone is FaceTiming their partner to shop; plenty of our customers tells us their significant others come from countries where LGBTQ people face persecution, so they don't feel comfortable coming in themselves. Others are genuinely taking pictures to get an outside opinion from a friend, asking, "Is this the right one?"

However, if you're in the store on Snapchat and just want to show your mates all the hilarious products, then we will tell you to put your phone away. Some of us workers are nice about it and will make you laugh while we do it, but others will make you leave the store.

Don't open boxes just to see how you'll like the toys

A man once entered Prowler and crouched on the floor in a quiet corner. He opened the boxes of several toys and left a pile of them on the floor. Their torn-open boxes and crumpled plastic wrappers were also on the ground.

I understand that size, material, and firmness matter, but our shop isn't a fitting room. The same goes for underwear, dildos, and other sex toys.

In our shop, you have the right to see anything out of the box, but you just have to ask an employee to open it for you. Just ask, "D'ya mind if I open this?" I promise we won't bite.

You shouldn't sniff poppers at the counter — even if you just purchased them

One time, a guy came into the shop; he was sweaty, wide-eyed, and trembling. I helped him stutter through what poppers he wanted to buy. I triple-checked if he really needed them, but he assured me he was fine. He then bought the biggest bottle of poppers we sell and then cracked the lid with his change still grasped in his hand. The three of us behind the counter nearly lost our heads from the fumes.

It's bad form to buy poppers and immediately crack open the lid — you aren't meant to huff VHS cleaner at the counter. Wait until you're out the door, at home, or in the comfortable safety of your favorite gay bar.

Sex shops can be fun, but don't crack whips and have dildo fights

In my experience, it's almost always straight couples who come into Prowler and horse around. They see the whips hanging on the walls, and they can't control themselves; they almost always have to crack them at their partner's bottoms. Plus, we have some dildos on display, so people love hitting their pals in the face with a whopping 10 inches.

It's not a big deal, and it's funny, in my opinion. But there may be another customer there who's nervous about being in a sex shop, or who's asking important questions about the material, firmness, and size of some toys. You may be making them uncomfortable with your sex jokes.

Similarly, pointing and laughing at some of the products can make our closeted customers uncomfortable

Look, I get it; you're in Soho, London, and you've never seen a shop that sells penis-shaped products, and it's amazing. I understand the dizzying thrill of the weirdness. But to the people who love coming into the shop to heckle, you may upset people shopping in their own community's private space.

I want people to understand that, often, our customers are discreet men, people who are not out, and people figuring out where they are on the sexuality spectrum. When you come in to laugh at what they're exploring, you're making the welcoming environment feel like a zoo.

This really should go without saying: Do not abuse the staff

Even though Prowler is located in Soho, London's LGBTQ-friendly neighborhood, people do waltz into the shop just to hurl slurs at us as we work. It gets especially bad on weekends when people get drunk and visit us with malicious intent. In the past, we've seen people come in with knives and glass bottles.

No one's been hurt yet, but we aren't given security staff, so we just rely on our own skills to defuse situations.

If you're one of those people, do us both a favor, and just stay home.

Please don't flash us; we don't want to see it

Keep it in your pants, skirt, trousers, or kilt. Prowler — or any sex shop for that matter — isn't that sort of place. I mean, it depends on who you speak to, but overall, we're not licensed for that.