Vermont Country Store Shocks Customers By Adding Sexual Aids
The Vermont Country Store, known as the "Purveyors of the Practical and Hard-to-find," has shocked some of its customers by adding an "Intimate Solutions" section to its catalog that includes gels, vibrators and instructional sex videos. The company received over 600 letters complaining about the new products.
Lyman Orton, whose father started the 12-page mailer in 1945 that has turned into a $100 million a year business, says some of the irate letters "makes me a little ill, really," the AP says.
Orton, 67, says no one asked him to include the new items, he just thought it might help older folks keep sexually active.
But about 600 customers complained, including one who wrote that she respects her "God-given human femininity" and finds the ads offensive. Another wrote simply: "Please rethink what you are doing."
The items are online as well - see here. Online stores like Drugstore.com and Amazon.com sell similar products so it isn't unusual for retailers to carry sexual aids.
Lyman Orton's three sons were initially concerned about adding the products to the catalog but the decision may have been the right move for the Vermont Country Store because some customers responded positively with their pocketbooks. Lyman's son Cabot Orton told the AP, "It turns out they wanted these products, and they spoke with their wallets."
The Vermont Country Store, known as the "Purveyors of the Practical and Hard-to-find," has shocked some of its customers by adding an "Intimate Solutions" section to its catalog that includes gels, vibrators and instructional sex videos. The company 
