Not just for dirty old men in trench coats... (Pulse and Cocktails)

Member Name: stuff10

Product:	Pulse and Cocktails
Date:	10/08/09 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great products, fantastic staff, rental-type service

Disadvantages: Expensive

Pulse and Cocktails is a chain of erotic superstores (sex shops) that are mainly located in northern English cities such as Sheffield, Leeds and Hull although they are starting to open shops in towns and cities down south. They sell a wide range of sex toys and sex aids from dildos and vibrators to blow up dolls and penis pumps. They also stock a massive collection of DVDs to suit each and every taste (that is legal in the UK). Their store in Rotherham claims to be the largest sex superstore in Europe... and is only about 10 minutes away from my house! :)

People who haven't been into a Pulse and Cocktails store generally see it as dirty or wrong - something that shouldn't be talked about. I had a bit of a fight on my hands to get it added to the dooyoo catalogue, but eventually they agreed and so here we are. Sex is as natural as eating and drinking - all Pulse and Cocktails do is provide you with a few things that can enhance the experience... whether it's something that requires batteries or something that you watch with your partner. Think of it as putting some ketchup on a plate of chips... the chips taste great on their own, but they're so much better with a bit of ketchup!

Anyway, enough with the dodgy analogies...

I've been to a few of the different branches and they're all laid out in pretty-much the same way... walking in the main entrance will take you to the 'fun' area of the shop, named Cocktails. This contains all your non-hardcore stuff, including: some dildos and vibrators, dressing-up costumes, inflatables, playing cards etc. Most stores have an area for hen parties as well as gift sections where you can buy silly presents (stocking fillers) and even wrap them in mucky wrapping paper! This is the part of the store where you're likely to find groups of women giggling.

Through another corridor will be the more 'hardcore' area of the shop, named Pulse. Here you'll find items that will delight you and most probably shock you as well! Splitting the shop into 2 allows Pulse and Cocktails to cater for people who want to have a look at the fun items without viewing the more hardcore material that they sell.

If you're into hardcore though there is a massive selection of DVDs and if you're lucky, there'll be a couple of TV screens showing some of the latest films. DVDs cater for every taste, but the prices are very expensive - £35 for one film or £50 for two the last time I went in! The films they sell are R18, which means they are as hardcore as you can get (in the UK)... I won't go into detail, but you won't find much cut-out!

Pulse and Cocktails do operate a sort of rental service whereby you can buy a film at full price and then bring it back to swap for another one within an allocated time period. However, even the swaps are expensive at around £8 per film the last time I used it - that was a couple of years ago though, so prices may have gone up since then.

Also within the 'hardcore' section you'll find a selection of magazines as well as more toys for both men and women... you've not lived until you've seen the massive rubber fist that they sell... or the 'real' doll that costs £999!!!

I have to say that the staff at Pulse and Cocktails are absolutely fantastic - they will approach you when you walk in and ask if you've been before, if you haven't, they'll point out the different areas of the store in a friendly manner. If you need any help, they're always very knowledgeable, advising you on the best toys and DVDs to get. You don't feel embarrassed when you talk to them - they've seen and heard everything before and are always open and honest around you.

I love going to Pulse and Cocktails, but my visits there have been cut-down a lot since we bought our first house - quite simply the prices are just too expensive to justify for us at the moment.

Summary: A fantastic shop, I just wish it was a bit cheaper