True Porn Clerk Stories

By: Ali Davis

Narrated by: Ali Davis

Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Queue up these hilarious real-life stories from the video clerking trenches. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll wash your hands. No rewinding required!

©2009 Ali Davis (P)2014 Audible Inc.

An amusing and insightful look video clerk life

Like most guys I've watched porn (continue to watch it too) and while it has gotten more extreme over the past 10 years or so, I do still enjoy it. As such I look for books, movies, TV shows with Porn in the title. While on Audible (why aren't they paying me? I sure do pimp them a lot!) I searched and this came up. It got good reviews and was narrated by the author (which I always like) so I gave it a listen.

I also picked this because it was short and I like a shorter commitment of time for a book. This book is non-fiction (if you haven't already guessed) and goes through the year and a half (approximately) of Ali Davis working in a video store (that rents and sells porn as well). While I never worked in a video store, I have had jobs dealing with the public (I still do, though I don't ring anyone in these days) and I could immediately relate to a lot of her stories. People are strange, people can be jerks, they can be nice and from time to time, even pleasantly surprise you.

Also to reveal a little of myself I could relate to Ali about being in a job you don't like just because of the perks/benefits. I'm getting ahead of myself though. Ali has very progressive views sexually and is even bi-sexual. As such she is very open-minded about porn (as am I) but she knows when to draw the line. I am also in complete agreement that some porn is way to extreme/degrading and it is sad that it is being made and consumed. It is also said that some people develop an addiction to porn (I agree completely that if you watch parts of 6 porn movies 4-5 times a week, you certainly may have a problem.)

I also found myself relating to some of the management side of things (as I'm a co-owner of a business, not an employee), which Ali naturally doesn't get being on the other side of it. Aside from all this she gives some great insights into human behavior, the fascinating subject of sexuality and a nice behind the counter view of working in a video store (which I'm sure is very rare/non-existent now). She is funny, insightful, intelligent and likable. The book isn't dragged out, once her time at the store ends, the book quickly comes to it's conclusion. I also quite enjoyed how chapters were often a journal entry, sometimes encompassing a week, a month or even just a day or two.

The book is not without its flaws. For parts when she yelled in the book, she really yells in the audio book. This is unpleasant, please don't yell into my ears, it makes for an bad listening experience. I think this may be due to the fact she has never recorded an audio book before, but none the less it is drawback in several spots. She does, however, do a good job with doing accents and other characters, I also quite liked when she did her sexy call center voice. To be honest though I quite enjoyed the book and found it came to an end much too soon. Before I recommend I'll advise that is book is strictly 18+, it deals with hardcore porn and is not for children, I wasn't offended and she doesn't go too far with description of any movie but still be warned. I would recommend to anyone who likes non-fiction and is not easily offended. I think it would have been better with some thoughts from another clerk in the place, maybe the thoughts of a manager but still is good on it's own.

Annoying screams

The author herself reads the book and literally screams and shouts at many places to emphasize the situation. That was too annoying for me . The story is good ..

A writer and performer supplements her income as a video clerk

Having the author read her own work really make this book. Taken from her own blog that she kept while working there, this is a wonderfully evocative view of the realities of customer service in the very intimate business of porn rental at a video store.

Experience porn from another point of view, without the video

These stories brought me back to when I worked in a video store and I encountered countless customers just like the ones Ali talked about! You never know who is going to be renting what type of porn or the frequency. You get your usual customers on certain days usually “dollar days” lol. These stories had me laughing and cringing and remembering how we as humans view porn as a society. If you’re debating on listening to this I highly recommend it!

Tales from a retail porn clerk

Heart felt stories filled with humor and a glimpse into the strange side of retail.

What a fun story about those many ignore

Ali puts words to a person many won’t acknowledge they know.
She is such a joy to listen to.
Thank you for the many laughs and the insight into the life of a person many won’t say hello to in public.

Fairly Interesting

Any additional comments?

I thought the book was fairly interesting. I'm trying to find books on humor to improve my comedy writing. I did get some chuckles. I found it was basically, the author, an overqualified porn video clerk (college graduate?) complaining about her crappy minimum wage job and annoying customers. Hmmm... what things would porn customers do that would be annoying?... Much has to do with why they would get the videos in the first place. So, male bodily fluid issues on the rental returns, etc. By the end, I felt like I was reading about a conscientious, diligent, kind librarian, only a video porn one. And, she covered some of her customer relationships, kept at arm's length. I'm glad that she was able to move on to a better job.

funny and porny - good combo

funny and porny - good combo. I would most certainly read more work by this young lady :)

ciliate first before falling in love with Ali

Loved it. Stories and narrator/author. rather than just condemning these people as perverts she made an attempt to understand their behavior Bravo bravo

Hilarious!

This is a great book to listen to! I really enjoyed her descriptions of the different customers. She is witty and fun to listen to. The only thing I didn't t like was the end, but when it comes down to it, it is a difference of opinion. Definitely recommend!