Barcode porn

I’ve worked in Soho for around 2 years now – and surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) I’ve never been into a porn shop.

Until today.

After finally finding out of how to make book barcodes, and buying the software to create them, I then discovered that there are two types of barcode, and wasn’t quite sure which one to use.

Given that we’re surrounded by bookshops on the Charing Cross Road I thought it would be a good idea to pop along to one of them and ask about barcodes.

Having been initially failed by the sales desk lady at Foyles, I headed across the road to the Soho Bookshop (one of the last independent bookshops in Soho – which sells mainstream books on one level, and then has a porn section in the basement). The sales lady in the Soho Bookshop didn’t know anything about barcodes, but said her manager might – who worked in the basement (obviously).¬† So I boldly descended into the basement, passed walls of porn mags and a carefully constructed butt-plug display, to find the manager standing at the sales desk.¬† Carefully putting my example barcodes on the till desk – adorned by a montage of giant cocks and the like – I explained my barcode dilemma to discover he knew nothing about barcodes (again)- but that if I wanted a porno, they had a great 2-4-1 offer . . .

So emerging from the basement barcode in hand (and porn free), I headed over to Borders to see if they knew their barcodes.  And thankfully they did.  Without a cock or butt-plug in sight, the nice Borders Lady advised me on which was the correct barcode for books Рwhich was a relief.