When I was a teenager, me and my boyfriends would be very embarrased about buying them with someone staring right at us, and I imagine that teenagers still fell that way.
In every store I’ve been to, the condoms are always placed right in front of the counter or the pharmacist, why ? There are aisles of band-aids and tampons and antacids all over the place, why can’t they put the condoms somewhere else ?
Is there a logical reason to put the condoms there ?
I’ll bet this question isn’t as exciting as you thought it would be.
I’d assume that the logic is that people who are too timid to pick the box up with someone watching are more likely to just steal them, rather then bring them to the counter and pay for them. Which makes sense. But I’ve always thought hiding them behind the counter was cruel. There was some Michael Moore thing where he sent a guy into different convience stores and had them get “Size Small” from behind the counter. Heh.
I’ve never understood the embarrassment. It means you’re GETTING SOME. That’s a universal good thing. Plus, you’re obviously being responcible about it. Buy condoms with pride.
Might not be universal, stores in my area tend to place them in the aisles with similar products. I have noticed that in higher crime areas they tend to be near the counter or behind the cashier, and you have to ask for them.
At Kroger they’re right at the front of the pharmacy, by the main checkout lines, along with the KY jelly. You can step over and grab some Trojans and some Astroglide while you’re standing in line at the checkout. I always assumed they were right up there as an “impulse item”, like the coolers full of Pepsi.
Most stores (except for some small markets) have them out on the shelves. I think the reason to have them behind the cashier is that the timidity with purchasing them may increase the incentive for teenagers to use the 5-finger discount because they’re too embarrassed to pay for them.
I thinks it’s GREAT that they even have condoms out where people can not only see them, but be reminded visually to pick some up if they are sexually active. When I was a teenager, one had to (GULP!!!) ASK the pharmacist for the condoms, which were secretly squirrelled away behind the counter because they were things of shame! Sure, as a kid, it’s embarrassing to buy contraceptives (foam, jellies, contraceptive sponges, as well as condoms), but it’s equally embarrassing to buy the early pregnancy tests and pubic lice treatments at the drug store.
I’m slightly embarrassed. I thought from the title that this thread would be about the, um, placement of the condom. As someone who hasn’t dated in many years (was married), I thought maybe something had changed that I wasn’t aware of.
Where does the extra embarrassment come in from having someone watch you grab them off the shelf? You’re going to have to show them to the cashier sooner or later.
