# Three-Item Purchase
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [July 2, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813 "2003-07-02T17:09:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Lockseer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockseer)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/1 "2003-07-02T17:09:01Z")
When I used to live in Chicago, after an evening of hitting some of the local watering holes, we would head to the Jewel-Osco for a little game we called “Three-Item Challenge.”
The idea: Pick three common grocery store items that, while non-threatening individually, would prove highly embarrassing/questionable to purchase together. You’d then dare another person to purchase the items.
The bet was typically $10, plus the cost of the items.
An example: Pregnancy test, fifth of vodka, and a rose
Any other ideas?
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### Author:  [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/2 "2003-07-02T17:15:34Z")
Condoms, a very large cucumber and petrolium jelly.
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/3 "2003-07-02T17:22:56Z")
Suppositories, funnel and duct tape.
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### Author:  [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/4 "2003-07-02T17:23:00Z")
Tampons, douche, toilet plunger.
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### Author:  [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/5 "2003-07-02T17:25:21Z")
A toy gun, a mask and a pair of gloves…
2 cans of dog food and some Hamburger Helper.
Prune juice, Ex-Lax and Immodium.
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### Author:  [@lachesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lachesis)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/6 "2003-07-02T17:26:25Z")
[slight hijack]
not that i’ve got any particular expertise in this area, mind you, but…
isn’t petroleum jelly supposed to be, well, _bad_ for condoms? i thought it did things to their base materials that shortened lifespan/reduced overall effectiveness.
[/ slight hijack]
ummm, OP… best i could come up with is bodice-ripper-type paperback, big box of chocolates, and batteries. (the book alone does it for me.)
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### Author:  [@criminalcatalog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/criminalcatalog)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/7 "2003-07-02T17:48:11Z")
Astroglide, box of kleenex tissue, Nickelodeon magazine
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### Author:  [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/8 "2003-07-02T17:52:48Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by lachesis \*
> \*\*[slight hijack]
>
> not that i’ve got any particular expertise in this area, mind you, but…
>
> isn’t petroleum jelly supposed to be, well, _bad_ for condoms? i thought it did things to their base materials that shortened lifespan/reduced overall effectiveness.
>
> [/ slight hijack]\*\*
You’re right, it is.
Remember, kids, if you’re going to fuck a cucumber, play it safe. Use a water-based lubricant such as KY Jelly instead of Vaseline.
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### Author:  [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/9 "2003-07-02T17:54:08Z")
Large women’s panties, lipstick and a hand mirror.
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### Author:  [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/10 "2003-07-02T17:56:02Z")
Maxipads, a mop, and cleaning liquid.
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### Author:  [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/11 "2003-07-02T18:00:35Z")
Though not quite as embarrassing,
Playboy, tissues, beer
says a lot about your social life.
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### Author:  [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/12 "2003-07-02T18:33:28Z")
Rat poison, birthday cake, shovel.
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### Author:  [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/13 "2003-07-02T19:08:24Z")
Actual purchase I made a few days ago: several cases of little 4oz glass canning jars and a case of 12-gauge shotshells (birdshot). For completely different purposes, of course — my mom makes candles in the jelly jars, and we’d used up all our shotshells at the range awhile ago, but I thought it was funny.
And yeah, the guy behind us in line had several boxes of condoms, a big package of KY Jelly, and a big tub o’ Vaseline. :eek:
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### Author:  [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/14 "2003-07-02T20:10:43Z")
Apple Pie; Playboy; Kleenex
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/15 "2003-07-02T20:29:44Z")
Polaroid film, a dog collar, and a bottle of ‘cooking’ wine. 🙂
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### Author:  [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/16 "2003-07-02T20:29:53Z")
Mayonnaise, condoms, spatula
Can of baked beans, matches, 35mm film
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### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/17 "2003-07-02T20:40:32Z")
**Glory** , I like the way you think! 😛
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### Author:  [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/18 "2003-07-02T20:41:04Z")
Y’all are cheating by including at least one dubious item in the first place. Condoms? Astroglid? Maxipads?
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### Author:  [@Mukluk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mukluk)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/19 "2003-07-02T20:47:10Z")
Styrofoam chips, liquid dish detergent, BBQ starter fluid
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-item-purchase/185813/20 "2003-07-02T20:47:40Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Pick three common grocery store items that, while non-threatening individually, would prove **highly embarrassing/questionable to purchase together**.
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by lachesis \*
> \*\*[slight hijack]not that i’ve got any particular expertise in this area, mind you, but…
>
> isn’t petroleum jelly supposed to be, well, _bad_ for condoms? \*\*
See? It’s working already and we haven’t even gotten to the store yet.
Adult incontinency products, some kind of hunting magazine, and beer. Lots and lots and lots of beer.
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