Culture

People Are Slamming A Supermarket That Placed “Report Shoplifting” Cards Over Tampons

"For me, a 'safer' society is one where people wouldn't need to steal things like sanitary products."

by Michelle Rennex  6 February 2020
tampon shoplifting sign outrage

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Last year the horrid tampon tax was finally lifted in Australia.

In 2000, the Australian government introduced the tampon tax, which charged 10% GST on menstrual items. Despite sanitary items being necessities for people who have periods, they were deemed “luxury items”.  Unlike items like condoms and lube, it was decided that menstrual products were not part of the health goods GST exemption.

However, even with the tampon tax being scrapped, tampons and pads continue to be pretty expensive items. In 2015, Huffington Post calculated that the average lifetime cost of a period is over $18,000. So when London local Oonagh Ryder uploaded a photo that her friend sent from a local Tesco, Twitter went wild.

The photo that went viral was of a no shoplifting sign placed over the tampon section in the supermarket. “Help us build safer communities – report shoplifting to a member of staff,” the sign read.

Along with the photo, Oonagh tweeted: “We really need a genuine conversation as a society about what ‘safety’ means.”

“Safety” And Women’s Bodies

Tesco’s placement of the shoplifting signs sparked conversation around what safety means to large corporations. While shoplifting is against the law and not ideal, if someone needs to steal feminine products to manage their natural bodily functions, then there are clearly bigger issues at hand.

Many people expressed that because periods are not something that women choose to have, tampons and pads should be free. “Shoplifting isn’t the problem. It’s the fact that sanitary products aren’t free and accessible to those who menstruate,” one Twitter user wrote. “If you see someone shoplifting tampons, they obviously really need them – just give them a pack. Jeez,” said another. 

In Australia in 2015, a 20-year-old Aboriginal woman was fined $500 for stealing a $6.75 box of tampons. This newly implemented  on-the-spot fine system was criticised by the Aboriginal Legal Services of WA because of the risks it created for indigenous Australians. Dennis Eggington, a chief executive from the group, explained that such an expensive fine would be “difficult or impossible to pay” simply just creating a cycle of unpaid penalties.

So in reality asking other shoppers to report shoplifters does nothing to help those who cannot afford the necessary sanitary products. Fining the very people who don’t have enough money to purchase menstrual items simply creates more economic strain, likely encouraging more theft to recover the losses which is a lose-lose for everyone involved.

Beyond this, a lack of access to affordable sanitary products can lead to dire consequences for women. Most commonly, toxic shock syndrome — which can be fatal — occurs when tampons aren’t changed regularly enough. While it’s recommended that tampons are changed every three to five hours, the lack of access to sanitary products encourages prolonged use of these items.

People also pointed out the gender imbalance around personal products that are provided for free by the government. As an example, condoms are available without charge from sexual health clinics, youth health services and Family Planning NSW clinics, whereas sanitary products are not.

Unlike sex, which is an active choice, periods are involuntarily. However homeless women are forced to use newspaper, dead leaves and sponges as makeshift pads and tampons as the government don’t provide either of these items for free.

After seeing the outrage online, Tesco apologised for their insensitive sign placement. “We want everyone to feel welcome in our stores and are very sorry for any offence caused,” a spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. “We know that the cost of buying essential sanitary products can be a real struggle for some, which is why we were the first retailer to cover the cost of the tampon tax to make these items more affordable.”