Anyone notice a lack of tampons and pads in the shops?

[AbsentmindedWoman]

Or AIBUnlucky?

I've tried multiple shops in two parts of London today and Saturday, and there seems to be much less stock and choice, with a lack of pads in particular Has anyone else noticed? If so - why?

Has there been a major shift towards mooncups and washable pads or somesuch?

yes it's really hard to get larger sized tampons, and smaller stores never seem to do them. Larger supermarkets often run out

I'm talking about super plus extra... I really hate towels. So when I see them now I stock up

I refuse to buy perfumed pads. Are the Always Infinity that have been mentioned a few times, unscented?

Been using a couple of types of Bodyform unscented for years. They don't have wings, I also fucking hate wings and they're everywhere

Might try those Thinx pants if this is the new norm.

I thought it was just my imagination. That's exactly the thought I've had the last couple of weeks I've been in to shop on the every-growing scented plastic aisle of doom.

Infinity have disappeared - maybe too niche and expensive?

Tampon choice seems to have reduced (Tampax desperately wanting us oldies to move away from cardboard to crappy plastic applicators?)

Still find myself having to squeeze every box and pack to double-check that ' fresh' doesn't mean 'scented'. Because the whole section seems to be infected with a weird plastic air freshener smell, even the boxes that aren't scented.

Yep agree about the tampons. I tend to buy the yellow and green Tampax, and they had a small amount of those but none of the purple or orange.

Yes it’s impossible to buy my usual super tampons now, thought still seem to be lots of the same brand more expensive but blooming useless ones. I managed to grab the last box in our big supermarket the other day, low stock on all makes and all pads too. Next time I see them I will buy a trolley load!

Nearly everyone I know has a mooncup or uses washable pads.

I'm struggling to find the lillets with applicators recently. Well, the last year or so actually.

Tampax hurt me and about 18 months ago it was mentioned on a MN thread that lillets are worth a go if tampax hurt. (Width-ways/length-ways stretch difference). So go and buy Lillets with applicator and WOW the difference! Great! Then ... one by one all my local supermarkets have stopped stocking them. WHY?!?!?!?!

Tampon choice seems to have reduced (Tampax desperately wanting us oldies to move away from cardboard to crappy plastic applicators?)

I have noticed this. I don't like the plastic ones and don't want to buy plastic either but sometimes it's unavoidable.

Funnily enough I noticed this last Thursday in ASda. I'm 52, on,y a few periods a year now. I got well confused, Lady Tenor and Bodyform all blended into a couple of shelves.

I used to buy Natracare from my local health food shop although they are pricey, so I was pleased to see that Boots are doing a plastic and perfume-free range called Kind that is on special offer at the moment.

I'm pregnant right now so don't need them, but I'm fully intending on switching to reusables soon (cups and washable pads/period pants) - I think a lot of people have gone that way recently, it's just so much cheaper in the long run.

I was in Sainsburys tonight and they were looking quite thin on the ground.

Always Infinity have dissapeared.. it is so annoying!!!! They were the best for my random flow!!

Meanwhile I have been struggling to find ANY packs of small size Lady Tena pull ups for my elderly neighbour.....

I noticed this last week. I'm old, but on HRT so still having periods. I buy Bodyform flexiblea liners for the last few days, but they have gone off the shelves now. Also, Lilets orange 10 packs are not in Boots. I found two boxes in a Superdrug.

I bought a menstrual cup off eBay, £3, it’s brilliant and should last years.

It’s a game changer.

I had no idea this was a thing.
I haven't had a period in almost 10 years but want to make sure I have some in in case 10yr old dd starts early. I'm going to do a recce in Boots tomorrow.

It'd be, um, weird if Tampax was moving away from card to plastic, just as the rest of the world is going the opposite way, surely?

Haven’t noticed but increased use of hormonal contraceptives couple with an increased interest in environmentally friendly options would probably have this effect. I live in a town where there are more females not menstrating than are (vv large population of retirees, B.B. popular with families do loads of children, lots of pregnant/breastfeeding women, no university so most teenagers leave after a levels) so I may not have noticed a change due to shifts within the menstruating population being minor.

Most of my fiends have turned to mooncup and never looked back. Takes a couple of months to get used to but when I've had to go back to pads or tampons in an emergency I've found them truly nasty.

Always infinity are always in stock at my local Superdrug

Always infinity are completely unscented and so fucking comfy! They also hold 5x their weight so are perfect for v heavy days without feeling damp and gushy (sorry) or that you're wearing a nappy. I haven't found them for a few months 😭 so I've offered on amazon

I noticed this when I was in Superdrug at the weekend.

I tried Modibodi pants for the first time this cycle. They were ok, I thought there was a bit of a whiff by the end of a working day but I think they’ll be fine overnight. But I can’t get over how expensive they are! About £25 a pair! And Thinx are about the same. Presumably if you are using them exclusively and launder every other day you’d need about 6 pairs, that’s an outlay of £150! That’s a lot of tampons and towels!

I got some Infinity from the big Boots in the Trafford Centre but they are getting increasingly difficult to find, even in larger city centre stores. None of my local supermarkets (huge Asda, huge Tesco, medium sized Sainsbury’s) stock them. I buy 2/3 packs at a time when I see them.