That there’s still any stigma attached to menstruation—something experienced by roughly half the population at some point in their lives—is a baffling aspect of modern society, and yet even mention the word “tampon” and some men just don’t seem to know what to do with themselves.
And sometimes, that childishness creates a real problem for people, as was the case for Nicole (@dope_kitchen) when she recently tried to order tampons through DoorDash—only to be greeted with “fragile masculinity” from a Dasher she believed simply didn’t want to be caught buying the product.
The TikToker shared that she got her period while on the train to her parents’ house, and, at the time, placing an order from Walgreens for delivery seemed to be the best solution.
“As soon as my DoorDasher opened up my request for stuff from Walgreens, the first thing he did was refund my tampons,” she said. “Are you serious? There are no tampons?”
Nicole messaged the Dasher and he claimed the store was all out of tampons entirely, something she didn’t buy for a second. After going back and forth with him over text, she actually called to have him look, although she didn’t clarify how that ultimately turned out. (Nicole declined to comment.)
“But it was just wild to me that, as soon as he opened up my request, he refunded the tampons and didn’t give me any other options. I think he was just like, ‘nah, I don’t want to buy this vagina sh*t,’” she theorized.
“It’s a f*cking Walgreens. There are 13 different tampon brands; there’s a substitute there! Don’t mess with a woman on her period.”
@dope_kitchen Like, I’m sorry i am bleeding and i NEED this item?!?! And your fragile masculinity prevents you from going near the feminine care aisle to do your JOB?!?!
♬ original sound – Dope Kitchen (Nicole)
To be fair, last summer did see a tampon shortage across the country due to supply chain issues, but there’s currently no indication of a repeat this year.
What remains, however, is a discomfort among men to be seen buying menstruation products. In fact, according to a recent survey, 52% of men in the U.K. had never purchased any for their partner, and 42% said they would find it embarrassing to do so.
So while Nicole may not know for sure what was behind her Dasher’s immediate refund of her attempted tampon purchase, her speculation doesn’t seem far-fetched—and viewers were just as frustrated on her behalf.
“I’m so petty, I would’ve called Walgreens and asked them to announce on the speaker directly to him the aisle they are located,” wrote @lck9611, while @ambernv94 suggested Nicole “Should have asked him to send you a picture of the shelf with no tampons.”
“someone did this to me once too,” @_veronica_young admitted. “I said ok nvm I don’t need anything. canceled my order then reordered and someone else brought it.”
Even the official DoorDash account jumped into the comments, agreeing that there was “no way” there weren’t any tampons at Walgreens (and offering to “make this right” for the TikToker).
But @shmeeko really nailed the appropriate outrage with her top comment reading, “The proper response is always ‘I am already covered in my own blood I will have no problem adding yours to the mix.’”
