Evidence of the shortage has been growing on social media and forums, though data mapping out the course of the shortage has yet to be compiled. Frustrated women have shared their trouble finding their preferred menstrual products on Twitter and Reddit, often including photos of empty shelves at big-box retailers such as CVS and Walgreens. Many women are turning to the new Trans fad and blaming men who are trying to fit into a woman's world as one of the reasons why sanitary products are in short supply.
“With China shut down due to Covid, supply chain issues are going from bad to worse,” one woman wrote on Twitter in April. “I cannot find the feminine hygiene products I like anywhere. I can find them online though for $10 for a box of pads and $17 for a box of tampons?! This isn't some fancy brand. This f***ing sucks.”
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Another Twitter user wrote, “Is a female apocalypse coming or something?! Why is every store out of tampons?”
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The shortage has been prompted by supply chain issues that have tormented the manufacture of other products, most notably baby formula. The major tampon manufacturers, Procter & Gamble, Edgewell, and Kimberly-Clark, have cited COVID-19-related limitations on employees’ ability to work and travel, shipping and transportation bottlenecks, and difficulty sourcing raw materials.
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Cotton and rayon, critical ingredients for the manufacture of tampons, have been in high demand throughout the pandemic, which has also led to higher costs. The price per pound of cotton, for instance, has also climbed about 88% since the start of the pandemic.
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Procter & Gamble, which manufactures Tampax products, America’s most popular tampon brand, said the company has ramped up manufacturing at its Maine plant to operate around the clock.
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“We understand it is frustrating for consumers when they can’t find what they need. We can assure you this is a temporary situation, and the Tampax team is producing tampons 24/7 to meet the increased demand for our products,” a company spokesperson told the Washington Examiner.
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A company spokesperson also attributed increased demand and low supply to the “hit” 2020 ad campaign featuring comedian Amy Schumer, according to Time.
Kimberly-Clark and Edgewell, manufacturers of Kotex and Playtex respectively, did not respond to requests for comment. The companies disclosed in reports for investors that the pandemic could continue to disrupt their abilities to satisfy heightened demand for the products.
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Kimberly-Clark, for example, told investors the pandemic could have several negative impacts on the business, “including causing significant volatility in demand for our products, changes in consumer behavior and preference, disruptions in our manufacturing and supply chain operations … significant changes in the economic or political conditions in markets in which we operate.”
Major retailers have conceded the shortage of particular brands, though they sustain they are in regular contact with companies about their efforts to boost supplies.
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