Mom is Shocked When Cashier Tells Her She Shouldn't Buy Tampons in Front of Her Young Daughter

All too often, parents have to face completely unsolicited feedback while out in the world. For one mom on Reddit, that recently came from a store employee who had some seriously strong opinions about her buying tampons and pads ... in front of her toddler. The original poster (OP), writing under the handle u/CompetitiveVillage76, titled her post, "What decade are we in?"

The OP explained that she was at the store with her 1-year-old daughter to pick up pads and tampons. "I go to check out and the old man at the register looks shocked and pulls out the biggest paper bag he could find," she recalled. "As he scans and bags my stuff he leans forward to whisper, 'You really shouldn't buy these things gestures at tampons with young girls around. It will give them ideas later.'"

She proceeded to thank him for his advice and leave as fast as she could. "What year is it? It's been many years since I used tampons, but I thought the stigma died after middle school," she wrote in the Mommit subreddit. "Also what idea would my toddler be having other than how to throw them in the toilet or eat them? Dude works in a pharmacy, but can't keep his mouth shut about patrons' purchases."

Fellow Redditors were as befuddled and offended by the interaction as the OP. u/that-jeep-chick shared, "If he said that to you, what do you think he might be saying to girls who are buying tampons? I normally am not one to say speak to the manager, but I'd strongly consider it."

And u/PootieGlove agreed, writing, "Employees do NOT need to be making comments on customer purchases, period. Pun only slightly intended."

u/BoatMoney7530 chimed in, "I LOVE responding to weirdos with 'Did you mean to say that out loud?' Just deadpan and move on."

Others noted that tampons have been strangely sexualized by older generations. u/CurlyQ2004 shared, "When I first told my mom I wanted to start using tampons, she got all flustered and said, 'I didn't start using tampons till after I was married.' It took me years to realize what she meant by that. I hope the thought that using tampons has any connection to sex doesn't seep over into our generation."

For the record, experts say a person can start using tampons from their first period.

Given all the eyebrow-raising that the post was met with, here's hoping we're moving in a far more progressive direction.