Strange interactions at the checkout counter are nothing new. But one woman’s recent trip to Walmart has ignited a conversation about “male-centered” behavior. Her experience trying to checkout period panties proves some women still haven’t moved past the outdated stigma surrounding feminine hygiene.
TikTok creator Kiara (@kiarajaxn) recently shared a storytime that has reached over 163,000 viewers. She details an encounter where a cashier allegedly tried to use a box of period underwear to cause a public scene.
The video reveals how some people still attempt to weaponize normal biological functions to embarrass others. Thankfully, the plan backfired completely.
The elder cashier literally slammed the period panties on the counter
In the video, Kiara explains that she lives in an area with a lot of elderly people. So, her local Walmart keeps cashiers alongside the usual self-checkout option. After grabbing a few items, including a box of Always disposable period panties, she headed to the cashier line. “The self-checkout line was through the roof,” she explains.
At the counter, there was an elder woman who begins scanning her items. The interaction was proceeding normally until a man walked up to wait behind her in line. According to Kiara, as the man approached, the older female cashier suddenly took the period underwear out of the bag. Mind you, she had already begun placing it into a bag.
The cashier then “slammed” the box on top of the bagging carousel in a way that Kiara interpreted as a clear attempt to draw attention to the product in front of the male customer.
It was a failed attempt at embarrassment
Despite the cashier’s alleged attempt to create a spectacle, Kiara refused to give her the satisfaction of a reaction. She noted that the box itself is relatively discreet. And more importantly, she feels zero shame about purchasing products necessary for a heavy flow.
“I am a woman. I have a period,” Kiara stated, highlighting that she would have ordered the items to her house if she felt any level of embarrassment. On top of it, men wouldn’t really know what the product was just by looking at the packaging.
A man don’t know nothing! You ask a man to go get you pads and he will come back with tampons. Like, who freaking cares?
After realizing that Kiara wasn’t going to flinch or act flustered, the cashier eventually placed the underwear back into the very same bag she had originally removed them from. Naturally, the man did not care about the period panties either.
The selective bagging logic — period panties out but hair straightener in?
Kiara was quick to point out the inconsistency in the cashier’s actions. She pointed out how the cashier removed the $7 box of period underwear from its bag. At the same time, she left alone a much more expensive $50 hair straightener, which was actually sticking out of its own bag.
This led Kiara to believe the move had nothing to do with space or theft prevention. It only had to do with “male-centered” shaming. She noted that she wasn’t about to leave the store without a bag anyway, as she didn’t want to deal with a receipt check at the door for an unbagged item that clearly fit inside the plastic.
What was the cashier trying to do?
The consensus among Kiara and her viewers is that the cashier was attempting to “out” a private purchase to provoke a reaction of shame. By slamming the period panties onto the top of the carousel as soon as a man arrived, the cashier probably tried to create a moment of “feminine modesty” or embarrassment.
The action suggests a generational divide where older women may still feel that period products are something to be hidden or whispered about. Clearly, she expected Kiara to share that sentiment. But she had zero care to give. So did the man behind her in line.
Gone are the days when periods were a taboo
By essentially ignoring the cashier, Kiara masterfully asserted that menstruation is not a “secret” or a source of scandal. As she noted, a man standing in line likely “doesn’t care” about a box of hygiene products. And if he did, that would be his own issue to manage.
Modern consumers are increasingly vocal about normalizing periods. They’re moving away from the era of hiding pads in pockets or feeling “gross” for buying diapers for a heavy flow. Kiara’s refusal to be shamed is a testament to a new era of period-positivity. The only thing “embarrassing” about the interaction was the cashier’s behavior.
So, take a page out of Kiara’s book: buy your “diapers” with pride, and never let a carousel slam ruin your day.
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