For the general population, it’s death and taxes. For those who have periods, it’s death, taxes and forking out monthly for a box of tampons.
Paying for the sheer pleasure of having a female reproductive system has often been a sore point, but for some it’s one that’s increasingly unaffordable. A recent survey by a regional health and wellbeing board found that nearly one in three of us who menstruate have struggled to access period products.
And while the Government finally scrapped a VAT on period products that until last year put pantyliners in the same luxury category as Ferrero Rocher, period poverty is still a major issue as the cost of living crisis deepens. That’s why Morrisons recently introduced a "Package for Sandy" scheme.
Piloted in 2021 in the supermarket’s Bolton store where poverty levels are among the highest in the country, anyone in-store can request a discreet package with period products inside, no questions asked. You simply need to head to the customer service desk by the newsstands and ask to collect a Package for Sandy.
Emma Parkinson, the scheme's founder who works at the Bolton store, said she was inspired after being a pupil at a school in a predominantly low-income area where there was little access to period products. "It’s shocking that young girls and women go without sanitary products through no fault of their own, so I’m really pleased that we at Morrisons can help to support those in need across the whole of the UK,” she said.
But does it work? Reach reporter Susie Beever put it to the test. While the taboo surrounding periods has diminished significantly, many still face embarrassment. Susie, who says she is "pretty unembarrassable, headed to three Morrisons stores to ask. in Anlaby, Holderness Road and Goole.
First on the list was the Anlaby Road store, where she made a beeline for the desk where there was – shock horror – a man on the tills. She said: "I asked, 'Hi, do you have any packages for Sandy?' Straight away he knew what I meant but fumbled unpreparedly as he admitted he wasn't sure where the envelopes were kept.
"When asking his female assistant whether she knew where they were, she replied, 'Who's Sandy?' Instead of digging the hole any deeper I left and ventured onto the next store on our list, Holderness Road."
Here, Susie said, the woman knew straight away and handed one over. The brown envelopes addressed to Sandy include two liners which would last for a full afternoon. She said: "I was a bit bowled over by how easy that was, but I handed the envelope back, thanking the staff member and explaining I didn't actually need them and just wanted to see if it worked. 'Of course it does,' she told me."
Last on the list was Goole: "It's a bit of a drive from Hull, but I wanted to cover a wide range of areas which were suitably different from one another. Again, the staff member kindly handed an envelope over as if she'd been doing so all day. And again, I thanked her, and explained there was somebody else who needed it more than I did."
Having a period can cost anywhere between £2 and £10 each month, various factors depending. It may not sound much, but times that by 12 then by however many people in your household who have them, and some people can easily spend £100 a year on something that's a bare essential.
It’s cash some women, particularly young girls in households below the breadline, could do without spending right now. Said Susie: "Imagine being a 13-year-old girl whose parents are struggling to afford their bills with several other children to look after, and having to ask for money for a box of tampons. Particularly if you are from a culture where menstruating is something you're told not to talk about."
Luckily, many schools, youth centres and businesses such as cafés and restaurants now leave out period products for people to use free of charge. "This isn't about freebies, it's about making sure everybody has access to something that's as essential to our dignity," Susie concluded.
Emma Parkinson's initiative with Morrisons means that the scheme is now available in 497 Morrisons stores nationwide.
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