In order to help tackle the rising cost of living, supermarket giant Tesco brought in a new scheme aiming to tackle period poverty and those who are affected.
Due to the ongoing crisis, it's reported that one in eight people who menstruate won't be able to afford sanitary products this year, according to YouGov.
Many will therefore be turning to hygiene banks, charities or other discreet schemes to help cover them during their monthly cycle.
Although it started as a mere rumour, Tesco recently confirmed that if you go to customer services and ask for a 'white envelope' you will be given sanitary products with "no questions asked".
After spotting the tweet confirming it, Manchester Evening News reporter Bethan Shufflebotham decided to go to three different Tesco stores to see if the initiative actually works. However, not everything went as planned and she was left feeling embarrassed and disappointed – but the supermarket later confirmed why. Below, she details her experience.
Heading into one Tesco, I arrived at the customer service desk and asked if it would be possible to get a 'white envelope'. The customer assistant went to have a little look in a cupboard, but apologised and said they'd 'run out'. Now, I can't be certain if she means run out of the emergency period products, or actual white envelopes, because as well-meaning as this scheme may be, the code word is, in my opinion, slightly flawed, as I would come to discover at Tesco number two.
"Hi, I was wondering, do you have a white envelope please?" the other problem being is that you can't help but deliver the question with a bit of a wink and a nod to signal it is in fact the code word white envelope, and not the item of stationery.
But in store number two, the lady behind the till replied: "Just a plain white envelope? We haven't got any plain white ones without getting them off the shop floor."
I explained I'd seen that Tesco were running a scheme where you can ask for a 'white envelope', but this particular member of staff hadn't heard of it, through social media or otherwise.
I held out a small amount of hope that Tesco store number three would see some success, but once again the member of staff headed into the stockroom and returned empty handed with a 'sorry, we're out!'.
I do feel that the employees in stores one and three had an idea of what I was talking about, but in the second store the scheme had been unheard of.
I left feeling rather disappointed that I left all three stores empty-handed, not even an actual white envelope, but thankful that I wasn't in genuine need of a sanitary towel at the time, since I was wearing cream leggings, too. It did upset me though that someone may have seen the social media posts and Tesco's tweet and mustered the courage to ask for a 'white envelope', but come away feeling embarrassed and somewhat disheartened.
However, Tesco has since clarified that the original 'white envelope' scheme was a 'small-scale trial' that has since ended, which is why those looking to access the free help may not find it in their local branch.
A Tesco spokesperson said: "We're really sorry for any confusion caused by the White Envelope initiative. This was a small-scale trial we ran in a handful of stores to help people in their local community. Now the trial has ended, we'll use what we've learned to help us serve our customers better.
"We know the cost of period products is a real struggle for many and continue to work with our suppliers to make sure they are affordable for all."
While this particular experience wasn't ideal, Tesco says they've long made it their 'mission' to give easy access to affordable sanitary products. For example, in 2017, they became the first UK supermarket to remove VAT on period products.
Meanwhile, Tesco colleagues can buy Tesco own brand period products at half price and they are provided with free period products in colleague toilets.
While I didn't have as much success with Tesco's white envelope as I did with Morrisons' package for Sandy, I'm pleased to see people talking more about period poverty in general, raising awareness of the cost of menstruating, and highlighting where people can access help in a safe, discreet way.
Do you have a story to tell? You can email ariane.sohrabishiraz@reachplc.com
