CVS and Walgreens confirm some tampons out of stock as non-profits also seeing diminishing supplies
It’s unclear how the shortage is affecting smaller and independent retailers. A spokesperson at the National Community Pharmacists Association said that several member pharmacies had not experienced supply issues nor had problems with their distributors.“We have definitely seen a decline in the number of tampon donations over the last few months,” Lysne Tait, executive director of the non-profit
“For the first time, I’m having multiple organizations that do what I do reaching out to me to see if I can help them cover their clients, and I’ve also had new agencies reach out to me asking for help because the resources that they had have dried up,” Joy said. “It’s not uncommon for me to have a new agency reach out, and it’s not uncommon for other organizations who do what I do to reach out occasionally, but it’s very consistent [now].
A statement from Walgreens said that “similar to other retailers, we are experiencing some temporary brand-specific tampon shortages in certain geographies”. Edgewell, a major personal hygiene producer, said that Covid-related staffing challenges in late 2021 and early 2022 contributed to supply issues. But the company also said it is taking steps “to build back inventory”.