A shopper was left furious after Tesco staff refused to sell her sanitary products as they were 'not essential' items.
The woman, Katie, took to Twitter over the shocking incident asking Tesco to explain why she couldn't buy hygiene products for her period, but she was allowed to buy alcohol at her local store in Wales.
The country is currently in the middle of a 17-day Covid lockdown imposed by the devolved Welsh Government, who had supplied a list of essential and non essential items Welsh people can access.
But Tesco stores seem to have cordoned off the sanitary products aisle to customers branding towels and tampons as 'non essential'.
Blasting the supermarket giant on Twitter, Katie said: " @Tesco can you explain why I was told today that I can’t buy PERIOD PADS as I’m sure they are essential to women ?!!! But I can buy alcohol it doesn’t make sense."
A Tesco PR representative replied to Katie on Twitter saying: "We understand how frustrating these changes will be for our Welsh customers.
"However, we have been told by the Welsh Government not to sell, these items for the duration of the firebreak."
Another shopper Nichole-Louise Smith shared pictures of the sanitary products aisle blocked off in her local store.
However, despite the gaff, Tesco admitted the initial tweeted response was "a mistake" and said the aisles were condoned off because of a police investigation into a break-in.
A Tesco Spokesperson said: “Sanitary products are essential items and are available to customers in all of our stores in Wales. Due to a break-in, this area was closed temporarily in one store for a Police investigation, but is now open again. The reply to this customer, which implied these products were non-essential, was sent by mistake and we’re very sorry for any confusion caused.”
However twitter users were not impressed with the supermarket's gaff.
One said: "That's crazy - I wonder if it's a man that's made that decision."
Another said: "How dare they put women in this situation?!?! How many men would it have taken to arrive at this decision?!?!?!"
"This has to be a joke?????? Sanitary products ARE an essential item ffs!!!!! What are we supposed to use then??"
Whole the Welsh Government does not say sanitary items are non essential, baby dummies, birthday cards, books, toasters, kettles and jumpers are and are all out of bounds in stores for customers.
