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chocolate, and a bottle of champagne. Suddenly, you and your partner realize that something important is missing. There are no condoms, lube or birth control on hand. And they are needed right now. What should I do without sex oriented items? Run to the store or pharmacy for condoms? Fears and unpleasant emotions can ruin the evening, but this can be avoided and the right mood for the purchase.
Learn to control the situation and take such moments lightly so that embarrassment due to the lack of contraception does not spoil your intimacy.
Easy Shopping at The Right Store
Select the right store for sex-related items: Choose a store you are familiar with to easily find the product you need. Consider going to a store outside your immediate area to avoid running into people you know.
Find specialized sex shops where you can easily pass it off as a humorous gift for a friend or a favor for a bachelorette party. This may also reduce concerns about possible negative judgments.
Seek social support: Mitigate any embarrassment by bringing a friend or partner with you who can serve as a social buffer or distraction.
Invite your partner to accompany you on shopping excursions.
Confide in a friend and let him know that you could use some moral support during your purchase.
Confidential and Secure Purchases
Expand your purchase: Purchasing only a personal item may make you feel like it is drawing undue attention to you, potentially increasing your embarrassment. Instead, buy a few things to disguise the purpose of your visit.
Bring additional items, such as a bag of chips, chewing gum or soda, to distract attention from the main purchase. The more items you include, the better.
Find the right cashier. When shopping for intimate items, using strategies such as choosing a counter that is frequented by someone of the same gender and age can significantly reduce feelings of embarrassment. This is a common method of navigating the purchase of personal products without undue discomfort.
If you can’t find a cashier who looks like you, try choosing the one you think will cause the least embarrassment or best suit your situation.
Stay distracted or appear busy during checkout: This will help draw less attention to yourself and reduce the likelihood of the cashier engaging in small talk, thereby avoiding potentially awkward moments.
Remain polite, but minimize excessive eye contact and small talk with the cashier. View the magazine available at the checkout. Send text messages or chat on the phone while you wait in line at the checkout counter.
Select the self-service option if available. This can help alleviate the feeling of being watched or judged while shopping. Research has shown that reducing the perception of social presence in one’s immediate environment can reduce feelings of embarrassment when purchasing personal items.
Keep practicing: Over time, the discomfort associated with purchasing personal items tends to lessen with experience. This is based on the idea that the more you do a certain activity, the easier you become at it; the same principle applies to acquiring embarrassing items. As you gain more experience with purchasing these items, your discomfort will likely decrease, and you may even become accustomed to the feeling of awkwardness over time.
Change Your Perspective on An Awkward Situation
Develop positive thoughts about the situation and feelings of embarrassment. It is important to take control of your thinking and minimize negative thoughts about your circumstances, which can reduce the likelihood of excessive embarrassment. This is because our thoughts directly affect our emotions.
Think thoughts such as: “I can handle this; It’s not as bad as it seems!
Find humor in the situation. Isn’t it funny that we buy these things in front of other members of society?
Recognize that employees experience this on a regular basis. Keep in mind that cashiers at these stores typically handle the same items. Chances are, you’re not the first person to make this purchase at your checkout, and you probably won’t be the last.
Think something like this: “This person most likely does not harbor negative judgments about me; he encounters things like this all the time!”
Understand The Consequences of Avoidance
Unfortunately, if you let embarrassment keep you from purchasing sexual contraceptives such as condoms, it could lead to unsafe sex and potential pregnancy. Therefore, it is extremely important to combat and manage this embarrassment to maintain a healthy sex life.
Think about the possible consequences of not purchasing the product: could it lead to pregnancy, risk of contracting an STD, or discomfort during sexual intercourse?
Some people may resort to theft to obtain these personal items to reduce embarrassment. Please be aware that such behavior may result in legal consequences.
Manage and Alleviate Your Embarrassment
Recognize and understand the source of your confusion. To effectively deal with your embarrassment, you must first acknowledge and understand it. Embarrassment is a feeling of anxiety or humiliation that occurs when we believe that others evaluate us negatively.
Identify specific thoughts that make you feel embarrassed when purchasing personal or sexual items. Is it due to anxiety about the judgment of others or perhaps a fear of meeting someone you know? Identifying the exact reasons for your embarrassment or anxiety will help you develop coping strategies.
Don’t Think You Are Alone in This Situation
Recognize that you are not alone in this experience. For example, most people who buy condoms do so by visiting a brick-and-mortar store. Only a small percentage, about 5%, purchase them from medical clinics, and even fewer (0.4%) choose to purchase them online. Moreover, research shows that approximately 55% of men and approximately 69% of women find the process of buying condoms embarrassing. This highlights the prevalence of feeling awkward when purchasing items of a personal or sexual nature.
When you’re worried about a potential embarrassment, remind yourself that the vast majority of people who buy personal products like condoms do so in a store. If they can do it, so can you!
If you’re worried about feeling embarrassed about making such a purchase, remember that others often feel similar feelings in your situation.
Accept your emotions. Accepting your feelings is vital to finding motivation to improve and make positive changes, such as confidently purchasing personal items. As mentioned earlier, more than half of shoppers report feeling embarrassed when purchasing products such as condoms. Recognize that embarrassment is a normal and natural emotion, especially in the context of purchasing personal items.
When you struggle with embarrassment, tell yourself, “It’s okay to feel this way; Many people feel embarrassed in this particular situation.”
Explore All Product Properties
Research shows that the more you understand and feel comfortable with the specific product you are purchasing, the less embarrassment you are likely to feel. This approach also reduces the time spent searching for products in the aisle. Be aware of where to find it and how to easily purchase it.
Do online research about the product, including reading its instructions and possible side effects. Select the specific type, brand, and store that carries the product you want.