Getting Personal When Buying Condoms at Watson’s China

At Watson’s in China, a little personal shopping got too personal when I decided to stock up on condoms. (photo by Calvin Teo from wikimedia.org)

“Your Personal Store.” That’s the tagline for Watson’s, the most popular pharmacy/drugstore shop in Asia and my go-to in China for so many health and beauty items I need. But after my experience this summer, I began to wonder if Watson’s wasn’t becoming “Your A Little Too Personal Store.”

Last summer, I lived mostly with my in-laws and visited Hangzhou or Shanghai only a few times. For me, that meant no Watson’s conveniently just around the corner or a short bus, subway or taxi ride away. So when I saw a Watson’s, I would sometimes kick into “storage mode.” That meant buying some extra peppermint hand wipes, another bottle of Johnson’s Baby Wash (for my sensitive skin), and, say, some more Durex condoms.

I’m a married woman, and yes, I wanted to replenish my condom stash. I sure couldn’t do it in my Chinese husband’s rural village, which probably sold those dodgy ones with what always looked like adult movie stills printed on the package. On this day in question, I still stayed with him in his rented room in Shanghai for a few more days, we’d have a few weeks or so together at the end of the summer before returning to the US, and what we didn’t use, we could always take home. Yes, condoms would definitely come in handy.

But I’d have to go alone on this one. “It’s easier for you,” John said. “They expect foreigners to buy these things.”

I couldn’t deny the truth in what he said — that many Chinese believed foreigners, especially foreign women, were so much more “open” about sex. Sure, I liked sleeping with my husband, and wasn’t afraid to say so. But that didn’t make me some foreign Jezebel ready to screw on the spot. Besides, I couldn’t hide in China — people noticed me everywhere as a foreigner, and that meant they might even notice my purchase even more.

“But people will stare at me, it will be so embarrassing,” I said.

He flashed me one of those “go-get-’em” smiles, and said, “You have self-efficacy, you can do this.” Then he patted me on the shoulder. That was all his way of saying, there’s no way in hell I will buy the condoms.

Okay, then.

While John stayed with our shopping bags, I marched through the mall until I found that Watson’s logo lit up in white lights over that teal signage, the bright pastel lights around the periphery, and the pink tags in the aisles. Well, if his objections had to do with the store itself — which looked like it could emasculate any man who dared to shop alone in its borders — I could understand.

I darted through the aisles, to the back of the store, and sure enough, I found an entire wall of shelves stuffed with every kind of Durex condom imaginable. I saw all of these varieties they didn’t even sell in the US — all sorts of flavors, colors, textures. I reached for two, three boxes of them. Maybe I should buy more, maybe eight for good luck?

But then I saw a woman standing nearby who looked as old as my mother-in-law, smiling right at me and wearing a Watson’s name tag.

If you’ve never shopped at Watson’s, you should know that the store crawls with these assistants who help you find anything you’re looking for. I’ve always been an “I’m just looking” kind of shopper. I’d rather find it on my own than have someone tell me what to buy, and then wonder why I chose something else or decided not to buy after all. But these assistants seemed to have “lady laowai” magnets, because every time I went into a Watson’s I couldn’t avoid them — certainly not today.

“Here, you should try this one,” the woman said as she pulled a large red box of condoms off the shelf.

It was called “Pleasure Pack,” and it even had a flame on the packaging — not the sort of thing I imagined getting from a woman with the same dyed black hair and polyester pants like my mother-in-law. She’s not my mother-in-law, she’s not my mother-in-law. At least, that’s what I told myself.

I nodded at her, put the box in my basket, and tried hard to keep my gaze on the merchandise, instead of her curious eyes.

But she pulled another box of condoms off the shelf, something called “Jeans.” Then she said, “This one, it’s good.”

At least she kept her comments simple. I’d have hated for her to tell me, “That one has nice latex,” or, “The apple tastes better than the strawberry.”

She hovered over me the entire time I stood there choosing my condoms, so I picked the rest of my boxes fast (which came to eight), grabbed that extra toothbrush I needed, and dashed over to the register to pay.

I pushed my basket over to the girl behind the cash register. She swiped each box one after another and loaded them quickly into a Watson’s plastic bag. Maybe too quickly? She looked at the register again, wrinkled her brow, and said, “Sorry, I have to recount these.”

So she dumped the condoms out and tried swiping them again. But she still wasn’t satisfied, and tossed them on the counter, and swiped them a third time.

By then, two or three other store assistants migrated over to the register and hovered around to see what was going on — including my condom-pushing mother-in-law lookalike. With every moment, my face started to resemble all the red on that “Pleasure Pack,” with none of the fun.

Finally, the store manager, a young thirtysomething man in a shirt and tie, walked over and shooed the girl away from the register. He then emptied the bag on the counter for everyone to see again. Well, thank god he swiped them right the first time. He took my cash and then handed my receipt and change with my bag.

As for me, I never walked out of a Watson’s faster.

“What a scene,” I said to my husband long after we left that mall. “Recounting the condoms, all the people staring at me. It’s like they kept messing up on purpose.”

“I think they were so embarrassed, they couldn’t focus, so they had to count the condoms over.”

“So it’s not because they were curious about the foreign woman buying so many condoms?”

“No, not really.”

Well, good to know I wasn’t the only embarrassed one.

Have you ever bought condoms at Watson’s or somewhere in China? What’s been your experience?

58 Replies to “Getting Personal When Buying Condoms at Watson’s China”

  1. OMG, I love this! I remember when I first saw Watson’s in Shanghai back in 1995 and was so happy I’d finally found a place to buy Diet Coke! Watson’s weren’t a staple in China back then. No condom buyng there, although my former husband bought some at Wellcome in HK on our honeymoon and couldn’t even tell me what we were there to buy until he reached the appropriate display. So I hear you about the embarrassment factor. I did have a weird experience trying on bras at a store on Huai Hai Lu in Shanghai, also in 1995. The fitting room was one big open space, so a handful of saleswomen ‘helped’ me try on bras for my wedding qipao. Never had so many people touched my boobs at once. I was very modest and felt creeped out back then, but now I probably wouldn’t think twice about it.

  2. Not condoms. But whenever I went in for skin care, they always tried to sell me the stuff that included skin whitening. I guess they somehow missed that my skin is so freakishly pale, I have difficulty getting foundation even in America.

  3. I LOVE TO TALK ABOUT THIS SUBJECT SO MUCH! I LOVE IT ! We haven’t use condoms for so long :). We use no condom right now . I love the thin ones. The rugged or studded ( rough surface) ones are SWEET! Well, depending on some Chinese men/women. I will buy condoms even if a bunch of people staring at me. Some Chinese/asian women don’t mind buying condoms for their bfs or husbands either. I know a few. OMG! talking about condoms getting me hot hot hot :). I have to burn rubber driving back home tonight !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  4. What a funny and interesting post! Buying condoms can indeed be an embarrassing experience esp in more conservative Asian societies. And buying so many at one go must have reinforced the sales assistant’s perception of white women as very 开心 kaixin and 随便 suibian (happy go-lucky and casual). Ha, ha!

  5. @ Ordindary Malaysian. I agree with you that Western women in China have a bad reputation for being too liberal about sex. This is an unfair reputation because not all Western women are so “loose” but the Chinese believe that they are reputed for this type of behaviour. I hope one day that my fellow Chinese will not have such a negative stereotype of Western women some of whom I know are just fine and decent people. Nevertheless, this is a funny post.

  6. Yes, talking about condoms,sex , dirty talks and sex toys should be funny. It’s how you start the conversation when talking about buying condoms. The Chinese media is controlled by the gov’t so I think you understand why Chinese people are not opened about sex. The media is a very powerful instrument. Do you think Japan has this kind of issue? Japan exports tons and tons of XXX movies. Porn is normal in Japan. Japanese eat sushi on a naked model. Most of vibrators(dildos) are made in China! Some women love Flavored condoms especially the strawberry ones and other delicious flavors. OMG DELICIOUS! 🙂 LOL. I will tell my wife to buy some flavored condoms tonight!

  7. I recommend your friendly neighbourhood pharmacy for condom buying. Sure, probably not in small towns or villages. Certainly not villages, you know how villages work, everybody knows everything about everybody. But certainly in the city, yes, your friendly neighbourhood pharmacy is the way to go. Just make sure it’s part of a big enough chain to be reputable and have good brands (not just of condoms, but everything else, too).

    Why? First up, there’ll be far fewer people in the store. Secondly, the staff are actual pros, which translates into good attitude towards you, discretion, and competence. And as an added bonus, if you’re going to be around long enough to build up a relationship with them, you can trust them with a variety of healthcare needs.

    Watsons are good for many things, but you really need to know what you want before you go in, because the staff there are all about making the sale.

    As for Durex – Regular are so named because that’s how often they break. Jeans are reliable.

  8. I get really frustrated by the reputation of Westerners as more “open” as well. I often tell my students that the word doesn’t have quite the same connotation in English. In fact, it took a few times having adult male students walk up to me after class and ask me if it was true Westerners were more “open” and then leer at me before I figured out what they meant. Maybe I’m just slow!

    But yeah, I’ve had bad experiences with overly “helpful” staff in many a store. Sometimes I can’t take it and have to walk out without buying what I came for!

  9. @Nicki,
    the reason why westerners have this reputation of being more ‘open’ could be due to the influence of hollywood i.e watching too much movies and believing that the movies are mirrors of real life.
    @Susan,
    1995 was a long, long time ago. We’re in 2012 now, so the embarrassment factor should be relegated to the dustbin of history.
    @Jocelyn,
    thanks for sharing this story. Maybe next time, back in the States, you should ask John to buy those condoms for you. After all, since you, as a foreign woman, has already done the buying in China, next time its John’s turn to do the buying back in the States. Wonder what that would look like ? Maybe the sight of a Chinese man buying ‘that stuff’ in the States could conjure some unexpected effects on the minds of women over there. Cheers !

  10. Bought some the other day. Also rather personal. The shop attendant guided me to some larger ones because “the ones in China would be too small for me”. (I’m a white guy.) She also offered some “very exaggerated” (tebie kuazhuang) ones but my wife said that would be going overboard. Haha!

    It’s kindof awkward, but I’ve had bad experiences with condoms in China, so it was actually really helpful.

    The store owner also said that the Durex condoms in China were not as good as the ones from other countries, even Thailand. I don’t know if that was true or she was just trying to up-sell me.

  11. In 2006, I remember working for Kroger’s. I was twenty and back then never slept with a guy. I was near a pharmacy I remember and an old man comes up to me and asks me where the condoms are located. I was embarrassed but showed him where they were located or something. He said something about youngsters or that there’s nothing to be embarrassed to be about.

    Usually my Korean ex and I would buy condoms in Wal-mart, or in some cases gas stations. We used Durex brand, although I don’t think he liked it. At a university they had free condoms and one time I went there, I grabbed three, they were One brand and he enjoyed those more than Durex.

  12. @Tait: Durex was caught selling substandard condoms in China, but that was years ago. But still, like I said before, the ones Durex labels Regular break that often, so maybe there’s still some truth to the rumour.

  13. So funny Jocelyn! :). I used to work in an Australian pharmacy when I was just 16 years old (and very immature…. I am now 46 and still struggle in this world of grown ups!). The first time someone came up to me asking where the condoms were I started laughing! He was a young fellow, perhaps early 20s. He stared at me in shock, which unfortunately made it even funnier… I didn’t do a public price check though, which is effectively what has happened to you! Poor you and poor him…:)

  14. I remember once being in the local supermarket under my apt building & this lady around mid to late 30’s cut in to peruse the packs of condoms near the cashier. I was surprised she had no shame about it all! But them I guess the consequences of falling pregnant for a second time in China outweigh any embarrassment. I would get friends to buy me condoms outside the country & bring them in on visits to see me. Mainly because one partner complained locAl brands were too tight for him 🙂

  15. I’ve purchased condoms at Watson’s many times in Shanghai and it’s always been rather straightforward and without drama.

    People of course have different attitudes towards sex so I’ll try not to begrudge people for feeling self-conscious. However, ever since a sex-ed teacher back in the day made it our homework to go buy a pack of condoms, I haven’t been particularly embarrassed about it. I do think your husband needs to man up and not be so ashamed or fearful of buying condoms though.

  16. The lubricated condoms are the best ones. The ones that break are not lubricated. Image like pistons in your car engine without oil, do you see smoke coming out? :). Loose condoms are comfortible but something can leak out so it’s not safe ( pregnancy , bodily fluid etc). Get the condoms with heated oil on them. After using those, you have to comb your hair afterward. Both of your hair will stick up in the air!! What the …. ? LMAO LOL

  17. For the majority of men in this planet Western women ARE easy !!. I even heard that from western men . The reason is very simple : No man -regardless of his race, age, looks ..etc- has any problem having sex with western women. You don’t have to offer these women something and you don’t have to be that great too. While non-western girls have more conservative values and IMHO higher self-esteem

    It might be cultural thing, it might be that Western women are seeking love they don’t often find in their families, but to us guys it only means they are not hard to get, far from it indeed.

  18. To prove my point : I’ve known several guys who used to work as Taxi drivers in wealthy western countries, and they all faced the same when some women would offer them blowjob or a quickie rather than the taxi fare !! .. All these women are western women who don’t seem poor at all. They wear nice cloths and carry designer bags but they are cheap enough to get that low.

    In other countries, only poor girls would do such a thing. But for well-to-do women who lives in wealthy countries and enjoying its privileges to do it is pathetic and disgusting.

  19. I’m Chinese. It seems that my wife has never bought the condoms for us; I’m always the one who does that, struggling…whenever I buy the condoms in 7-eleven or Watson’s in Shanghai, I would look around to make sure that nobody notices me, and then grab one as quickly as possible…usually pretend to buy a bottle of water though I do not need the water…

  20. Jocelyn, the story is hilarious, especially the part about your mother-in-law lookalike 😀

    I never had to buy condoms in China. My boyfriend is doing it cause he’s the one who’s gonna wear them.

    Frankly, if I’d compare this story to some situations in Poland – it’s really nothing. Because of the one-child-policy buying contraceptives in China is widely understandable (at least in bigger cities) and not only condoms but also the morning-after pills are readily available. This is so different from Poland where, just like in “Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life”, every sperm is sacred, which means that if you’re buying condoms you have to face not only the embarrassment but sometimes condemnation form the shop assistant or pharmacist. If there’s an emergency situation and one needs the morning-after pill, in China you can buy it just like you buy candies in a supermarket, but in Poland you need prescription from a gynecologist. If the doctor is conservative, he or she can refuse to give you the prescription. If the doctor is quite ok, you’ll possibly have to tell a heartbreaking story which will convince the doctor that you really can’t have children now. Still you’ll have to hold out the “you-will-burn-in-hell” glances when buying the pill in a pharmacy.

    It’s so annoying with those hollywood stereotypes in China and funny at the same time. In western counties people watched “The House of Flying Daggers” or “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” but they know that the Chinese can’t fly, right?
    Unfortunately, it’s not only because of the movies. We all know that for many foreigners it’s much easier to have a one-night-stand in China that back in their own country and loser laowais are present also among women.

    @2 Cents: I’ll just say that your comment is not only infinitely stupid and shallow, but also offensive.
    “The reason is very simple : No man -regardless of his race, age, looks ..etc- has any problem having sex with western women.” HUH???
    I can not discuss at this level.

  21. Hey, Chinese girls like sex just as much as foreign girls do. You don’t need to look very far to discover that. I live opposite a love hotel and outside my apartment complex is littered with used condoms, it’s rather disgusting. I remember the campus gardens at my Heilongjiang Uni were covered with discarded rubbers, too. Some students were certainly doing some extra curricular activities, alright! 1.5 billion people didn’t come out of nowhere, did they? Nothing to be ashamed of about buying condoms. At least you’re being responsible. Chinese girls are smart, they just remember to hide the fact behind a coy virginal smile, instead of proudly flaunting it like us Laowai lasses. LOL! Still, my boyfriend will be the one flashing his RMBs at the till, not me. Hehe.

  22. Why all of a certain you guys like to comment on this subject? Normally, I have to wait days or weeks for a feedback. It will be funnier when people coming out from caves , just to make a comment here. Yes, Chinese girls/women love sex alot ,too!! We don’t want to generalize here. Only a few American women would offer such service riding a taxi ( maybe they’re are hookers or used to be hookers). We can not base a few women of a group and determine the result that such and such type of women are doing this. People that express openly about sex , doesn’t mean they have sex all the time!!!!! Talking about sex is like entertainment only. I like to talk dirty or talk about sex all the time but I don’t have sex every night man!!Sorry, I’m no sex addict like you guys out there. I don’t even have a collections of condoms or collections of sex toys or sex machines from Japan or Asia !!! You mean if you go to clubs in China , you won’t get laid ? or you go to clubs in Ameria, you won’t get laid ? Of course , you will get laid at both places . The question should be when you get laid! I know that Asian /Chinese women and Western women are almost equally horny!!! I love it when we only talk about buying condoms and now it opens up other conversations like western women are more open about sex :). I love it heheheh lol. You can never compare the west with the east . In America, we have stores that sell sex toys, hardcore xxx movies, hustler magazine (hardcore xxx). You can order adult movies at home. We have porn stars convention in Las Vegas where you can take pics and hug your favorite porn stars! We have all kinds of strip clubs here. Now ask me a question ! Do I like to watch or go to all these activities here? The answer is N.O. ! We have so many wonderful things going on right now and sex is not #1 on our list. Chinese women are horny but they like to do it privately. If Chinese people can get rid of the old thinking like trying to have more kids, you won’t have this kind of outraguous population. 1.4 billions is just too scary . Freaking scary! We must control the population growth in China. It’s not good for next generation . As Americans, we are just used to seeing condoms, watching porno, seeing people kissing, and holding hands. It’s just normal here. Just like eating rice in China ( is that normal?). If you can understand that then it’s no big deal. I can go out there right now to buy a truck load of condoms and I don’t even feel scared or ashamed. Alot of my chinese friends told me that Chinese women are trying out all kinds of sexual positions while having sex! Of course, things like that people don’t talk about but they do exist! Imagine sex entertainments expand to China just like America. What kind of society will China become? 1.4 billions people running around the bushes doing the wild thing lol. It’s so stupid to compare a person with another person like wealth , size, intelligent. Just like comparing a nation , a culture, a society with another. Westerners talk openly about sex , doesn’t mean they have sex with anybody! Just focus on the percentage and you will get the idea! Hey, If I’m a single man right now and I do love to joke around, comment about nasty, dirty stuff. So doesn’t that make me a horny guy ? The answer is still NO. Turn off your tv , computer and talk to people. Travel around the world man! Smell the coffee and don’t assume what you see or hear! Now go out there and buy a pack of condom for yourself to put over a cucumber !! 🙂 lol. duh!

  23. Have any of you men out there bought lingerie for your girlfriends/wives before? I have done it! It’s a fun feeling just picking out lingerie . You have to know her size like bras ( 34b,36c ,or D) and her size for the panties :). I was the only man there :). Those cashiers (women) at Victoria Secrets didn’t look or stare at me while I was there. They didn’t say ” what’s this Chinese man doing at Victoria Secrets”. The really fun part about getting lingerie for her is TAKING THEM OFF for her after she wears them *winks*smiles*. OMG I LOVE IT OMG! I told my friends and they loved it. Another Chinese close friend copied me and bought lingerie for his gf at that time and other guys have thought about it ( maybe they bought some already). Once you have done it, it’s nothing. Very normal and you say buying condoms is EMBARRASSING . What a joke! Have you men held or bought a pack of Tampax for your gf/wife before ? Let’s save that for later post! don’t want to excite you guys too much lol.

  24. Hey Jocelyn, Thank you for your post about buying condom at Watsons. we have Watsons in Hong Kong too, but I never paid attention to any western women, in fact, any women buying condoms 😛 I was not even 18 then. lol.
    Just the other day, my girlfriend and I just chated casually about buying stocking up condoms when we get married. Since we are going back to Hong Kong in March, I think we should try doing that in a Watsons and see what sorta reaction we are going to get!!

  25. Western and Chinese women are not any more or less sexual than each other, only that in Chinese society people don’t openly express it as much.

  26. I’m a white guy and never bought condoms in China because they were too big for me (I’m only 5’1″ tall). In fact, most condoms are too big for me. Such is the miserable life of a white guy who is not well-endowed (Of which there are plenty of us. That’s why white men are the biggest spenders of penis enlargers in the US!)

    I thought I would go to China and marry a Chinese woman but the Chinese are getting taller and bigger. In fact, most of the Chinese men I met were bigger and taller than me. So, I ended up going back to my country all alone.

    The only Chinese women who were interested in me were the uneducated and the desperate. I didn’t want to settle for those kind of women (like most white men do), so I just left China.

    Will I ever find true love? I’m still hoping ….

  27. “Francis”, if you’re going to make up a story, put a little more effort into it.

    The most notable error is that this “Francis” character of yours somehow knows how large the condoms are even though he’s never bought one.

    Besides that, the whole story is pretty silly. At least your English was good though.

  28. I never think about penis size and I don’t understand either on this kind of thinking. With my knowledge and IQ level, it’s a waste of time talking about penis size. I’m not afraid to say it but women who only search for men with big penis are sluts! How can you have a happy relationship when the only focus is on penis , big breasts , big butts etc? If a man only like a woman because of her huge breasts, then you’re an idiot! You want to show her off in public like a porn star or a stripper or what? Keep on focusing on the size of penis and breasts and you wonder why you’re still single and a loser from now until future! You heard of penile enlargement right? Have you have of vaginal rejuvenation? Do your research on them. I don’t want to talk some more on these two subjects because I’ll be even more stupid :). I have many things to say here to knock you off your socks but nah I won’t. I won’t entertain you men out there :). I’m learning to be selfish ha ha ha lol 🙂

  29. Totally serious question: is there anywhere in Beijing you can buy actual western condoms? (or at least western-sized) Even the Durex at Watsons are asian size. When I lived in Japan there was a store called Condomania that stocked a variety of sizes, but no such luck here. Would those “Sex Shop” places might carry them?

  30. @Renaud: I don’t know, as that’s never been an issue for me, but I’d recommend poking around areas with large Western expat populations, they’d be where you’re most likely to find them.

  31. @Renaud: You can tell the store owner to order some westernized condoms if you prefer those brands. China just started making condoms so they needed more research on quality control. Companies only focus on the majority and the avg size. If you are bigger, you have to special order. Just like if you’re a 300lbs man, you need a special store to buy clothes. I answer your serious question already.

  32. I have bought protection in Watsons many times, and I have never thought about that, same in Tesco. I have never felt observes, it comes naturally..
    I will pay more attention when I go to Watsons and give you a better answer!

  33. Oh my God, I’m the same way when I’m shopping, I know the hovering salespeople mean well, but SO not necessary!! I had a similar experience in Watsons-like store in Beijing (orange logo, can’t remember the name…), I was browsing the protection and three girls who worked there were off to one side giggling and fidgeting like crazy, too embarrassed to come up to me! I know it’s not very nice, but from then on if I was in that store and really wanted to be left alone, I’d go back to that shelf…

  34. I am fascinated and curious to understand why Chinese people seem to be so embarrassed about the subject of condoms. Can anyone shed some light on this for me?
    I’m a South African, temporarily living in Dublin, Ireland – and part of my volunteer work (I’m on student placement at an AIDS awareness project) is to walk the city streets handing out free packs of condoms – usually about 4 johnnies, with some lube and an info guide about how to use them. There are lots of people who want more than just one pack! But without fail, Chinese people will refuse to accept them (or even look at the packs – which are very discreet, plain purple paper, no branding or pictures or anything on them!) And the suggestion of an information sheet (with all of the relevant sexual health information) in Mandarin, and the response is consistently “No. I don’t need it, thank you.” and you haven’t even said much of anything about what it is. The answer is an embarrassed but definite NO.
    If you’re trying to raise awareness about the dangers of unprotected sex, how do you engage or reach Chinese people, and not just get the brushoff?
    Any ideas or thoughts would be most appreciated!

  35. I’m always looking for ways to reduce my luggage when flying, so several years ago when I noticed that the Watson’s in HK had exactly the same style of Ansell condoms as back home, I told myself it was one thing I needn’t pack next time.
    Well, next time came and I didn’t pack them. Buying from Watson’s wasn’t a drama either. The drama was when I tried to use one!
    I’m a little on the small side, about 10cm. And I have no reason to think I’m world beating in the girth stakes either, but the condoms I bought in HK were *TIGHT*, painfully eye-crossingly unusably tight! All I can guess is that average girth varies in various parts of the world, and Ansell sells accordingly.
    I’ve learned my lesson now, and condoms is one thing I’ll always buy in my home market, no matter if the packaging is identical elsewhere.

  36. It all comes down to quality control here. Condom manufactures shall get feedbacks from users and they need more volunteers to test them out and get feedbacks also. Some companies out perform other companies because of research and understand what consumers want. Why do you think we have soo many junk tools, furniture , cars etc etc out there? I only have high quality tools and knives at my home. To me, condom is like a tool to me, too. You want comfortible, reliable condom. research is the key! we are willing to pay more for quality. Just like we are willing to go the extra miles for the man or woman of our dream! seem like I have answer to every question! EXPERIENCE MY FRIEND!

  37. I completely took for granted that a) condoms were sold at the convenience store in front of my apartment complex and b) my husband always bought them…..

    If buying condoms for a your husband was uncomfortable, I was just imagining you sending him for female products…

  38. “I’d have hated for her to tell me, “That one has nice latex,” or, “The apple tastes better than the strawberry.””

    “With every moment, my face started to resemble all the red on that “Pleasure Pack,” with none of the fun.”

    hahaha, I love your commentary!

  39. Before going to buy some condoms, write down severals items first.
    List : 🙂
    1) strawberries ( dipped in chocolate).
    2) whip cream ( use your imagination ) 🙂
    3) oysters
    4) Bottle of champagne
    5) lingerie

    Now, walk calmly to buy them . don’t think anything until tonight.

  40. Barbara,

    🙂 I’m giggling right now while working on a few cases here :). I have lots of imagination :p. Can’t say here. Can you tell us on some of your imaginations? 🙂 lol * kiss* 🙂

  41. Well, Bruce.. It’s just not like me to share my intimate experiences and sexual fantasies on the internet. Anyway, I don’t think that Jocelyn would be happy with this kind of comments on her blog, since it has nothing to do with the main subject. But maybe I’m wrong.
    All this trick with strawberries, champagne, whipped cream and that kind of stuff is so hackneyed, you can find it almost in all kitchy movies when a couple is having “sophisticated” love game, in all kind of articles titled “how to make your sex life more exciting”… Please… Frankly, to me this is not exciting, but I understand that everyone has one’s own preferences.
    Besides, it’s almost impossible to get a whipped cream in Shenzhen.

  42. I’m just an honest person so I give honest comment. Over-sharing is caring :). Some subjects are just so complex . You just have to paint the picture for them. No I don’t have my own blog because I have many things going on now and alot of responsibility. If I have a blog , it will have something traditional and something out of this world. My views will be the opposite of what people think. Do you know that even some people with PHD degrees don’t even have common sense in other things. I would like to see more men out there who can handle anything that are thrown at them. We can jump in a kitchen and cook dinner. We know how to use guns when it’s needed. We can be handy with cars and repairs at home. We can grow an organic garden if we want to. We are not embarrassed to discuss about sex or any issues etc . Last but not least, be a real family man . It’s called Jack of all trades! Anymore questions? 🙂

  43. Haha, I had a similar experience as yours. My (Chinese) boyfriend refused to buy condoms, and so one day I decided to suck it up and buy them. My logic was that I didn’t want to have to make this trip again in another two weeks or so I wanted to “stock-up”. The store attendant was quite helpful, and had the most interesting things to say about each condom brand on the shelf. Sadly, she didn’t get the hint to leave-me-be even after I mentioned how embarrassing it was to have someone help you pick out condoms. Oh well though! Nowadays I make my boyfriend buy them, but to this day (two years in) he refuses to even act like he knows me when he’s buying them. He will only meet up with me after we are well out of the store (I know, so silly).

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  45. Oh, my! What a scene!
    I know i hate have store assistants hover around while I’m trying to shop, but the last thing I need from them is condom recommendations!

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