In recent times, a new brand of tampons with applicators have emerged in the local market... Playtex. Recently, the supply in my bathroom cabinet somewhat diminished and I had to go hunt for more tampons. I remembered seeing this ad in the papers advertising Playtex thus I went with my boyfriend. We had to go to three different places before we could find any Playtex. The local supermarket didn't have any, neither did one of the major chemists. I finally found some in this small shop.
OK... I don't mind using a different brand. Hell, a tampon (with applicator) is a tampon correct? Since I can remember, the only tampon that I have used (in Malaysia and Australia) is Tampax. Well, Tampax is comforting but the thought of a new brand was exciting, something different. Tampax comes with a cardboard applicator (those available here anyway) and it comes with different absorbancy levels e.g. regular, super.
Now, Playtex on the other hand is more expensive than Tampax, doesn't come in bulk buys i.e. more than 8 - 12 per box and is waaaaaaaaay more confusing. Let me illustrate here: Playtex comes in three different "models"... Gentle Glide, Silk Glide and Slim Fits. That in itself was rather annoying (confusing). The difference between Gentle and Silk... well, Silk comes with a cardboard applicator whereas Gentle and Slim comes with a plastic one.
OK... here is a summary of the different Playtex tampons available in the
market (if you are interested that is 
).
- Gentle Glide (plastic)
- deodrant, non-deodrant, odor absorbing
- multipack (regular and super in one box... not available in this country
.
- portables
- regular, super and super plus absorbancies
- Slim Fits (plastic)
- regular and super absorbancies
- Silk Glide (cardboard)
- deodrant, non-deodrant, odor absorbing
- regular, super and super plus absorbancies
So there I was, trying to be the consicentious consumer, doing the mathematics on my mobile phone (yes, it does have a built in calculator... very helpful at times). I worked out that the plastic applicator ones are cheaper than the cardboard one. Being the environmentally conscious one, I decided to go with the cardboard... hey, it is biodegradable and thus is flushable... I did bitch about the extra 1.something cent that I had to pay though. I odn't understand why the cardboard ones are more expensive than the plastic ones. I mean, isn't the company aware that cardboard is a LOT more environmentally friendly than plastic? Can you see people recycling used plastic tampon applicators? I don't think so! Playtex should price their products so as to discourage peeople from using unenvironmentally friendly products i.e. plastic. This shows that the company is not civic conscious.
However, seeing that my choice in tampons is rather limited in this country, I am forced to use Playtex... a VERY good example of a monopoly in the market if you ask me. Tampons is a luxury item here... it costs RM 0.71 cents everytime I have to change a tampon. This is somewhat expensive if you take into account that the minimum wage here is RM 2 per hour (approximately). Where is the male equivalent of tampons? What do males use exclusively that females have no need for?? Where is the fairness in all this??
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