Finding a Turkey made of tampons is easier than finding Tampons in Turkey.

Photo credit - Thanksgiving has never been so absorbent

There are certain things you need to know before you travel to different countries.  For example eating unripe ackee in Jamaican will kill you. Introducing yourself as Randi in the UK means you're a horny bastard. (tough break if that's actually your name) Public drinking is no longer legal in Rome.  And female circumcision is real in up to 70% of African countries. So be careful backpacking in the bush ladies.( no pun intended)


Another need-to-know fact is that the tampon revolution has not, I repeat, has not infiltrated Turkey.  I mean this is a mostly liberal Muslim country.  Women wear bikinis on the beach (for better or worse) public displays of affection won't get you stoned to death. Women smoke in public. Wearing short-shorts won't get you clapped upside the head with a Koran. The clubs are totally westernized. And when the Mu'azzin makes the  call to salat (prayer), you don't see many people stop, drop, and roll onto prayer mats.

Photo credit Tampons are our friends

However, trying to (gently) explain  your "need to plug the bleed"  will be met with a look of genuine perplexity.  I mean the UK, Ireland and South Africans are familiar with these cute little cotton snatch-catchers. But Turkey is not having it.

Interestingly , in Turkey, men aren't skittish when it comes to picking up their lady's fem products. He'll toss them in the cart along with the weekly ration of yogurt, olives and peppers. He may even return with scented and unscented (because he wanted you to have options)

 But to explain or demonstrate, to either sex, how a tampon works can be akin to explaining how to perform open-heart surgery with two toothpicks and a butter knife (Macgyver style).  I suspect they don't believe that virginity & these beaver plugs mix.

It's hard to look away when they make the box look so inviting

Gratis.com is one of Turkey's fastest growing retail markets And they are owned by Sedesco Inc. which operates out of New York.
Their mission - "to globally source consumer products in the categories of personal care ...."
Their development team "Travels the world looking for products that are not readily found in the Turkish Marketplace.

Hey if you seriously want to differentiate yourself from other Turkish retailers, take a leap of faith and stock those shelves with some tampons.  If not for the Turks then do it for the elusive network of expat women who secretly covet & barter tampons like cigarettes in jail.