SYDNEY, Australia—When Australian supermarket chain Woolworths stocked the Durex Play Delight Vibrating Bullet on its shelves a few weeks ago, it became the first supermarket in the country to sell battery-powered sex toys.
That distinction didn’t last long, however.
After pressure from a Christian group that called for a nationwide boycott of Woolworths stores, company officials have pulled the petite vibrators from the shelves of their 900 stores.
The store had stocked the items in the same sexual health section as condoms and lubricants. The same aisle, however, also houses toothpastes, shampoos and more.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Durex hailed Woolworths’ initial decision to stock the items as a “game changer for the industry,” and issued a statement after the decision to withdraw was announced: ''Products that assist Australians to have great sex should be made easily available to consumers through a variety of channels.''
Woolworths decision to pull the Durex vibrators was lauded by many, including Fiona Patten, president of the Australian Sex Party, who said, “While I have no problem with anyone selling vibrators, I think they should be sold from an age-restricted area.'”
But not everyone agreed.
''Why is it so offensive?'” said sexologist Nikki Goldstein. '”We are taught to view such products as dirty, naughty, shameful and outside the boundaries of normality, and that's wrong. A vibrator is no different to a vitamin in that it does something positive for your body.'”
A spokesman from Woolworths said the product “is more appropriate for pharmacies than supermarkets.”
