What did Amy Schumer do? Proctor & Gamble blames actress for tampon shortage 

Amy Schumer is being blamed for a tampon shortage in America. The comedian starred in a Tampax ad, a brand owned by Proctor & Gamble (P&G), and now the company thinks that she is the reason for an exploding growth in tampon sales.

Cheri McMaster, the company's spokesperson for P&G, gave a statement to Time saying:

“Retail sales growth has exploded."

McMaster also said that the demand for the product has increased by 7.7% since the Trainwreck star endorsed the products.

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Amy Schumer worked with the brand in their Time to Tampax commercial

The company posted that it has seen a spike in sales since the commercial started airing. It was said that,

“The company posted its biggest sales gain in decades in the most recent quarter, and the amount of money it made from sales in its feminine care division was up 10%.”

However, it looks like P&G cannot cope with the rising demand because the product is experiencing a shortage all around the country. McMaster claimed that the manufacturer was operating for 24 hours to keep up with the supply.

Amy Schumer was seen endorsing Tampax in their 2020 commercial. The advertisement focused on conversations about periods and tampons. The brand had released several videos featuring the Snatched actress. It also said:

“When we chose to focus on tampons and period education, we knew Amy Schumer was a perfect fit because Amy doesn’t shy away from anything.”

According to the company, the goal of the infomercial was "to make period and tampon conversations as normal as periods." Schumer initially did not respond to Time but later posted on Instagram, exclaiming:

"Whoa, I don't even have a uterus."

The actress underwent a hysterectomy and an appendectomy to treat endometriosis, a painful uterine condition.

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Tampon shortage is not limited to Tampax

The country has seen a shortage of tampons across numerous brands that do not have Amy Schumer promoting them.

The reason behind the shortage can be attributed to the COVID-19. The pandemic has led to factory closures and staff shortages that could be the reason behind a stressed supply chain. Additionally, raw materials like cotton, plastic, and paper pulp have been in shortage because they are also needed to create face masks.

The limited supply has caused grocery stores to run empty of women's hygiene products. Meanwhile, Amazon sellers are taking advantage of the crisis and selling one box of 18 Tampax “listed for $114, about $6 more per tampon than women usually pay.”

Multiple women have shared their frustration on social media. A woman on Reddit said that she had to check eight stores to find her preferred brand. While RJ Michelle Wolfe shared:

“To put it bluntly, tampons are next to impossible to find, I would say it’s been like this for a solid six months.”

Organizations helping underprivileged women with period products have also seen a significant drop in donated tampons. Dana Marlowe, the founder of I Support the Girls, which provides bra and menstrual hygiene to homeless women, shared that their warehouses are running empty of the period product. She shared:

“What’s been going on for a couple of months is that organizations call us up and say, ‘we need tampons,’ and we go to our warehouse and there’s nothing there.”

Marlowe explained that her group had seen a 61% decline in tampon donations compared to 2020. However, other products like menstrual pads are not experiencing a similar supply dearth.