A Brooklyn laundromat has a vending machine that dispenses pregnancy tests and lube
Getty Images/Justin Sullivan
People who live near Brooklyn's Sunshine Laundromat and Pinball can now buy M&Ms and pregnancy tests from the same vending machine.
According to DNAinfo, the laundromat's vending machine now carries all the basics, including home pregnancy tests, Plan B, and personal lubricant.
Pregnancy test sells for $10, lube for $10, and the morning after pill for $35, DNAinfo reports. The items actually cost a little less than some drug stores, including Walgreens and CVS. Plan B One-Step, for example, usually retails for $40 to $50.
The laundromat's owner, Peter Rose, stocked the machine with pregnancy tests about a year ago, but put in Plan B this week, he said. "I was just bored one day perusing the aisles of CVS," Rose told DNAinfo. "I saw [the Plan B] and thought, 'That doesn't belong in a vending machine,' and so I bought some."
PlanB Pill, Pregnancy Tests and Lube Fill Laundromat Vending Machine via @Dnainfo https://t.co/nQe4okOFjW GUYS pic.twitter.com/q44Mgdj7mj
It's not the first vending machine to feature family planning tools. Others people have noticed similar products in machines elsewhere:
Swiss Vending Machine: Fruit tart, Maltesers, M&Ms, Pregnancy Test, condoms, lighters, cannabis iced tea, Capri-Sonne pic.twitter.com/ecgbjFoelz
- Sarah Kay (@kaysarahsera) September 19, 2014
Still strikes me as brilliant every time: vending machine pregnancy test. (It's right next to the condoms.) pic.twitter.com/3zhH6a4ICJ
- Miz K (@hellomizk) January 19, 2016
If you come to Seattle don't miss out @TheOctopusBar. A pregnancy test vending machine & vintage naked! Shut up! pic.twitter.com/QJ4d7nvxlJ
- CC Dado (@C_C_Dado) November 15, 2015
Pregnancy tests sitting alongside Snicker bars may seem silly, but vending machines like this increase access these important over the counter products. Only two-thirds of US drug stores stock Plan B OTC, according to a 2015 study by the American Society for Emergency Contraception. And a mere 14% sell it directly on the shelf without a lock-box in aisles or behind the front counter.
Plus, slipping a few dollars into a vending machine for Plan B could feel a lot less intimidating than in front of a pharmacy cashier.
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