A mother was left red-faced during a trip to her local Tesco with her family after her son stumbled across a selection of sex toys on sale.
Erica Blake, 41, was visiting her local Tesco Extra store in Finsley Gate, Burnley, Lancashire when her little boy, 7, spotted the X-rated products on display in the healthcare aisles.
The mother and son were shopping for supplements when they came across the adult products sandwiched between the vitamins and contact lens solution.
The schoolboy asked his mother what they were which caused embarrassment for Erica who didn’t know how to react.
Among the products on offer were a £30 Durex Slide and Ride for solo sex, a Suction Simulator costing £29.50 and a Heart Vibrator for £25.
Also on sale was a £20 Pleasure Cup and a £15 Wonder Bullet.
Erica explained she was shocked to find the supermarket chain stocking the products and the mortified mother said: ‘I was buying vitamins for my son when I noticed all the sex toys on the top shelf. I never knew Tesco stocked these items.’
‘I didn’t know where to look. My son asked me “What’s Slide and Ride mummy?”
A mother was left red-faced during a trip to her local Tesco with her family after her son stumbled across a selection of sex toys on sale at a store in store in Burnley, Lancashire
‘I was so embarrassed and didn’t know what to say.’
Erica added she was also shocked to find that all the sex toys were under tight security and had tags on
The mother said: ‘All the sex toys had security tags on or were in boxes.
‘Thieves must be getting desperate in these hard times. Talk about stiff security.
‘Who would want to steal a vibrator? They must be really hard up. It’s getting ridiculous now. The world has gone mad.’
This is not the first time someone has been caught out by sex toys with one charity shop volunteer being left wanting the ground to swallow them up after mistaking a pair of sex toys for door knobs and displaying them in a shop window.
Neatly laid out in front of a ceramic vase, a pair of ‘his and hers’ silver butt plugs were brazenly displayed on a shelf at an RSPCA shop with a £2 price tag.
It was only when a more savvy customer entered the shop that they were established to be sex toys, leaving a shop assistant in her 70s blushing with embarrassment.
Erica Blake, 41, was visiting her local Tesco Extra store when her little boy, 7, spotted the X-rated products on display in the healthcare aisles next to the vitamins and contact lens solution
The schoolboy asked his mother what they were which caused embarrassment for Erica who didn’t know how to react
One of the items on sale was a Pleasure Cup for £20 (pictured) along with £30 Durex Slide and Ride for solo sex and a Heart Vibrator for £15
The customer pointed out to the elderly volunteer what the items really were and they were immediately withdrawn from sale.
The woman, who did not want to be named, said: ‘I was looking through the bric-a-brac when I spotted two items of an adult nature priced at £2.
‘I asked the shop assistant if she knew what they were, and she said she thought they were ‘tiny little door knobs or knobs for a draw or a cabinet’.
‘I explained what they actually were, not without blushing bright red, and that it would be a good idea to put on rubber gloves and put them straight in the bin, which she did.
‘Her colleague, who was quite a bit younger, came out of the staff room, saw the items, and shouted, ‘Oh my god!’ which made us all laugh.
‘I suppose if it raises awareness of the need to educate volunteers in these shops then it has done some good.’
The RSPCA shop was in an undisclosed North Yorkshire village.
A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: ‘We’re glad this good faith mistake has given people a little laugh and hope this goes to show there are some brilliant bargains – and unexpected surprises – to be found in charity shops.
‘We’re enormously grateful to everyone who supports RSPCA charity shops by shopping, donating or giving up their time volunteering.
‘It all helps to make a huge difference to help animals rescued from cruelty and neglect. Even if we do occasionally find some slightly unusual delights among the items we receive.’