 go back to news articles listing
Detroit Sex and Relationships Examiner, September 8, 2009
Developing SENSIS condoms, and marketing them, wasn't a quick process, however.
"It took... a year to a year and a half" to get the project started. Six months of it, Thompson says, was determining the correct length for the tabs, and how to work them. The rest was manufacuring, and finding out how to "automate [the project] economically".
And what about getting the product on the market? "The hardest part is getting it out there to the public," Thompson says. "The biggest problem is that Trojan dominates shelves". He explains that large companies such as Trojan condoms will actually buy shelf space in mainstream drug stores such as Rite Aid and CVS-- rather than merely having their products on the shelves, they own spaces on shelves, so smaller or newer companies ("a small guy with a better idea" says Thompson) cannot always even get room or the inclination from chain store buyers to get their products to the public.
However, some buyers for stores are willing to help out. "4 or 5 Walgreens in Chicago are putting SENSIS on their shelves", he says. "The buyers are willing to take a risk, since they really like the product."
There's even a Walgreens in the Detroit area, in fact, that's put SENSIS on shelves for a test run:
Walgreens,
29520 Harper Ave.,
Saint Claire Shores, MI 48081
How else is the product be available to the public? "The dot coms have been great," Thompson says. Places like condom-usa.com, drugstore.com, cvs.com, and target.com are stocking his product.
Finally, I offered a question that, if he didn't mind answering, I thought would benefit readers' interest: What was it like for him, growing up? Was there an open discussion of sexuality, or topics like condom use? He seems surprised and thoughtful about the question. "I guess it didn't come up," he answers. It seems to him there was a lot of uncertainty. He continues:
"It was just kind of for the guy to figure out... Growing up, sex is all you think about, it disrupts your life patterns, but when you finally get to a real situation, you just think, 'Holy smokes!'... If we can help kids eliminate that fearful step, or dilemma they feel, that's an accomplishment."
So what has Beau Thompson gotten from the experience? "It's quite daunting when you really learn what it takes." Worth it? Absolutely. |
