YVR gets vendor to reduce cost of feminine hygiene products following Saskatoon woman's concerns
A passenger said she had to pay three times the usual price for pads during a recent trip
After a Saskatoon woman transiting through Vancouver International Airport was forced to buy pads at nearly three times their usual price because of the lack of feminine hygiene product dispensers, the airport says the specific vendor in question has agreed to bring the product price down to fair market value.
Kyla Kitzul, 27, was passing through YVR on her way from Vietnam to Saskatoon on Tuesday night. She says she had difficulty finding affordable feminine hygiene products at the airport's washrooms.
When she went to the information desk, she was offered a Depends — a brand of absorbent, disposable underwear designed for people with incontinence.
In an airport store, Kitzul ended up buying a pack of pads that cost nearly $15. The same product is advertised for $4.99 at London Drugs.
In a statement, the airport said it fell short in helping Kitzul.
A spokesperson said airport officials had spoken to the retailer who charged nearly $15 for the pads and worked with them to drop their price.
It says it conducted a price audit in December of feminine hygiene products and eight vendors were selling feminine hygiene products at a cost of $2.99 to $7.99 for a 10-pack.
It said it has stocked feminine hygiene products at all information counters throughout the airport and these products are now available free of charge should anybody need them.
It says it is also working toward installing vending machines in all the women's washrooms "in the near future."