Embarrassing?  Hell no. 

Belly up to the cashier, announce that you've got a hot weekend planned, and demand a a discount on a gross of them.

Let's see who is embarrassed then.

Yes at first this can be a little uncomfortable.  The more you do it the less embarrassing it becomes..not that I buy them all the time.

Nah, it was pretty good for the 'ole ego the night I found myself in the line of a former co-worker with a brunette, a box of condoms, and bottle of Hershey's chocolate syrup...

~~~~"Price check - single No-Name Econo-Condom, size small, for the pimply teen in check-out lane two!" ~~~~ .....and then I wake up.  It happens time and time again.

Besides the fact that I don't love using them to begin with, buying them over the years has progressed from being really embarrassing to being mildly uncomfortable, but then I'm mildly uncomfortable when I buy toilet paper, so it's no big thing anymore. When I buy condoms (or toilet paper), I tend to just throw them in with a bunch of other items, or groceries, and hope that the person manning the cash register doesn't take special notice of them. It's childish, I know, but I guess I never entirely overcome that puritanical sort of shite that was drummed into me from childhood. Realistically, what do I think the person manning the cash register is going to do? Lift the box of condoms in their hand, and stare at me with raised eyebrows and a smirk (which would be even worse if they did it with the toilet paper)? When I was a fairly young and severely awkward teen, I got a "go-fer" and shelf stocking job in a local drugstore. While there, I stole paperback books, hypodermic needles, and, more in a spirit of hope than with the expectation of using them anytime soon, a box of condoms. Those condoms sat hidden in the back of my night-table drawer until they dried-up. It wasn't until my senior year that I was finally able to lose my detested virginity.

No shame here. I went up to the Customer Service desk, because they had them locked up, and she asked how can I help her. Without hesitating I said, "Yes, I would like a box of condoms." It startled her.

I was standing in line once with a box of condoms.  The guy in front of me was buying diapers.  When he was done, I slammed the condoms down on the belt and said.  I buy these so I don't have to buy those (pointing to the diapers).  The female cashier blushed.

Another true story...

I was talking with my son about "things" and he had told me how close he had come to popping his cherry (and probably hers, too). The problem was that he was only 14 and it was in everyboy's best interest if...oh...you know what I mean. I tried to convince him that it was best to wait as long a possible (whatever that meant), but, in the mean while, I also wanted him to be prepared if it came to that. So, we headed to the drug store and perused the condom collection; I made my recommendation and we picked out a 12 pack of  the lubricated kind. He was too embarassed to face the cashier, so I did the deed. On the way home, we talked some more and I told him that he needed to get some practice with them, so that he wouldn't feel awkward when it was his time at bat. Oh yah..and make sure the gooey stuff is on the inside. And that was that.

It was Summer vacation and he had all the time in the world. Three days latter, I picked up my phone at work and it was my son...telling me that he was "out".

Another proud Daddy moment...

All of a sudden a midget buys large size!

Especially if you're the squirrly, nerdy type.