Robert Tabet and Zadi Hobeika are accidental condom salesmen. After griping about the culture of shame and secrecy surrounding condom sales in Lebanon, the duo decided to launch yallacondoms.com, a creative and confidential platform for promoting sexual health and education.
Tabet, a pharmacist, noticed that many of his customers seemed uncomfortable buying condoms. Eyes trained on the ground, Lebanese clients would furtively purchase prophylactics and intimate accouterments before scurrying out of the store, obviously hoping that the pharmacist wasnโt passing judgment.
โThere is a big need in the Lebanese market,โ Tabet said. โThere is a big taboo, and there is a psychological barrier.โ
And while many pharmacists in Lebanon, particularly in Beirut, are dispassionate in their dealings with clients, others are not.
โSometimes when you go to pharmacies, they arenโt happy that youโre buying condoms,โ Tabet said.
โThereโs this idea that if youโre buying condoms, youโre cheating on your wife,โ Tabet added. โAnd often lubricants are associated with gay sex.โ
Tabet said he had never seen a couple perusing the condom aisle together, discussing different products.
Hobeika, an entrepreneur who recently returned to Lebanon after a stint with Google, also noticed there was a need for an alternative condom-sales platform, where clients, particularly young people, could buy safe-sex products away from a critical eye.
And so their website, yallacondoms.com, was born.
Offering a wide variety of condoms, as well as pregnancy tests and lubricants, individuals and couples can study the products at their leisure and place their orders.
โWhen we get an order, we process it that day. We pass it to a delivery company, who delivers it usually the next day,โ Tabet said.
Packages are sent in discreet, unmarked boxes and can be delivered anywhere in Lebanon. Customers need only give a name (many use aliases, Hobeika and Tabet said), an address, an email address and a telephone number.
Since the site launched two weeks ago, Tabet and Hobeika have received some 30 orders from all over the country, including Tripoli and the Bekaa Valley.
Confidentiality is key to the operation. Only the client, Hobeika and Tabet know details of the order.
โWeโre putting a lot of time and effort into reassuring people,โ Hobeika said. The pair refused to share any details about the orders they have placed so far or even the aliases their clients have used.
โWe want it to be a way of raising awareness,โ he added. โWe want to have an impact on people and say, โYou donโt need to be ashamed. You can buy condoms online and no one needs to know.โโ
The website also has a live chat section where clients can ask for advice regarding sexual health.
โWe got a question from someone who said โIโm going to have sex but I donโt know about safe sex, what condom should I use?โโ Tabet recounted. โSo I told him, โThis is for beginners, this is for the womanโs pleasure, this is for the manโs pleasure, and this is really advanced.โโ
โWe can offer guidance,โ he said. โWe want to collaborate with NGOs in the future and play a social role.โ
Despite requests, Tabet and Hobeika say they will not sell erection pills, sex toys or the morning-after pill, citing legality issues. They do, however, intend to regularly stock new condom brands.
While the pair intended to have a soft launch, inviting their Facebook friends to view the site, the project took off almost immediately.
โWe werenโt planning for a quick start,โ Hobeika admitted.
Now theyโre already planning to expand to include express delivery, condom guides and more. โWe have a lot of ambition,โ Hobeika said.
โThe feedback has been really positive,โ he said. โWe havenโt gotten any shock reactions yet.โ
โAnd besides, itโs kind of fun telling people Iโm a condom salesman.โ
Al Bawaba
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