The chemist in the 50s

I have 2 older sisters so, as a child, I occasionally got roped into doing urgent shopping; because of this, I know that sanitary protection was NOT on display in the chemist and was in fact kept under the counter in brown wrapping. Must admit to some embarrassment. Of course such products were not available in supermarkets partly because, in the 50s, supermarkets were virtually non existent and there were hardly any self service shops either.