The company has a page on their website called Boots Online Doctor where they plug their range of contraceptive pills and boast about the speed of their service

British pharmacy chain Boots has been branded “tone deaf” for offering a Black Friday deal on the morning after pill.

The company has a page on their website called Boots Online Doctor where they plug their range of contraceptive pills and boast about the speed of their service.

“When basic healthcare meets capitalism,” wrote Rose Stokes, who took umbrage to the fact that Boots also offered a Black Friday deal on the pills, sharing a screenshot of it on Twitter.

She followed up by calling the company “tone deaf” for their tweet. “Just to say, @BootsUK — this was a very big error on your part. Totally tone deaf,” she said.

Boots said the “offer is 50% off all men’s and women’s healthcare services,” not just on contraceptive pills.

Black Friday is the Friday following Thanksgiving in the United States. It traditionally marks the start of the Christmas shopping season across the US and United Kingdom.

Many companies try to capitalise on the Christmas rush by offering deals on goods and services, but Boots are taking heat for the fact that it is a highly sensitive health service they are offering up a deal on.

On the Online Doctor page it says: “Get emergency contraception if you’ve had unprotected sex and want to prevent pregnancy.

“Use the code BLACKFRIDAY50 at checkout to get 50% off your order!!

“No charge if we can’t help.”

“Wow yeh I just threw up a bit,” wrote one woman in response to the tweet, which has so far garnered close to 3,500 likes and retweets.

“Wow that makes me sad….” another person added, whilst a third said: “Christ this is so grim.”

People also took issue with the wording of the deal. “‘No charge if we can’t help’ is also weirdly grim,” wrote one woman.

In July 2017, Boots defended its refusal to charge less for the morning after pill by saying that doing so would leave it open to being accused of “incentivising inappropriate use”.

A month later it had started to sell a new, cheaper generic version of the pill in 38 of its stores, climbing to 2,500 by October that year.

“We have listened to our customers’ feedback,” they said.

A spokesperson at Boots said about the Black Friday deal: “This is a promotion running on our Online Doctor service. The offer is 50% off all men’s and women’s healthcare services.”

Boots Online Doctor services for men’s health include treatment for conditions like erectile dysfunction, hair loss and premature ejaculation.

Alongside the morning after pill, the Boots Online Doctor services for women’s health include facial hair removal treatment, period pain relief and vaginal dryness treatment.

“The Boots Online Doctor services can provide quick access to advice and prescription-only medicine without having to see a GP,” the company added.