I've noticed that it's always hard to find condoms and lubricants at US pharmacies because the aisles aren't labelled, or labelled incorrectly. I've had this experience at CVS, Walgreens, you name it.
And I don't live in the conservative South -- I'm in the Baltimore/Washington area on the East coast.
When I walk into a US pharmacy, there are no aisles labelled "Intimacy" or "Contraception" -- and believe it or not, not even something "Family Planning." It's always a guessing game for me. Sometimes I manage to find them in bizarre aisles like "Skin Care." One time I got tired of searching -- I'd carefully checked every single aisle! -- and asked one of the employees, "Where do you have condoms?" He directed to, believe it or not, an aisle labelled "Sanitary Protection." Sanitary Protection! I had thought that meant things like soap, sanitizer, and for that reason kept searching! It's incredible how sexually uptight and Puritan this country is, even in this day and age! You would never see this kind of crap anywhere else, not even in third-world countries!
I don’t think it’s as much making them hard to find as having them out of the way for privacy and so those not looking won’t notice if they’re kids or up tight people. It shouldn’t be uncomfortable but for some people it is.
Of course it’s more annoying when they’re locked up. This is fairly common. That’s why never WalMart. Gotta love looking for the associate with the key and having them walk you to the front.