I am one of the retailers who was 'exasperated' at the ratings change made by Marvel on Avengers #71, mainly because it was completely unnecessary.
I was particularly disgusted to read that one of the reasons for the ratings change was the fact that Whirlwind 'beats up a prostitute'. Apparently, the Red Skull, a Nazi Cabinet Official, chaining up and torturing a black man in the previous issue(s) is not something Marvel feels is offensive enough to warrant a ratings change, but smacking around a hooker is?
Marvel's continued assertion in their mainstream comics that adult men and women engaged in high-stress, life-threatening situations on a daily basis never actually have any sex has officially reached the point of absurdity with this brouhaha.
Personally, I was far more offended by the bad storytelling (since *when* has Whirlwind been obsessed with the Wasp? How does Pym grow to the size of the Luxor without crushing hundreds of tourists? When did Jan get a boob job?) and mediocre art this issue... those are what should have prompted the warning.