Mumsnet Talk

here

some of the comments aren't pleasant either.

I'm shocked that the area manager could say anything except, "I am SO sorry"

To SUPPORT this guy? Wow.

. What a charming man the manager is.

typically sensationalist writing though - it starts off looking as though the guy sprayed the woman and baby directly, which IMO would constitute assault - then it turns out that she was out, back in the main shop when he started spraying. Still rude, still wrong but not as bad as it's made out to be.

WTF was he doing looking through the curtains anyway? Pervert!

I was listening to this on the radio yesterday and a woman who works there phoned in. She was there that day and said the curtains were open and that he was the loveliest bloke you could ever meet. She also said he has a weird sense of humour and the spraying air freshener would have been done as a joke . She lost me there... She didn't have an answer to the milk stinking comment, went very quiet actually so in this case it looks like it wasn't exaggerated by the media.

Argh those comments! There are some really stupid people in the world...

A 10 month old is too old to be breastfed - FACT.

In the same way that a 10 month old is too old to be bottle fed then, surely??

Why do people who are clueless or just plain prejudice insist on making ridiculous comments as if they were in fact, factual?

To be honest, reading something like this makes me even more determined to feed whenever, wherever and in front of whoever I choose.

Luckily, ime, and I am very discrete, no one really notices, if they do they either ignore or smile nicely, in approval I assume. I have yet to be challenged, I hope that day never comes because I don't know what I might say!

So are we still not protected by law in England then???

I mix-fed DD and found it all very awkward so tended to take a bottle out with us unless there was a proper feeding room available like in Mothercare.

This time round BFing has gone perfectly so I just feed DS where/whenever. IME it's much easier - if DS is screaming, people turn round and stare, but when he's feeding nobody notices as I'm quite subtle.

Nobody's ever challenged me about it although some (usually male) staff get a bit embarrassed. Really can't believe that bloke said 'it stinks' - what is he, 5 years old?!

those daily mail comments make me want to go on a slapping spree.

Comment sections on newspaper websites are really the domain of pondscum aren't they? Saw one the other day describing feminism as 'misguided hubris' ffs.

cant believe the area manager didnt nip it in the bud there and then!!

she surely realised it would make headlines if the woman complained......

I know that charity shop well (it's a brilliant source of second-hand books!) and the manager is a rather strange, extremely grumpy bloke: have heard him shout randomly at people on loads of occasions. So I'm not really surprised. What I am surprised about is the senior manager's comments - a sorry wouldn't go amiss, would it?

Quite interesting - comments are currently unavailable...

So he didn't spray her with an air fresener at all.

<yawn> these stories are a bit tiresome really.

A woman breastfed her baby. After she had done so someone sprayed airfreshener. so she wasn't sprayed at all.

And the article makes reference to the bristol bus case which has since been discredited.

"However, Mrs Baker realised that ‘a man with multiple facial piercings’" and this is relevant why exactly?

Load of sensationalist claptrap.

Not if you're that woman. I didn't bf but I would have been mortified if someone had yelled that at me. My lovely friend that I had lunch with yesterday and who discreetly bf her little baby in the cafe would never leave the house again.

But But But she's a breast-feeding woman, she should be able to do whatever she likes and tell the story exactly as she likes regardless.
Surely this story could equally read "woman asked to stop breaking shop policy and refused." now while the policy may be revolting to many (myself included) the decision to implement the policy is the managers. The people who should be canvassed are the MP's if you disagree with the policy, not people who are exercising their legal rights.

Very odd behaviour- peering through the curtain in the first place, let alone the other torrent of crappy comments and behaviour from him.

But the reporting is sensationalist and inaccurate. The title alone is misleading, as she was not sprayed with air freshener.

Tbh I wonder if, given that this shop is a "mind" shop, whether many of the staff themselves suffer from mental illness which could explain the odd behavior.

wasn't this story linked to from the BF on the bus thread? I seem to recall someone posting a link to another forum where it was being discussed.

god. i read about half the comments and feel quite sad about people's attitudes toward bf. esp since i am one of those mothers who regularly feeds in costa/strabucks/the like :-(

so, did he actually know she was BFing when he peered through the curtain, or did he think she'd be changing???? What sort of person peers through changing room curtain? And for this sort of person to actually be the store manager....

Its on the East Dulwich Forum, Toccata. Anyone can log on and have a look. Its in the Family Section.

Can we just remember that this is a Mind charity shop, many of the staff who work there have or have had mental health issues.

He is just ignorant. No need for all the hysteria, imvho, but try telling that to Jan Moir/the Daily Mail.

I think the woman involved is beginning to regret bringing it to the attention of the media.