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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

nursery outing to Argos

61 replies

harrap · 18/05/2011 15:49

to think that a trip to Argos is not what the parents who pay for a nursery would expect?

just been to Argos ( I know that could be considered unreasonable in itself) and seen 2 nursery workers and a group of 2-3 year olds in there. The workers were leafing through the catalogue and the children were standing round in silence. One lttle girl touched a gift card and was told off and another was told off for touching the worker. Other than that there was no interaction at all between workers and children.

I could see how a trip to a shop could be made interesting/educational and fun (even Argos) but the workers weren't explaining anything to the children who all looked rather glum and as I say were totally silent, which initself I thought rather odd.

In the end (I had been there 10 mins) I asked the workers what the idea was and they said they were buying things for the nursery and it was all part of "getting the children involved".

OP posts:

doley · 18/05/2011 15:52

A sad story .

With what sounds like, useless staff !

SenoritaViva · 18/05/2011 15:52

Involved in what?! I see the point but doesn't quite seem like they were achieving their goal somehow. I'd be a bit pissed off to be honest.

RitaMorgan · 18/05/2011 15:53

I like the idea of involving children in decision making, maybe giving them a budget/number of items to choose etc - sounds like it wasn't executed well though.

Liliesandveuve · 18/05/2011 15:54

how bizarre

pookamoo · 18/05/2011 15:54

Did they pop in there while they were on a walk through the town maybe (not as part of the planned trip, but because the staff needed to get something?)

How many children were there?

Not much you can do really, but I am still shocked by it!

Takeresponsibility · 18/05/2011 15:54

I would love for my children to have been taken to Greece on a nursery outing.

grubbalo · 18/05/2011 15:55

Do your children go to the nursery? Do you have any experience of the workers other than in that situation?

My children go to nursery where I know they have taken them in the past to places like Mothercare etc. As you say they have done that as a means of getting the children out and for them to experience things etc. My sons actually quite enjoy it as they have then usually gone onto somewhere else, e.g. the library or the park etc.

So Yes YABU in that a trip to Argos could actually be quite good (amazingly) but no YANBU in that I'd expect children to be spoken with and be involved more. But 10 minutes is quite a short time to make a massive judgement about things I think.

sims2fan · 18/05/2011 15:56

Unfortunately this is one of the reasons I dislike nurseries - the staff often just don't know how to interact with children. I see it all the time - nursery staff taking children on walks, which is lovely, but completely failing to speak to them while they're out.

thisisyesterday · 18/05/2011 15:56

hmmmmmm

I would be a real busybody and ring the nursery and let them know!

I once saw nursery staff in our town centre with about 6 children in buggies, popping to Greggs and talking about what other shops they'd go in

I'd have been very pissed off if I was paying for nursery care and what I actually got was a bunch of teenagers taking my child shopping

grubbalo · 18/05/2011 15:59

"One of the reasons I dislike nurseries" - can we avoid letting this turn into a whole nursery bashing thread please?

But thisisyesterday as a parent whose children do go to nursery, I wouldn't actually care if they were shopping so long as there was some sort of benefit for the children too! Is so easy for us all to sit here and judge without knowing what is going on.

lubberlich · 18/05/2011 16:04

I find it odd that nursery workers feel they can take kids out and about without permission from parents.
I would be appalled if the muppets nursery staff at DS's place took them anywhere.

sims2fan · 18/05/2011 16:12

Grubbalo - that probably came out harsher than it should have. Of course some nurseries are wonderful, with lovely caring staff. Unfortunately many aren't, which is why my personal opinion is that nurseries should be really looked at and researched before a child is placed in one. I say that as someone who has worked in nurseries. I see staff from the local nurseries near me taking children for walks quite often. I never see them talking to the children. They just walk along looking bored.

I don't have a problem with nurseries taking children to the shops. I think children need to learn how to behave in shops so it's a useful learning experience. I do think that children should be spoken to while in the shops though.

RitaMorgan · 18/05/2011 16:13

lubberlch - I should think they will have had written permission from the parents for the trip, and will have had to risk assess it, have a high enough ratio of staff to children etc.

Original poster

harrap · 18/05/2011 16:13

No this is not meant to spark an anti/pro nursery debate. My son goes to a different nursery and I am not naive enough to think it is all perfect, but this seemed like taking the p to me.

OP posts:

oxocube · 18/05/2011 16:17

Hmm, as a teacher, we have done trips to the local supermarket or fruit and veg store before if they fitted in with our topic. If done properly, with lots of planning and interaction from the shop staff, they can be great fun and very educational, even for young kids. This one sounds awful though.

Original poster

harrap · 18/05/2011 16:18

I should emphasise that, that while I was surprised to see the children in there, it was the total lack of interaction, save for telling off that, that was more concerning.

OP posts:

shubiedoo · 18/05/2011 16:20

I can't understand the appeal of Argos for children when there's no merchandise actually on display, and it seems children this age would be a bit young to appreciate the process of choosing/paying for things out of a catalog. Nearly any other shop would be more fun to visit!

Pictish · 18/05/2011 16:22

I am often left thinking that some people on here have very little going on in their lives, as to worry so much about what others are getting up to, even if it's nothing whatsoever to do with them and doesn't affect them in the least.

This thread is a prime example. So the nursery staff weren't talking to the kids much in Argos - what's it to you? Why do you care? How come you even noticed in the first place....let alone came on here to bitch about it?

Your kid doesn't even go to the nursery concerned!

Just

Pictish · 18/05/2011 16:25

And OMG I cannot believe you approached them and asked for an explanation!! Christ what is UP with you?!

Original poster

harrap · 18/05/2011 16:47

Good advice Pictish, next time I see eight or so silent, glum, children standing around their paid carers being told off for touching I'll just look the other way. I thought, if I asked for an explanation, politely, it might just make them think about what they were supposed to be doing and indeed I did get the impression they were embarrassed; but you're right none of my business.

Although, I thought this whole section was about what other people got up to - why do you read it Pictish if it gets on your nerves so much?

OP posts:

doley · 18/05/2011 16:51

I think op was just concerned.

As she was there and we were not ,I will take her word for it that it was a crappy day out for the kids .

I suspect the staff wanted to go to Argos ,and used it as an excuse for an educational trip in the process .

Sometimes there are lousy nursery workers ...it happens ...it happened today !

Pictish · 18/05/2011 16:53

" I thought, if I asked for an explanation, politely, it might just make them think about what they were supposed to be doing"

Did you? And who asked you to do that?

Blu · 18/05/2011 17:07

Workers at our local nursery (where I sent DS - he was very happy there) were busted (by another MN-er, as it happens) out shopping with a group of children in push chairs - trying on clothes, clearly doing their own shopping!

I guess all nurseries are different, all nursery workers are different, some take liberties, some don't...what matters is that the children are happy and safe.

I wouldn't have been happy had nursery taken my DS out to stand around and be ignored / told off in Argos, but was happy when they were taken out as younger babies in the oushchair to buy fabric for nursery pojects in the market.

RitaMorgan · 18/05/2011 17:07

Well if I was the parent of those children, or the manager of that nursery, I would be glad someone took an interest!

Pictish · 18/05/2011 17:11

Well I think it's 15 minutes in bloody Argos and doesn't matter a toss.

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