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Original poster

To think it is shocking boots don't give points on first formula

384 replies

Mrswhiskerson · 07/09/2011 14:34

This was brought to my attention again because a friend of mine has just had a baby tried to breastfeed suffered mastitis and started feeling really down so she switched to formula, when she handed over her advantage card she was told points were not given on first formula , she felt bad enough she could not breast feed and now it feels like she is getting penalised for it elsewhere.

I found the same thing when I had ds a year ago when I was told ,you don't get points for first milk I felt really bad too it's like your being punished for not breastfeeding in a way .

This is in no way a bf vs ff debate I just think it's wrong of boots to do this.

OP posts:
Fontsnob · 09/09/2011 22:21

How on earth did this manage to turn into 14 pages?! All the OP needed to know was that it is government regulations. I'm actually pretty sure that boots advertise that fact when they do the 3 for 2 offers.

Indaba · 09/09/2011 23:12

Well said Fontsnob

Its the law. Nothing to do with Boots per se. End of.

InTheNightKitchen · 10/09/2011 06:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SESthebrave · 10/09/2011 07:11

I can't believe this thread has gone on for 14 pages! (although scanning the boobs of BF mums did make me laugh!)

As others have said - it's the law, end of story.

Andrewofgg - not sure what your post meant. Do you have experience of Boots being incompetent?

Andrewofgg · 10/09/2011 07:43

SESthebrave Yes. They lost a CD with what could have been my only copy of a photo which was to be transferred to a mug. It was not just that; phoning them was a nightmare, there being - officially, they told me so - nobody in the branch whose job it was to answer the phone. I had to ring Head Office and eventually (after 45 minutes) got hold of someone whose solution was not to give me the branch phone number - which by then I knew by heart - but to email or fax the manager and get her to find someone to look for the CD and phone me - which she did the following day and confirmed that it was lost - casually and without a word of an apology.

Add to that long queues for unhelpful till-staff and goods not bar-coded so that somebody has to be found to price them and you will see why I never go there if I can go to Outer Mongolia on roller skates instead.

End of rant.

SESthebrave · 10/09/2011 08:08

Andrewofgg - err...yes....understandable :(
(Maybe now is not the time to tell you I work for Boots and to try to reassure you that, although I agree your experience to be appalling, I don't believe it is the norm. Unfortunately getting it wrong once though is one too many times)

Anyway, back to the points debate.....
.....or not, as I think it's been answered a zillion times :)

MilaMae · 10/09/2011 08:50

Sorry I don't buy the "it's the law end of" view. Many laws can be unfair. This is unfair,it may not be shocking but it's extremely unfair and hypercritical.

If you can get points for junk food and drugs it's extremely unfair that you can't get points on a food that millions of babies eat and thrive on.

Oh and I've both bf and ff fed twins in public,I was treated far worse ff then bf. People bent over backwards to help me bf in public not so ff.I was asked to leave a couple of times and refused hot water countless times,even though the serving of copious amounts of hot drinks and soup goes on in every establishment.

There are nasty unhelpful people everywhere so need for a crusade just a change to an extremely unfair rule.

MilaMae · 10/09/2011 09:11

I also think such a rule does more harm than good.

It makes the whole rules against formula company lobby look extremely silly and hypocritical and will alienate many mothers from the cause as a whole. Said mothers will also simply buy their formula elsewhere so it doesn't achieve anything other than resentment-totally pointless.

LindenAvery · 10/09/2011 10:13

Wow Mila Mae - I think your passion would be better directed at the cost of formula itself - it would be worth finding out the mark up don't you think? And I am willing to bet that all the companies spend far more on advertising than they do on research and development - ironic when they can't promote formula for babies under 6 months? Infact why do so many companies spend a fortune on advertising when none of us are guillable and able to be conned into buying something?

As someone said further up the thread - advantage points are all about promotion - similar to clubcard and nectar points. So a blanket ban exists - sometimes these bans are challenged and changed because initially advantage points were not awarded for over the counter medicines and there were controls over promotion and 3-2 offers on medicines. However I am willing to bet that if the points ruling was overturned then the price of formula would simply increase anyway along with anything you could spend your points on.

tiktok · 10/09/2011 10:41

Of course points are about promotion and marketing. To allow this form of promotion would permit shops to compete - extra points on brand X, triple points on brand Y, this week only, double points on brand Z with a free voucher etc etc etc.

The ban on promotion is not only to protect breastfeeding, in this small way, but also to help mothers to select a brand not based on the temporary low price or the attractiveness of the offer, but after discussion with their HV or midwife - as it happens standard brands are pretty similar, and the majority of babies will experience no difference whatever they use, but a few will.

Allowing a marketing free-for-all when it comes to the sole diet of the most vulnerable human beings is not a good thing, surely.

Permanently low priced formula is permitted. The mark up on formula is massive, and it should be possible to produce a 'basics' or 'no frills' formula set at a low price, well-below other brands, and I would be in favour of that.

Fontsnob · 10/09/2011 10:43

Milamae, what do you feel is unfair about it? As pointed out upthread, it actually makes it fair. No one gets rewards points for the milk their child drinks, breast or formula. How is that unfair?

Fontsnob · 10/09/2011 10:49

What Tiktok said is complete and utterly right. As usual.

Original poster
Mrswhiskerson · 10/09/2011 13:30

inthenightkitchen are you calling me a muppet? I do t appreciate being called names or the attitude of many people on this thread. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and i have no problems with people having a different opinion to mine but there is no need at all for some of the posts on this thread. Yes shocking might be wording it a bit harshly but so what? Yes it is unfair and just because it is the law does not mean it is right by any means.

All I needed to know was it is the law , I would have accepted that I would not have been happy about it but hey ho that's life.

This thread very much feels like a lot of bullies ganging up on someone, the insults and sarcasm are not what I would expect from a parenting site fullnof apparent grown ups .

OP posts:
Crosshair · 10/09/2011 13:34

shocking stuff.

Original poster
Mrswhiskerson · 10/09/2011 15:46

Wow crosshair was that meant to be funny ? Sarcastic?
Obviously you condone being rude to people for no good reason you must feel
great about yourself.

OP posts:
InTheNightKitchen · 10/09/2011 17:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Stormfromeast · 10/09/2011 19:06

All those people who think that it's the law that stops Boots from giving points for first formula - there really is no such law. To InTheNightKitchen - please don't go say I am delusional - you should go out more often.

Original poster
Mrswhiskerson · 10/09/2011 19:27

inthenightgarden I accept your apology , I was just posting something that bugged me and idid not realise what a minefield I had stepped into I do not look at the feeding threads and was not prepared for the flaming tbh and i should not have picked you out, I apologise too.

I use words like shocking fairly often when I talk ifswim and forget that slang etc does not trasnlate to messaging.

But it is my first flaming in the year I have been on here maybe I needed to get it out the way Smile

OP posts:
banana87 · 10/09/2011 19:37

The law makes no sense when you look at the advice given by HV's. Pressured to breastfeed, and then when baby doesn't gain the "set amount" of weight you are pressured to top up with formula Hmm

Case and point: DD was born on the 50th centile. At her 2 week HV check I was told I was "feeding her too much" because she had "gained more than we expect". At 12 weeks, I was told by a PEAD to top her up with FORMULA because she had gone from 50th to 10th centile. There was nothing wrong with her, she was happy, content, slept, had plenty of wet nappies, she was just petite, as her parents are.

AND to top it all off, I find it EXTREMELY ironic that this country guilts women into breastfeeding yet use formula fed baby growth charts to track their weight, not the breastfeeding charts available from the WHO.

I breastfeed exclusively, by the way, and loved it, so I am not one of these bitter parents who felt bullied into it, but I do find it very stupid that it's against the law to promote first milk.

Original poster
Mrswhiskerson · 10/09/2011 19:52

crosshair I loved that can I extend a olive branch? And my apologies too? I'm not having the best day and got over sensitive . Again my apologies.

OP posts:
SESthebrave · 10/09/2011 20:06

Stormfromeast - I'm confused as I really thought there was a law preventing promotion of formula for infants up to 6mo. This link also suggests that there is such a law.

It's an interesting link anyway - I agree with it in terms of saving money and making laws simpler but maybe not in the way they are suggesting!

Mrswhiskerson - I hope your evening is better than your day and if there are any posts that you think are really offensive, then feel free to report them.

Crosshair · 10/09/2011 20:06

Nothing to apologise for. :)

tiktok · 11/09/2011 20:48

banana, you have had poor support from the sound of it, but just wanted to let you know that the UK has never used bottle fed charts, ever.

The current charts are indeed based on WHO data, and were intro'd a few years ago. Before then the UK used data from babies whose feeding was not differentiated. Most of them would be formula fed, though some would be bf.

tiktok · 11/09/2011 20:50

SESthebrave - you are right. The law does prevent Boots from offering points as this is deemed a promotion. The link to the law was posted before, but it can be googled, anyway - search for the website of the babyfeeding law group.