Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think Tesco shouldnt have passed the book

56 replies

pamplem0usse · 27/10/2012 14:55

I was breastfeeding my 5 week old in Tesco cafe a fortnight ago while my toddler had second breakfast and i waited for a prescription.
A member of their contract cleaning staff pointed out that 'i might like to feed in their baby change room'. I said no thank you Important quite happy here. She persists for several minutes in telling me 'it would be better for you' and 'then people won't stare at you'. Despite repeatedly telling her I was OK she persisted and I ended up feeling quite harassed.
I wrote to Tesco and rather than apologizing they just said the staff member was a contract cleaner and not directly employed by them.and so not their problem.
AIBU to suggest it is very much their problem because its their store so ultimately they're responsible for who works there?

OP posts:
Aspiemum2 · 27/10/2012 14:58

She was bloody rude and as it happened on their premises and was a member of staff I would say its very much their problem. Perhaps they would pass on the details of the cleaning company so you could complain directly though?

EnglishGirlApproximately · 27/10/2012 15:01

They aren't able to directly discipline a contract cleaner but they certainly should be passing the complaint on to the cleaning companies site manager to deal with.

I would find out the name of the contractors and write to them but also reply to Tesco asking for your complaint to be passed on. The contractors still have to work within Tesco policies so need to know it isn't acceptable.

kim147 · 27/10/2012 15:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Whooooosualsuspect · 27/10/2012 15:04

Sounded like she was trying to be helpful to me. Even if she wasn't.

I wouldn't do anything.

catkind · 27/10/2012 15:06

How rude, of the cleaner and Tesco too. May not be their direct employee but it's their shop you might be put off visiting again.

Aspiemum2 · 27/10/2012 15:14

Helpful would be saying it once, going on about it was rude

kim147 · 27/10/2012 15:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

edam · 27/10/2012 15:16

No, they shouldn't be passing the buck. I'd complain to the chief exec if I were you, don't bother with any lower down the chain now you've been fobbed off.

MikeOxardForHalloween · 27/10/2012 15:22

Yanbu. I'd have been really annoyed at being badgered like that. You did well to stay polite in the face of that.

MrsCantSayAnything · 27/10/2012 15:53

You should for sure find out the name of the cleaning company and tell them what happened. Tesco should have apologised too!

TidyGOLDDancer · 27/10/2012 16:21

I too think this was a misguided attempt at helping you. She went too far, but I don't think this is awful.

MrsCantSayAnything · 27/10/2012 16:25

What?? The OP told her she was fine! The cleaner then went on and on. If a cleaner offered me for example a chair for my elderly Gran and Gran said "No thank you" and the cleaner then went on and on....that would be weird!

kim147 · 27/10/2012 16:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TidyGOLDDancer · 27/10/2012 16:28

As I said, misguided and went too far. But I think that's all it is, I suspect a lot of people are jumping to conclusions that that the OP was being judged for BFing in public. I don't think that's what's happened here, unless we are due a drip feed of information.

Whooooosualsuspect · 27/10/2012 16:30

I don't think the cleaner was judging her, I think she was trying to help her.

Sirzy · 27/10/2012 16:31

They can't do anything directly if it is a contract cleaner. All they can do is let the company know and ask them to deal with it.

kim147 · 27/10/2012 16:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Aspiemum2 · 27/10/2012 16:35

So the cleaner carries on approaching women in this way and perhaps next time it's a nervous first time breast feeder who agrees to go and lock herself away?? No, no, no - OP should definitely say something IMO

Whooooosualsuspect · 27/10/2012 16:38

Well maybe someone should have a word with her, but I wouldn't want her head on a stick.

Does the OP want her sacked? The outrage on this thread is a little OTT, she didn't tell her to get out of the cafe did she?

MrsDeVere · 27/10/2012 16:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Whooooosualsuspect · 27/10/2012 16:40

OK, complain to her boss then.

EnglishGirlApproximately · 27/10/2012 16:40

The OP should ask for her comments to be passed to the site manager so the cleaner can be spoken to, its a training need I think. Its way OTT to go to the chief executive. That could mean a huge problem for the cleaner who was, however misguided, trying to help.

LadyEvilBeagle · 27/10/2012 16:42

I'd complain to the Cleaning Company, then the Tesco Board of Directors, then the Council then the Government and then the European Court of Human Rights.
Then I would make sure the cleaner would lose her thankless minimum wage job and never work again.
Or just forgot about it, put it down as a bit of thoughtlessness on behalf of the cleaner, who was trying to help and just chill.Wink.

Aspiemum2 · 27/10/2012 16:42

I think people are more outraged at tescos response. I don't get the impression that the OP wants anything drastic to happen, maybe just a word in the cleaners ear and perhaps a polite "sorry this happened to you, we'll take steps to make sure it doesn't happen again" from tescos.

kim147 · 27/10/2012 16:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.