AIBU to want free delivery on formula

[Tangoandcreditcards]

I'm ffing my 2 month-old. (From birth, I've had a double mastectomy) I've been stewing about this for a month.

I ordered a load of formula to be delivered to my local Boots (5 doors down, as opposed to "the high street" which is further away, it's a tiny Boots, so doesn't stock the formula I'm using in the quantity I need (hence the order).

If you spend over £20 online for store delivery online you get free delivery. So I ordered a little over £20 worth. When the transaction went through I got charged for delivery. I contacted them for a delivery refund and was told that because it was formula, they legally can't have any offers on it, and I would have to be charged (£3.95!).

I do appreciate why it's illegal advertise/promote formula for newborns, and why breastfeeding is encouraged by HCPs because I do actually understand that some women might want/need some encouragement and education to choose BFing.

However... BFing is free, FFing is not, and NO-ONE is going to switch to formula because they can get free blooming delivery on it (or loyalty points, for that matter). I feel cheated. Maybe I am just being precious about 4 quid because I'm overly sensitive about the subject. I'll obviously just get off my bum and go somewhere else to get it, but I'm enraged at the fact that I have to, it just seems like legislation taken a bit too far to me! Who can I complain to? Is it poor interpretation of the law or just that the rules don't make sense? AIBU to think that economic sanctions (!!) on FFing parents are unfair?

Boots are a shambles. I think it's appalling they charge for delivery to store full stop. Home delivery I can accept, but FFS you're going into their shop to buy something and being penalised because they don't stock it, not just because you want to shop from home. Massive bug bear of mine. I'm currently boycotting them, for that and because the staff in my local branch are horrendously inept and rude.

They have calculated breast feeding is more expensive owing to the cost of calories in compared to the cost of fornula.

Really? I can see that if you buy lots of 'stuff' (breastfeeding tops, pumps, bras, etc) it might add up. I can't see how a breastfeeding mother needs to spend £10ish (is that right, roughly a tin a week?) on extra calories.

I can't see how a breastfeeding mother needs to spend £10ish (is that right, roughly a tin a week?) on extra calories.

I easily spent that. I was ravenous! And I didn't put on any weight either.

I ate too much even when ff so I dunno :-/

I've spent way more because dd on severely restricted diet so I am too ; allergens travel through the breast .
Feeding dd for 26 mths has cost me a fortune but saved the NHS a bigger one in specialised formula .

'They'? Bernies????

Where is this calculation?

Surely that depends on what foods you get the calories from?

Yet another stigma faced by FF mothers. I fully agree with the law restricting formula companies but not the customers.

I've formula fed all three of mine and each time before leaving the hospital I have been given the NHS Guide to Bottle feeding (I think that's what it's called) leaflet & on the community midwifes first visit she has gone through how to prepare a bottle step by step. They made absolutely no recommendations re which bottles/teats/formula to use but for preparation based questions they did help.

The hospital I had my children also still provide formula & bottles for the baby in the hospital. It wasn't until I had my youngest (3 years ago) & was specifically looking at baby related threads on MN that I realised this wasn't the case throughout the NHS anymore.

YANBU Don't really see how free delivery when you spend over £20 is exactly an "offer". Hardly BOGOF is it?!

FWIW, waitrose do free delivery when you spend £50 so if you were buying a few boxes of formula and a few groceries, I'm guessing that would work?

Delivery is NEVER free. It costs the company money. It's basically a discount to offer free delivery, e.g. If delivery costs £10, a tin of milk is £10 and you get free delivery for spending £30, then that works out effectively the same as a 3 for 2 promotion, since it costs the same to buy 3 tins delivered, as 2.

Bulk buy promotions such as free delivery are designed to get people to consume more of a product. It's a form of marketing the same as any other.

It's the 'genuine reason for not breastfeeding' that I think is probematic, leaving docs to decide who they think 'ought' to bf.

There could be NICE guidelines to assist - the test should be if patients are medically incapable of breastfeeding or it is contra-indicated.

Medics have to follow NICE guidelines and/or make judgements like that daily when prescribing. I don't see it as a big deal.

Oh - and re the "medically incapable" bit, I have no problem with fathers who are primary careers and those looking after looked after children in care getting free formula, if they wanted it

Had interesting email discussion with boots about a year ago. I needed some surgical sprit. In boots it was over £8 and in super drug £1 ish for more. Out of interest I sent them a polite email just questioning why there was such a difference in the price. Had a polite email back saying it was because I would get points if I bought the surgical spirit from them!

All the money that is spent on breastfeeding paraphernalia is unnecessary - the proof? That for 99.9% of human history babies were fed on their mothers milk and mostly thrived, and if they didn't thrive, it wasn't for the lack of breast pads or a Jojo Mamon breastfeeding top. Breastfeeding mothers mostly have enough spare fat after pregnancy to supply their breastfeeding calories, and if not can eat an extra 500 calories, which they can get from a Mars bar and two slices of thickly buttered toast something healthy and cheap like a boiled egg and a bowl of yogurt.

7 pounds worth of points London?

I know ledkr must be gold plated points. Needless to say guess where I bought it!

Amazon deliver without issues

Mini
Yes I agree with you partially - nursing bras are an essential and are expensive . I have bought four day bras and three night bras - that's in two years . Around £150 I guess . I didn't bother with bf tops , just wore hnm vests .
And my diet is hugely expensive - I have moaned plenty on mn about it and the lack of NHS support for bf mothers in a restricted diet due to babies with allergies .

Well my dd1 completely failed to thrive on breast milk so mini fingers please be more tactful with the lecture

That for 99.9% of human history babies were fed on their mothers milk and mostly thrived, and if they didn't thrive, it wasn't for the lack of breast pads or a Jojo Mamon breastfeeding top

No - but a good pump (and accoutrements) is rather essential and expensive for us exclusive expressers. .

The idea that breastfeeding costs money is just rubbish, you can choose to spend money on breastfeeding if you wish but you really don't need to.

bought a breastfeeding bra ( which I have found pointless, I just wear my normal bras and slip the strap down over my shoulder) and a pack of washable breast pads. That cost less than 20 pounds for both items.

I use real butter rather than low fat margarine and I have full fat milk on my cereal, apart from that I eat as I did pre-pregnancy.

Ds is 16 months old, im pregnant again and intend to feed both children for as long as they want, 20 pounds for a possible 3/4 years of constant breastfeeding seems pretty cheap to me.

I understand than some people need to pump but I think that is an unusual situation and there should be help for those women to buy a good pump and the storage bags for the milk.

Walton, how did mothers manage to breastfeed before they could buy special nursing bras? How do all those women in developing countries today who have no money for specialist clothes manage to breastfeed, and with far fewer problems on the whole than us?

Nursing bras are nice to have. They are NOT essential to breastfeeding.

Exclusive expressers need a pump.

Exclusive expressing is rare.