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?

What lecture?

I've pointed out a blinding truth - that most babies in human history have been adequately nurtured at the breast without the need for breastfeeding equipment, other than breasts.

Well mine failed to thrive and mentioning
History doesn't change that

The rarity of exclusive expressing does not negate my need for a pump. Which, to be fair, you seem to accept anyway. So not sure where rarity fits in [puzzled]

Miaow that's a horrifying story my heart truly goes out to you

I agree. That's awful Miaow.

Mini
We aren't in a developing country , we do wear underwear , huge boobs need proper support during feeding . As for nursing in a normal bra - no way with these here breasts and a baby with reflux .
I don't know why you are so aggressive tbh , it's not as if anyone suggested the NHS supply jojo maman vouchers for bfding mothers .

Walton - I breastfed 3 children over the space of 5 years without using a nursing bra. My bra size is 34F. I wore a normal bra, slipped the strap off the shoulder and fed that way. Don't understand what difference reflux makes - nursing bras aren't vomit-proof.

Maybe my attitude comes from having grown up in countries (India, Kenya, Sri Lanka) where breastfeeding doesn't seem to necessitate routine purchases of expensive bras/pumps. Just think it's all a bit wearisome how much of a dog's dinner people seem to make over breastfeeding in the UK.

Mini it may have come easily to you it doesn't to many people I think some compassion and looking at things from others viewpoints would be good

I am compassionate towards people who struggle with breastfeeding.

Just not towards people who insist you need a trip to John Lewis maternity department in order to breastfeed successfully.

It was actually a thread about ff and pretty much everyone was in support of the op - if not everyone .
I don't know how you saw it mini , I didn't see posters over cooking an egg , apart from you that is .
I support any mum feeding her kid how she wants , wearing whatever she wants whilst sitting in whatever she wants . She can even get free delivery and points on the formula too IMHO .

Stepped away from this when it took a turn I didn't feel qualified to discuss!

Thanks to all the people who agreed that charging delivery just because it's formula is daft/unnecessary.

To be clear, I don't believe I should get free formula, i see all the problems with putting in place fair conditions on the provision for anyone. I've also never felt judged for formula feeding.

HOWEVER, what is frustrating, is that manufacturers and (in this instance) retailers are using the anti-promotion legislation to profiteer from formula feeding parents.

E.g. C&G has just gone up unilaterally (since the start of this thread!) by 6% - way over the rate of inflation. And Aptimil (which is C&G by another name) use premium pricing to promote their product as preferable. I don't have a solution (non-branded, fixed price formula maybe?) but fancy that the lack of advertising and offers hasn't eliminated all the mercenary practices around formula sales! (And it's not just the manufacturers that are at it)

Lack of advertising isn't supposed to fix mercenary practices, it's supposed to "not encourage" FF before 6m. Nothing to do with pricing etc.

Just as the government doesn't care about the price of cigarettes when banning advertising.

I am NOT saying FF is like cigarettes - I mixed fed!

I couldn't Bfed DD3, tried and failed :( So onto formula which in itself turned into a nightmare, had well meaning friends telling me I was lucky to miss out on swollen breats, sore boobs, constant feeding and expressing.
They meant well but unfortunately DD3 suffered from reflux, badly and it took 5 changes of formula before she was even remotely happy, took 2hrs to feed, would have about an hour of no feeding then we'd start all over again.
No way formula feeding was the easier option!!!!!!
Oh I used to order my wipes, creams and cotton wool while I ordered my formula to make sure I wasn't charged for delivery :)

In the past formula was I think made by the govt and was called national milk . Op I agree completely about the delivery issue being unfair

You're right of course thedoctrineofsnatch I'm just being grumpy about not being able to shop around for the best price. (My baby-gear bargain-hunting is something I'm very proud of)

Doctrine, you're right. High prices and price structuring for formula is up to the manufacturers. There is nothing to stop any or all manufacturer(s) deciding to lower prices on any or all brand(s) permanently.

For about 35 years (from the beginning of rationing in WW2 to the mid 70s) there was a product called National Dried Milk, commissioned by the government and sold cheaply through baby clinics. It existed alongside commercially-marketed formula, like SMA or Cow&Gate, which eventually supplanted it.

There is still an argument (IMO) in favour of an 'NHS formula' which would guarentee to give the best formula product at the lowest price, without the frills of a brand.

Tik Tik I think that was the product I was referring to

Tango - You are right, it's a scandal that you can't shop around for the best price. The sad fact is that the massive supermarkets (who have as much power as manufacturers) and the manufacturers have no desire to compete on price if they have to do so through long term low prices instead of special offers and BOGOFs.

I think that, if there was such a product as a non-branded not-for-profit formula, people would realise pretty quickly how much profiteering is going on in these companies. I wish someone could/would do it really. Of course they are commercial companies and need to make a profit, not denying them that, but the situation at the moment seems to be that they hide behind the code to justify high profits.

I always find these discussions difficult because I am totally supportive of ff for whatever reason. But I have real issues with many of the companies behind the products.

penguins, I have never seen any discussion of the price of formula where manufacturers' views have played a part, so I don't see any evidence they are justifying high prices by hiding behind the code. I think they charge the high prices they do because they can, and because there are many costs involved in marketing (TV advertising, customer helplines, baby clubs, 'free' tat like branded bibs and fridge magnets etc etc).

It would be interesting to see what happened if a manufacturer decided to bring out a permanently cheaper formula with no advertising or consumer reach-out at all. There would always be some consumers who would go for the most expensive, I suppose, but there'd be a market in it. The other brands would suffer as a result, and I expect this is what would stop the experiment.

Sorry if I wasn't clear Tiktok. That's kind of what I meant. They charge the high prices because they can. I've seen threads (I think on here, but maybe not) where people have written to supermarkets, etc to complain about not being allowed clubcard points, etc and have received the response "We're not allowed to by law." Which is true, but neatly sidesteps the fact that how they choose to set their base pricing of the product is within their control (supermarkets have massive power in setting the price of products they purchase, obviously).

It would be interesting to see what happened if a manufacturer decided to bring out a permanently cheaper formula with no advertising or consumer reach-out at all.

Yes - I'd be really interested to see the results of that.

I started giving DS some formula at 22 weeks as I was pregnant again when he was 16 weeks and just found the exclusive expressing along with puking totally draining.

I went for HiPP organic as it was, well, organic (supposedly) and, for me, I just resumed that all of the formulas would be much of a muchness as there would be certain mandatory standards.

However, I've got friends who told me that one formula was "closer" to breast milk than others. Can't remember which one and I didn't bother looking into it as just assumed that wasn't true. None of these friends chose to ff rather than breastfeed up to 6 months as they thought the ff milk was "as good" (using that phrase nervously) as breast milk but it was taken into consideration when they started to introduce some ff.

Gobbolino - Almost certainly Aptimil. They used that slogan for a long time until forcibly prevented from doing so and it has become a myth that still does the rounds. You even hear of MW's and HV's still trotting it out to people. Aptimil spend a particularly large budget marketing to HCPs (free pens and shit like that) so it's not that much of a surprise that their false health claims have bedded in.

Makes me very angry.

Gobb it's a common misunderstanding, based on marketing, that a particular formula is closer to breastmilk - it's usually Aptamil which has this reputation. It's not legal any more, and has not been for some years, for any manufacturer to claim this,. In fact they all reference a comparison to breastmilk in their advertising in some way, while the truth is that of course they can't all be closer to breastmilk than each other.

It's a consumer minefield, which is why it is an important part of every HCP's job to understand the different types and brands, so they can advise parents. I sometimes wonder if the ones who say 'oooooh, we are not allowed to' are just indolent about this, or perhaps badly trained.

X posted with penguins there :)

All the 'free' pens and post-it notes and workshops and presentations and goody bags they get at conferences are not 'free' at all.....they're paid for by the consumers who shell out the large amounts of cash for the product!