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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To really dislike those Bounty packs that get forced upon us, whether we want them or not?

326 replies

electra · 10/09/2008 22:13

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised since everything is a commodity today. But for some reason I find them in such poor taste. You go for a booking appointment with a midwife, so very early on in a pregnancy and it's an opportunity for you to be bombarded with advertisements for oak cots and so on...

I feel it's not entirely appropriate that healthcare providers buy into this kind of thing and endorse it and I felt the same when I was given one after dd2 was born and I barely had the energy to mumble 'I don't want one thanks'

OP posts:
KelaH · 11/09/2008 13:37

Oh, I agree about the bloody over-enthusiastic photographer - DD was asleep in her cot (pretty impressive at 12 hours old!)when she came round and she couldn't see why I wouldn't lift her out and lie her on the bed for a photo - did get the pack first though

georgimama · 11/09/2008 14:33

In my hospital the mad photographer lady was different from the mad Bounty Lady. I just asked the photo lady to come back later, and when she came back onto the ward I spotted her coming and closed my curtains. I didn't WANT a photo of DS lying on her manky polyester cushion thing - it looked like a funeral wreath.

I got rid of Bounty when they phoned me when DS was about 6 weeks old at about 7pm when DS was finally settling down for the evening, and it woke him up.

Bounty Person: Hello, Mrs xxx can I talk to you about insurance?

Me: No, you can't, because like every other mother of a 6 week old baby at 7pm I am trying to put him to bed. Are you stupid or something to be phoning new mothers at this time?

Worked a charm. Never heard from them again.

Original poster
electra · 11/09/2008 14:41

lol @ 'manky polyester cushion'

OP posts:
benandgerry · 11/09/2008 15:16

You are definitely NBU. Bounty packs have annoyed me for years (first as a new mother, then as HV).
The NHS shouldn't be involved in advertising and helping companies get information from parents which they can sell on or use to further target them for advertising. Also some parents think the products (eg sudocreme) are recommended by the hospital, which isn't the case.
In some areas parents are given a voucher to get their packs from Asda, much better idea IMHO.
I used the Freedom of Information Act to ask our local Healthcare Trust how much they got paid by Bounty for distributing the packs and allowing photographers access to parents - Bounty pays the Hospital £1 for every pack given out, and £3 for per person who chooses to use the photography service.

MsSparkle · 11/09/2008 15:32

I think YABU and am wondering why your griping at something that's given out for free. I would understand your argument if you had to pay a fee for them but don't and you do have the option to say no.

I thought the pre-natal ones weren't all that interesting but really liked the labour and birth ones. Full to the brim with free goodies (even if it was just washing powder samples and a toothbrush)

Plus, so what if the companies are using Bounty to advertise their products. They have to advertise somehow and some of the information can be useful to some people.

For instance i used my sample of percil non bio and thought it was rubbish where as my free sample of Fairy non bio made me want to use that product all the time, and i do.

Original poster
electra · 11/09/2008 16:43

MsSparkle - it has nothing to do with my money. I have tried to explain my objection to it. Mainly;

The NHS buying into the whole Bounty thing represents a very powerful, yet unethical statement.

Its true purpose is misrepresented to new mothers who have had all kinds of birth experiences and are in a vulnerable state of mind, therefore making them 'easy targets' for these corporate organisations.

I did say no on the second occasion but one was left with me anyway...

OP posts:
ravenAK · 11/09/2008 22:25

So the mumsnet consensus is: just give us all a handy, sample size pot of Sudocreme. Then piss off.

Should I ever go for dc4 (hell will freeze over first), that's what I'll be telling them...

Original poster
electra · 11/09/2008 22:45

lol

OP posts:
mm22bys · 11/09/2008 22:48

Just say no!

YANBU. They are rubbish, didn't bother with them second time round.

HarryAndRon · 11/09/2008 23:15

oh, but I loved all the freebies.

and I ignored all the leaflets....in fact, they were probably the start of my recycling future

StarlightMcKenzie · 11/09/2008 23:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

ayrshirelolo · 11/09/2008 23:37

Consensus is... Emma is a smug bitch (remember saying this to my bemused Mwife 2nd time round) but wee tub of sudocrem should be given to you with baby upon discharge. if you give them any details you get Verbodet, Grolier, and loads of other folks hassling you forever! (recently told Grolier to P**off with their Disney Princess range because i was raising two feminist babies and didn't want to pay loads of cash for their books... the silence was amazing! she had to ask me to repeat myself twice!!) anyway, i digress, and i used the fabric softener.

foxytocin · 12/09/2008 00:04

I can't believe so many women go batty over a wee pot of sudocreme that must cost 99p at the shops.

It must be new mother delirium.

georgimama · 12/09/2008 16:26

But it's a free 99p pot of sudocreme....

SixSpotBurnet · 12/09/2008 16:32

Oh no I clicked on this specifically to post about the teeny pots of Sudocreme .

I do hate it when something happens to remind me that I am just an ordinary quotidian pleb...

busybutterfly · 04/09/2009 22:42

I'm a Bounty lady and no-one has EVER told me to go away! People love free stuff! You're all just too too cynical

MoominMymbleandMy · 04/09/2009 23:11

My DD couldn't wait for me to use up the tiny pot of Sudocrem I got with DS so she could have it for her dolls.

I don't think you can buy them that tiny. At least I don't remember seeing any.

Firawla · 04/09/2009 23:20

Yabu i love a freebie , dont see whats so offensive about a bounty pack just chuck the advertising that you dont want.

2shoes · 04/09/2009 23:23

oh I loved them#
when I got my first one(ds is 17 now) I loved it..........it was free
so yabu

PielightIsMyNewLove · 04/09/2009 23:25

Aha a Bounty Lady

Would you like to discuss this??

LovelyTinOfSpam · 04/09/2009 23:27

Haven't read all of it. Love a freebie as well as the next woman (never heard of pregnancy bounty pack though - feeling a bit hard done by)...

But when I had DD 9 weeks ago the bounty woman was also scary hard-sell photo woman. I think it's out of order to allow someone onto post-natal ward doing serious hard sell of expensive product which is hard to refuse in tired and emotional post-birth state.

PielightIsMyNewLove · 04/09/2009 23:31

Spam, have you seen my linkie?

LovelyTinOfSpam · 04/09/2009 23:33

pie yes that's the chaps. There was a thread about it I think?

Really crappo behaviour. Fleecing brand new mums.

PielightIsMyNewLove · 04/09/2009 23:36

Come back Bounty Lady so that we can interrogate you chat some more about your product

katiepotatie · 04/09/2009 23:38

Oh you are being unreasonable, just don't accept one if you don't want it FGS!

If the hospital gets paid per pack, is that not a good thing??