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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be seriously contemplating legal action????

403 replies

WaitroseHater · 22/01/2010 17:57

Shopping in Waitrose this afternoon trying desperately to get baby to sleep in the process. Can't stay in the house currently during her big sleep as have builders in, so planned to do the big weekly shop. DD normally goes off to sleep like a dream but today decided she didn''t want anything without a fight.

I've learned to tune her out, apparently others havent. In the BABY aisle of all places, 2 OAP's blocked my trolley and said I was not allowed to leave the aisle until the baby stopped crying or I left the shop . DD in a sling btw. One of the OAP's SHOUTED that if I needed to 'shove your teat in its mouth then you better do it or I will take her myself and get someone to take you out'. Obv attracted other shoppers and security.

Manager came to see what the fuss was and after me explaining asked me to leave. I abandoned half-full trolley in serious flounce mode. I honestly they were being absolutely horrendously discriminatory against my crying newborn!!!! DH is being extremely unhelpful saying I should have left to 'take the high road' Do I actually have a legal case about this?

OP posts:
bibbitybobbityhat · 22/01/2010 17:59

It really is horrible being trapped in a place with a screaming baby.

rubyslippers · 22/01/2010 18:00

i would have left if the baby was screaming and not settling anyway

cocolepew · 22/01/2010 18:02

Bullshit.

Original poster
WaitroseHater · 22/01/2010 18:02

Baby was fed, winded, with a dry nappy, and just was going to scream it out regardless of where we were. I personally think she was more comfortable in a warm shop than outside in a park where she may have been 'less annoying'

OP posts:
TootaLaFruit · 22/01/2010 18:03

I don't know what your legal rights are, but this isn't the first time I've heard of an innocent party being the one asked to leave. I know someone who was verbally attacked by another customer, out of nowhere, and yet he was the one asked to leave.
I would definitely write to Waitrose head office about this - it is appalling that they (the other customers and the staff) treated you like this. YANBU.

WorzselMummage · 22/01/2010 18:03

OH MY GOD.

Is this really real ?

petitmaman · 22/01/2010 18:03

I sympathise and those women were mean but I really don't think it is a legal thing. It was unfortunate but hardly life changing. Better try somewhere else for the sleep tomorrow.

Lulumama · 22/01/2010 18:04

a legal case for what?? being asked to asked to leave a store?

what you would possibly get in 'compensation' would not be worht the price of instructing a lawyer

uf your DD was unsettled and screaming and clearly distressed , perhaps you should have taken her home or for a feed or done something else , the old women were incredibly rude and aggressive, and for that i am sorry

of course other people have not learnt to tune out your baby

you might want to consider on line shopping, supermarktes are not the place to go with small screaming childrne

GetDownYouWillFall · 22/01/2010 18:04

I can't believe they had the NERVE to speak to you like this! And then the MANAGER asked you to leave???? He should have asked them to leave! Blimey, have they never had children themselves, were they never children themselves once???

I am absolutely on your behalf.

Original poster
WaitroseHater · 22/01/2010 18:05

Apologies if I am being PFB but I honestly didn't think I would be asked to physically leave a shop if my baby was crying.

Assuredly this is very real. Am incensed.

OP posts:
bibbitybobbityhat · 22/01/2010 18:06

Its tough on you but why should the whole of Waitrose suffer? Of course no one else has tuned out of your dd's cries. Odd thing to say.

Mishy1234 · 22/01/2010 18:06

These 2 OAP's sound like nutters to me. Babies cry and sometimes there's nothing to be done apart from waiting it out.

I don't know about legal action, but I would definitely write to Waitrose head office and make a complaint about the manager and the way the incident was handled.

Lulumama · 22/01/2010 18:07

your baby was screaming loud enough for 2 older women to be concerned, perhaps you need to focus on that, rather than suing??

Original poster
WaitroseHater · 22/01/2010 18:07

As stated Lulu can not do online shopping, have builders in the house which wouldn't have helped her sleep at all. Choice of: doing shopping which needed to be done with her cuddled up snugly into me fed, warm, and dry OR walking in the cold both of us that much more miserable and not getting shopping done.

OP posts:
YoMoJo · 22/01/2010 18:08

OMG that is shocking!

I would write or even phone Waitrose customer services department - the manager should not have made you leave!

So what if the baby is crying that is what they do! Fair enough other peoples children are always more grating than your own & it can be real nightmare having to listen to other peoples kids making a noise but that is what happens in public places!

To be honest though if my baby was making that much noise I would have gone somewhere quieter & tried to settle him but still - that does not give people the right to pen you in an aisle & then be told to leave the store!

I am so for you!

ImSoNotTelling · 22/01/2010 18:08

I don't think it is very helpful to instruct the OP that she should refrain from going into shops

Babies cry sometimes. Normal people and normal supermarket managers understand that.

I am that this happened to you but would say that the vast vast majority of people are normal and understand that babies cry. This was a freak occurence.

Please do not feel that you have to leave the vicinity of all other human beings if your baby starts to cry.

Original poster
WaitroseHater · 22/01/2010 18:08

Comment about no one tuning out her cries was meant to be sarcasm.

OP posts:
activate · 22/01/2010 18:09

Don't believe you.

Something else happened here. Or nothing happened at all.

GetDownYouWillFall · 22/01/2010 18:09

I think a lot of the posters on here are the ones being unreasonable. Seriously, have you never had a screaming baby?

MorrisZapp · 22/01/2010 18:10

That is unbelievable!

Sorry, I just don't believe this.

Mishy1234 · 22/01/2010 18:10

bibbitybobbithat- are you kidding? Babies cry, that's a fact and parents can't be expected to run off home each time it happens in case they make people around them "suffer"!

Lulumama · 22/01/2010 18:11

on line shopping i found was godsend when the DCs were tiny.

they always seemed to want a feed/do a poo/scream as soon as we got in the supermarkt

i believe in trying to make life less stressful

it ws not a suggestion she should avoid all shops

but considering legal action is way OTT

ImSoNotTelling · 22/01/2010 18:11

I find it hard to believe that a waitrose manager behaved like that.

Waitrose / John Lewis can do no wrong in my eyes

Lulumama · 22/01/2010 18:12

yes, i've had screamiong babies, and if they have been terribly upset , i found taking them into a mother and baby room to soothe them was better all round than carrying on trying to be oblivious

MummyDoIt · 22/01/2010 18:12

I remember pushing DS1 around Sainsbury in his pram, screaming his head off. I felt awful about him disturbing other shoppers and dashed round as fast as I could (just a few items I absolutely HAD to have that day). An old lady smiled at me and said, 'That's a very newborn cry' and fussed over DS1, then assured me that it gets easier. I have never forgotten her kindness and sympathy. I wish you'd encountered an OAP like her.

I would complain to Waitrose. At the very least, the Manager could have fast-tracked you through the checkouts with whatever shopping you'd managed to do.

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