A mother was reduced to tears by a store manager who allegedly scolded her and her partner for breastfeeding in his shop.
The incident took place at The Oracle shopping center in Reading, England, where Emma O’Reilly had an unpleasant experience at her local Pret a Manger sandwich shop.
According to the upset mom, she wanted to feed her 9-week-old baby when the shop’s manager told her partner, Joe, that she should cover up and feed her baby discreetly when the man tried to place an order, BerkshireLive reported.
Emma allegedly went on to claim that the manager had told Joe that breastfeeding “isn’t really allowed” at their place.
Recalling the awkward situation that reduced her to tears, Emma explained how she breastfed her baby in a secluded area near the lavatories.point 377 |
Nevertheless, she was spotted by the manager who took up the issue with Joe, prompting the mother to turn her back on the rest of the shop so that other people wouldn’t see her cry.point 149 | 1
“It’s knocked my confidence a lot, breastfeeding is completely natural and if you haven’t been a parent you might not know what it’s like,” Emma said.
“I tried to contact Pret Customer Services but they almost brushed me off, it was as if they weren’t taking it very seriously at all.”
After the embarrassing experience, Emma took her issue to Facebook where she received support from fellow parents who made her feel better about her situation.
“Everyone in the groups has been so supportive and rightly so, outraged,” Emma added as she called for “more awareness and better education around breastfeeding.”
Following the public outrage, a spokesperson for the Pret a Manger spoke out to reassure mothers that they are allowed to breastfeed in their stores.
“Women are absolutely free to breastfeed in our shops should they wish to. We have no special policy on this that would say otherwise,” they said.
“The incident in our shops was a misunderstanding and we’re so sorry for causing any confusion or unintended disrespect.”
What are your thoughts on this matter? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to SHARE this post with your family and friends. For more news and stories, follow us on Facebook!