It seems as though Wal-Mart continues to annoy me on a regular basis. But, their latest stunt is truly the last straw for me. There were the reports of their associates earning way below the poverty line, their violating of Child Labor Laws, and Chinese factory workers being treated poorly; just to name a few of their atrocities. Of course, if you are a proponent of the Nestle Boycott  you probably do not shop at Wal-Mart already. But now - it’s personal.

Wal-Mart has dreamed up an event, most likely to boost their declining sales this year, called “All Things Baby”, which is scheduled for February 3rd. Go to their “All Things Baby” event and receive: “Bundles of information and helpful ideas and solutions.” And . . . drum roll please . . .  You can even enjoy a “complimentary gift bag with samples (while supplies last)!!” 

Hmmm . . . I wonder what those generous samples will be? I’ll give you a hint . . . “Take part in an exclusive Nutrition & Feeding Educational Seminar sponsored by Similac”.

According to many studies and supported by the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition, “free gifts (formula and breastfeeding diaper bags) are a marketing technique used to boost sales of formula, and evidence now shows that these free gifts hurt breastfeeding”. They also note that this marketing scam is so effective they use these campaigns in marketing classes and trainings!

It is undisputable: If a mom has formula in her pantry she is more likely to use it in the middle of the night when she is tired, hormonal and desperate for some help. That one bottle is the beginning of an unfair and dangerous road that will ultimately lead to breastfeeding failure. 

So, I may just head to the Wal-Mart near me in Frederick, Maryland, with some breastfeeding info. to pass around. Maybe I’ll have a seat at their “helpful seminar” and, just to prove a point, come out of retirement and breastfeed my two year old! lol!

Consider going there yourself to help these unsuspecting new moms who will be bombarded will “helpful information”. Enter your zip code on the bottom of the “all Things Baby” page to find a participating store near you.

For more info. about the Nestle Boycott you can also go to the Baby Milk Action website.  

For more annoying Walmart antics check out: WakeUpWalmart.com.

breastfeeding

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007 at 1:25 pm and is filed under Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding in the News, Lactivism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.