Mum claims Ikea security guard asked her to stop breastfeeding after another customer objected
Katy is pleased it happened to her and not a first time mum, who might be deeply affected by the stores managers ‘disgusting words’.
A FURIOUS mum-of-two has slammed Ikea after a member of staff asked her to stop breastfeeding because a customer had complained.
Katy Scrigna was in the Ashton branch in Manchester feeding her seven-week-old daughter when she was approached by a security guard who asked her to move to the store’s ‘designated breastfeeding area’.
She says he told her his manager, Dale, had requested she move after a complaint from a fellow shopper.
Angered by the request, Katy took to Facebook to attack the store, which she claims has broken the law by preventing her from feeding, reported the .
Ikea told the newspaper its staff had acted in error and insisted that mums were free to breastfeed anywhere in the 26,500 square metre store.
But in her post, which has been shared hundreds of times since it appeared last night, Katy hit out at her treatment.
She wrote: “Sadly, my view on Ikea has been tarnished. While walking, I was feeding my daughter as I do often. I was then approached by a security guard and told it was Ikea’s policy to not have any breastfeeding throughout the shop as you have a dedicated area for this.
“Now although I don’t believe that is truly your policy, as I don’t think it could be anybody’s policy, I am disgusted and saddened that you have employed such people.”
She claims when she spoke to the security guard’s manager he ‘made a disgusted face’ when he could see she was still feeding and repeatedly referred to her as ‘you people’.
Katy added: “Upon meeting I was still currently feeding my seven-week-old daughter as she was still hungry, nothing else for me to do! I held my hand out to introduce myself. Dale paused, made a disgusted face and thought about how to proceed.
“He eventually took my hand. I introduced myself as Katy. I then informed him that requesting I breastfeed elsewhere was against the law. He informed me Ikea has a designated breastfeeding area.
“I then informed him it was my choice not to use that, and once again he was breaking the law, I wasn’t sure if he was hard of hearing. Dale then informed me a costumer had complained. I once again said he was breaking the law, should I phone the police?”
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In the post she says how Dale continued to tell her she needed to go to the designated breastfeeding area.
She added: “Exact quote: Dale said ‘You people’ to me three times. What a disgusting, inhumane, rude, shameful, and derogatory way to refer to a breastfeeding mother.”
Katy was also with her husband and son when they visited the store on Wednesday evening.
She said she is pleased it happened to her and not a first time mum, who might be deeply affected by his ‘disgusting words’.
She said: “As many, many woman do, I had a rough start with feeding my first baby. It is tough.
“Feeding while out did not come easy. The first place I ever fed in public was on the couch, next to my husband, in the Ikea Ashton cafe.
“I felt safe there. The last 20 months of my life breastfeeding at Ikea I have had nothing but smiles from employees. Sadly today, your very own health and safety manager Dale ruined that. He took that away from all breastfeeding mums.”
The furniture store, which employs 500 people, is one of the region’s busiest retailers.
A spokesman for Ikea said: “Unfortunately, a member of staff gave the wrong information and the manager has now reiterated IKEA’s open breastfeeding policy to all members of staff
“We have an open approach to breastfeeding in all of our stores, with nursing facilities located in the restaurants and baby care areas. In addition to this, mothers are welcome to breastfeed anywhere else in store that they feel comfortable.”
Hundreds of mums have commented on Katy’s post saying they were shocked as they has only had positive experiences in Ikea.
One mum, Clare Waterfall-Hallam, said: “This is horrible. I too had my first ever public feed in Ikea. One worker once asked me if I needed a chair and bottle of water (in the candle section) to feed my daughter as she overheard me say she needed a feed.”
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