No boots advantage points on infant formua!? - punishing us bottle feeders!wrong

[Rachyrach26]

I've just come across this thread after hearing that boots, tesco etc don't allow you to 'collect' point when buying formula. I ff my first child who is now four and I'm expecting my 2nd who I also intend to ff. I attempted to bf but my body didn't produce enough milk, I certainly do not feel like a failure and I don't think any women should you have produce a baby!!!!

I can understand if the government or companies do wish to double your points per pound regarding formula but I do not see why they do not simply keep it inline with other products in the store. It is simply part of the shopping list as are nappies, wipes etc. IN no way do I see it as a 'reward' when the product is a necessity.

Advertising for any company is the key to sales and yes most companies are like sharks regarding this but for a lot of people ff is just the route they have to go, it's not about having a cute baby on the front or a teddy or buy one get one half price, it's simply about providing the best for your child which is what every parent wants.

 

[HellBunny]

Sadly its the case with every point system, no clubcard points, no nectar points, no boots points etc, its abit daft really, as if a few measley clubcard points are going to sway your decision to breastfeed or not! What i don't understand is if they allow points on nappies then they should with formula, after all, nappies are horrendous to the environment creating huge problems (by the way i use disposables AND cloth before anyone jumps on me) yet i get clubcard points on those too! But i can't have them on formula.

 

[HellBunny]

Do they allow clubcard points on the follow on milk?

 

[kat2504]

yes they do allow them on follow on milk, that is one reason why people switch milk at 6 months. It is only first milk that they are not allowed to offer rewards for.

The vast majority of the price of formula is spent on promotion and marketing, rather than the cost of producing the actual milk. If the formula giants spent less of our money on their massive marketing campaigns which often go against the guidelines that they are supposed to follow, then formula milk would be much cheaper for everyone.

 

[skunkpixie]

But surely its not just the cost of marketing that will keep formula expensive, but politics to?

Surely there would be uproar if the price of formula actually went down for any reason? People would say that it's not supporting breastfeeding if formula is made more accessible and affordable.

 

[ktod]

The funny thing is most people without kids don't even realise first milk isn't allowed to be advertised cos there are adverts for follow on milk on all the time. It defeats the purpose cos they all know the brands from the follow on ads!! Don't take it personally Boots would love to give points if they could... It really does boost their sales, have you ever seen the people that save their Xmas shopping for the mega points evenings!!!!

 

[devon_91x]

I work for Sainsburys and im not allowed to use my discount on formula either!

 

[dizz]

But surely its not just the cost of marketing that will keep formula expensive, but politics to?

Surely there would be uproar if the price of formula actually went down for any reason? People would say that it's not supporting breastfeeding if formula is made more accessible and affordable.

Yep - they're realistically never ever ever, even if all the adverts vanished from the screens tomorrow, going to be allowed to slash the price of formula to reflect that reduced advertising spend - hell there are regular threads on here complaining it's TOO cheap, raise the price and squeeze the evil bottle feeders MORE (because that'll obviously mean we all immediately relactate won't it).

And since formula companies are all in league with Satan - they're really going to altruistically pass on any budget savings to poor hard-pressed mums and not just pocket the extra profit anyway aren't they?

 

[jessicaR4bbit]

To be honest, I don't understand the rage over loss of Boots points when you buy formula? I've bought formula in the recent past when I almost gave up breastfeeding and couldn't care less about what I spent on it. In fact the price never crossed my mind. I understand why retailers aren't allowed to promote infant formula and 'reward' purchasing it. Why should women be rewarded for formula feeding and breastfeeding mothers not rewarded for breastfeeding? Yeah, breast is free and formula costs money, I get that. But if you can't breastfeed a baby for whatever reason what do you expect? Free formula? Free food to feed a baby? I treated it like I was buying him food like I buy myself and my partner food. It costs roughly the same to feed a baby per week as it does to feed me. And the cost is worth it to you know... keep a baby alive. I had to consider this when breastfeeding almost didn't work out for me, I didn't complain. Not being able to cash in on boots points for 6 months worth of formula and having a bitch about it, turning it into -yet again- a formula vs breastfeeding controversy, is petty.

Also, I still have ready made Enfamil formula sitting in my pantry if and when I need it. So I don't think formula is evil just in case someone was ready to jump on me for being a breastfeeding formula hating mum.

 

[bubbles123]

I make sure I never buy formula from places that do points etc. I stick to ASDA or Morrisons to avoid the awkward ' have you got a clubcard? oh yeah you can't use it' conversations. Makes me feel like I'm buying contraband! Once she's on 3 meals a day I will switch her to follow on and get that from Boots for the points. I undestand the reasons for the ban but there is no denying it makes you feel like rubbish as a other. That's why I stick to Morrisons as it's just like buying a normal product.

 

[readytotry]

No gimmicks, no confusing promotions - a clear, single price to compare. Means companies have to compete on keeping that price low rather than hide the true price with bogof and points. We'd be much better off if all products were sold this way.

I don't think this is really about choosing between bfing and formula, the ban on deals is about helping keep it simple to choose between formulas.

 

[CoffeePuffin]

I think it's right that they don't reward for buying formula, and I'm a formula feeder myself. Breastfeeding mum's don't get any kind of points or rewards so why should bottle feeders? And unfortunately there ARE women that would choose to formula feed instead of breastfeed, if it meant they could get points for it.

 

[socitycourty]

I don't know how it works here because I usually buy my formula from Diapers.com, and they don't give the 5% back on formula but they do on everything else. I have also bought formula from Wal Mart, Babies R us, Target and Walgreens. I don't know if it was counted towards my rewards card or anything.
I think in the UK it is a big deal to promote BF? i'm not sure but I know that it's not such a big deal here, I don't really care about getting points back for FF as I have no choice whatsoever, I have to buy it. I wish they would send more samples from time to time though!

In a pro BF debate I was reading one time the BF promoter was saying that FF is encouraged because moms get a ton of samples and coupons, etc. I got one sample package right before my due date, and I threw it out because I didn't think I would ever use it. So I didn't get a "ton" of stuff from Similac, I rarely even get mail from them now.

 

[skunkpixie]

Yes here in the UK they companies are not allowed to promote formula milk that is "suitable from birth".This also includes no offers like buy one get one free, half price etc, no TV ads or any adverts of any kind and no free samples. Even most hospitals here now have stopped supplying FF mothers with free formula at the hospital and women who chose to FF are asked to bring their own. xxx

 

[socitycourty]

i got FF at the hospital because of severe jaundice/weight loss. but they weren't just giving it out.

 

[Bunnikins]

BF mums may not get points of their milk, but i did get points when i bought my BF cover, breast pump and shields from there (in fact i got loads of points cos im in the parenting club and i think u get 10 points per pound spent on baby related stuff!)

I wouldnt buy formula from boots anyway. I bought one of those little cartons of HIPP formula from there the other day to give my baby to try to see if she liked it (she did!). It was 69p. I since noticed it was 65p in both superdrug and at the supermarket. I know its not much, but Boots is obv more expensive. I assumed the cartons would be a set price like the tins.

 

[K1RSTY]

Hi,

I was none the wiser of this until about a month ago. I was always buying the formula from Boots and using my advantage card thinking I was getting points for my purchase. I figured that I was buying it every week anyway, why not get a little extra for it? (Obviously unbeknown to me that formula from birth is exempt from the scheme!) I wasn't too fussed as I'd still be buying it from Boots even if I wasn't an advantage card holder as it seems to be the only store in my area that stocks the one we use regularly.

I now buy it from Morrisons with my weekly food shop.

To echo what a lot of people have already said, I don't think it is a punishment for those not breastfeeding. I'm sorry that you feel that it is.

Kirsty x

 

[mrsbeano]

Kind of related but from what I understand, follow on milk was invented to get around the ban on infant milk promotions. My sister has been using this since 17 weeks when she started early weaning to get the points.

I'm unsure of the benefits of follow on milk but think it is probably aimed at babies who are completely weaned but she moved on early because of the available promotions.

FFers are demonised and if you're unhappy with not BFing for whatever reason, you do feel punished by these tactics.

 

[kat2504]

It isn't demonising. It is a strategy to prevent formula companies making even more profit from new mothers. even with the rules on advertising etc, the vast majority of babies in this country are formula fed by 3 months old, either exclusively or at least partially. A very high majority of women use formula milk at some point even if they mostly breastfeed. The rules on promoting baby milk do not just apply to this country by the way.
I can't see how anyone is demonising you. You go to the shop, you buy the milk, you pay for it, you go home. Just because you don't get advantage points for it does not mean you are being punished. I don't expect to get a 4p reward per ten ounces of breastmilk that I feed my baby any more than I expect to get a 4p in the pound reward for any cartons of formula I give him.
The rules about baby formula promotion are not just to increase bf rates, although that is their main purpose. They also want to protect formula fed babies by ending the massive cost inflation of formula which is driven by marketing. As a result of this many mothers who are less well off, particularly in developing countries, end up trying to dilute the formula as they can't afford it, which is obviously a danger to formula fed babies. You can read about in on baby milk action's website if you are interested.

As for the hospitals, mine did give out free formula. I guess one of their reasons is that they give it out in those nice sterile bottles and if they didn't do that they would be responsible if mothers did not prepare formula properly, as not everyone can afford those massively expensive hospital packs. However, I don't really see that they should give out free formula any more than they should give out free nappies.

 

[bubbles123]

I completely get the rules about no promotions, buy one get one frees etc on formula and I think they make sense. I think reward points are more controversial as they are given to you for choosing to buy a product from a particular shop. They are not rewarding you for buying a certain product or giving money to formula companies so I can see why banning them annoys people. And to be fair it is a bit stupid. I bought a milk powder dispenser from Boots with my points, obviously for formula but that's OK. It just seems a bit arbitrary. I can see both sides I suppose.