A mum says she was left shocked after being told by a Matalan staff member to go and breastfeed her baby in Asda.
Jasmin Suggit, 26, claims she was forced to leave the supermarket store in Hull with her hungry five-week-old baby, Isaac, after being told "no, not in here" by a staff member.
Hull Live reports that Ms Suggit shared her experience in the hope of "normalising" breastfeeding.
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She claims she was asked to leave the store in June after discovering the changing rooms were closed. She asked to use a seat to feed her baby instead, but says she told this was not allowed and she would have to go to nearby Asda instead.
A Matalan spokeswoman apologised for the incident, adding the company had taken "immediate actions" to look into the circumstances.
Ms Suggit said she does not want "anyone singling out", but she wants the company to promote awareness of the laws around breastfeeding amongst its staff.
She said it would have made "such a difference" to her shopping experience if the staff member had said she was welcome to take a seat and feed her baby.
In a email to Matalan, Ms Suggit said: "Yesterday I visited the Hull Mount Pleasant Matalan store with my five-week old baby to buy clothes for the whole family.
"During my visit, my son started crying as he was hungry and needed feeding. I looked around and headed towards the changing rooms as I knew they would have a seat where I could discreetly feed him but noticed they were closed.
"The store was quiet so I went over to the shoe department for a seat and, out of politeness, asked a nearby store assistant if I could feed my baby here.
"She replied 'no not in here and the bathroom is also closed. You’ll have to do that in Asda'. I was so shocked by this response that I immediately left the store with my crying newborn."
She added: "I’d like to point out that the shop assistant stated 'the bathroom is closed too'. This is suggesting that this is a suitable place to feed my baby.
"A bathroom isn’t a hygienic place to feed a baby so why was this even suggested to me.
"This also adds to my argument that she was suggesting I may not breastfeed in the store but have to go and ‘hide in the bathroom’. Please educate your staff that any women can breastfeed her baby where ever she chooses."
Ms Suggit said she had never experienced anything like it: "I should feel confident to shop in your stores with my baby without panicking about if they will need feeding and where I am able to go.
"I have never experienced this in the two years I have been a breastfeeding mother. I believe your staff need educating on the law and breastfeeding and how they can be more helpful in the future.
"I want to give you the opportunity to deal with this matter and educate your staff."
She says she then received an "impersonal" and "unsatisfactory" reply back from the Matalan customer care team offering her a 20% off online voucher.
A Matalan spokeswoman said: "We are sorry to hear of this customer’s disappointment in their experience with us.
"We want to make sure Matalan offers a welcoming and enjoyable experience for all the customers and families who shop with us, and the account that this customer has provided doesn’t sound like the high quality service that we’re committed to.
"We have taken immediate actions to look into the details of the concerns raised on this occasion, so that we can be in a position to take any further appropriate measures."
