Jenna Murphy said a ‘basic human right’ was removed from her toddler Katie at the store
A mother was left furious after her 20-month-old toddler was told to stop drinking water at a B&M Bargains store.
Jenna Murphy said a ‘basic human right’ was removed from her toddler Katie at the shop in Driffield, East Yorkshire.
The 32-year-old claimed an employee told her there was ‘no eating or drinking’ allowed in the shop – a health and safety rule applying to everyone, including her child, even though she had a spill-proof.
She said: ‘At about 3pm I was in there, and my little girl was in her pushchair drinking water out of a spill-proof cup.
‘I usually go in there every day to buy a small bottle of pop or something, and end up spending a couple of quid.
‘When I went over to the till a woman who worked there said there was no eating or drinking allowed in the shop.
‘I looked at Katie and asked whether she meant the baby, and she just said, “No one can”.’
Mrs Murphy, who was left shocked and angry by the incident, added: ‘I was joking about it with my husband saying what would have happened if I went in tomorrow and started breastfeeding her.
‘If I could I would probably avoid going in there again, but we have not got a lot of choice in Driffield. I have had a rant about it on social media.
An employee is said to have told Mrs Murphy, 32, that there was ‘no eating or drinking’ allowed in the shop – a rule applying to everyone, including her 20-month-old daughter Katie
‘Apparently I am not the first person it has happened to. Babies make a lot of noise, and to keep them quiet sometimes you have to give them drinks and snacks.
‘I have never been anywhere and had a problem before. I have even been in clothes shops when Katie has been drinking her bottle and no one has ever said anything to me. She is just a little girl, and I don’t really understand what has happened.’
B&M is now investigating the incident, which took place on Monday, but insisted it has no specific policy for food and drink in its stores.
A spokesman said: ‘We take all customer complaints very seriously, we were unaware of this incident until now but will launch a full investigation into this.
‘We do not have a specific policy on eating and drinking in store, except we try to avoid spillages for the health and safety of all our customers and colleagues.
B&M, whose store in Driffield, East Yorkshire, is pictured, insisted that the company has no specific policy for food and drink in their stores
‘We would be more than happy to liaise with her to find out as much information as possible.’
Mrs Murphy, who is disappointed to have received no apology from B&M, said: ‘If there is no policy in place they should not be telling customers not to eat or drink.
‘It should be common sense that a baby should be able to eat and drink, places like Tesco give out free fruit to children.’
Mrs Murphy added that she now felt ‘a bit edgy’ about going back into the store.
Formed in 1978, discount retailer B&M employs 22,500 staff across 500 stores in Britain, with three million customers said to pass through its doors each week.