Tag Archives: Unsolicited Formula Samples

Motherhood Maternity Boycott Update

I don’t know about any of you, but I received an email back from the Destination Maternity Marketing Partnerships department. Here’s what it said:

Good morning,

On behalf of Destination Maternity Corporation we deeply apologize for your disappointment with our Perks Program and we appreciate you taking the time to provide us with your feedback.

After signing up for the Perks Program at the time of check out, you are to receive special offers and coupons via email, as well as through the mail, from our preferred partners such as Huggies, Enfamil and many more. These items could be anything from special offers and coupons to informational brochures, relating to this exciting time in your life.

We have several safeguards in place to ensure that our team members properly explain the program to all clients, and that our clients fully understand the program before accepting.

We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused to you as a valued customer, and would be more than happy to have your email and physical address removed from all mailing lists. However, in order to do so, we will need your full name and address as provided at the point of sale. Please send us this information at your earliest convenience.

Please feel free to contact us if we can provide any further assistance in this matter.

Best regards,
DMC Marketing Partnerships

And here is my response:

DMC Marketing Partnerships,

 

Thank you for offering to take me off of the list, but I have already called and asked to be taken off.
My problem is not with the Perks Program, but rather Destination Maternity’s choice in partners. Personally, I fully understood that I would be receiving coupons and magazines in the mail—which I was happy about. The problem is when something like formula goes from simply sending me coupons that I can choose whether or not to use to actually sending formula. I understand that you are not responsible for what they choose to send me after being put on their list, but you are responsible for choosing to partner with someone who will send formula samples out to fragile new moms in hopes that they will give up on breastfeeding and “get hooked” on their brand of formula.
I would love to continue shopping at Destination Maternity stores. I would actually love to be on your mailing list because I did get many things that were nice to have. The problem is that I can not support a company that chooses to partner with another company that has obvious malicious intent. Destination Maternity could even do something as simple as an option to opt in to receive information on formula for mothers who think they may want to use it. Even an option to opt out of receiving formula information would be better than nothing.
Thank you for your time
I don’t think they really understood the point we are trying to make at all. This is more than simply wanting to be taken off of their mailing list. This is looking out for the interests of all new and future moms with intent to breastfeed. Formula companies are taking away the decision that a mother makes of whether or not to breastfeed by forcing the formula into the homes of these moms. It is absolutely wrong. They are stealing the possibility of a healthier life for that baby because they want money.

Motherhood Maternity Boycott

Hello all!

I am amazed at all of the comments I’ve received and continue to receive on my last post about a possible boycott of Motherhood Maternity. There seems to be a resounding “Yes!” that we should indeed boycott, so I’ve written this letter for everyone to send in. You’re welcome to edit and add as you’d like.

Since this is an issue with a partnership that they have, I feel it prudent to send these letters to the Vice President of Marketing Partnerships Zanny Oltman. You’re welcome to also send the message to the general marketing partnerships department. Here are the email addresses:

zoltman {at} destinationmaternity {dot} com

marketingpartnerships {at} destinationmaternity {dot} com

This boycott involves all Destination Maternity stores and brands. Be sure to watch out for their brands when shopping for maternity clothes at Babies R Us, Macy’s, and Kohl’s too. A complete list can be found here: http://destinationmaternitycorp.com/HomeBrand.asp

Here’s the email:

To Whom It May Concern,

I am one of the many mothers who gave my information to a store representatives at one of your Destination Maternity Corporation stores (Motherhood Maternity, Pea in the Pod, and/or Destination Maternity) and consequentially had infant formula samples sent to me by one of your “select partners”. I, along with the other mothers who have been and will continue to send you these emails, urge you to rethink your “partnership” with these formula companies. While many moms do choose to formula feed—which is their decision to make—I choose not to, but having these actual cans of formula sitting in my house puts me at risk of ending my breastfeeding relationship prematurely. It puts all mothers and babies who are sent these cans of formula at risk. No matter the determination of a mother to breastfeed, having those cans sitting there calling to her in the middle of the night when she’s sleep deprived, likely in pain, and just looking for some relief, can easily act as a detriment to her choice to breastfeed. Formula companies know this and take advantage of it by sending formula to expecting mothers through “partnerships” such as the one you are involved in and giving away free formula to hospitals to give away to new parents. Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative, Ban the Bags and Best for Babes are just three organizations that recognize the harm this free infant formula can cause.

We send you these emails to inform you that until you cease this partnership, we will no longer be shopping at your stores or buy your brands. We also plan to send the message along to all current and future moms we encounter that Motherhood Maternity, Pea in the Pod, and Destination Maternity stores do not value breastfeeding by holding this partnership. On the contrary, you are risking ending your breastfeeding relationship prematurely by shopping at these stores.

Thank you for your time,

{insert your name here}

Lastly, please leave a comment here letting me know that you have sent in an email to Destination Maternity so that we can kind of keep count of how many of us are joining in the boycott. Thank you all for joining me in this cause against breastfeeding booby traps!

Should We Boycott Motherhood Maternity?

As many of you know, I wasn’t married when I first got pregnant. We actually got married when I was about 4 months along, which was fine by me because we were planning on it anyway and had been dating for 3 years.

Anywho, that’s not the point of this post.

So before I got married, I didn’t really need maternity clothes and I didn’t buy any baby-related things. I only went to a maternity store once because I needed a swimsuit for my honeymoon and I refused to wear my bikinis of my pre-pregnancy years with my newly growing belly.

The store I went to was Motherhood Maternity.

When you’re checking out at this store, they ask for your info. A friend of mine told me that I should give it to them because they send you free baby magazines and what not, so I did. I did indeed get free baby magazines. I also got a ton of pregnancy and baby-related ads in the mail. And I got a big box of formula.

When I was pregnant and I received this box of formula, I was simply annoyed. This was before my Lactating Girl days and I was thoroughly planning on breastfeeding without supplementation, but I didn’t know much about Booby Traps. I went to immediately throw it away, but my mom said that she should give it to my sister-in-law who formula feeds. My mom rarely sees my sister-in-law (because it turns out that whole family is awful, but that’s an entirely different subject) so it sat in my mom’s pantry up until just recently when she threw it out because it was past its expiration date. She actually thinks it might have been part of the formula recalled for bug parts too.

In my annoyance, I called the company (I’m guessing it’s Similac since that’s the recalled bug parts company assuming my mom was right) and got taken off of their list. At the time I hadn’t connected Motherhood Maternity into it.

Then just recently, I started getting more baby stuff in the mail. I got a couple of magazines which I don’t hate getting even though I don’t really have much time for magazines. It was then that I made the connection that Motherhood Maternity must be giving away my information. How is it them and not any other company I bought maternity clothes, baby things, or anything else from? Everything was being sent to my mother’s house and to me with my maiden name.

So they’re giving me free baby magazines. Oh well? Since Peanut is closing on two, they probably figure I’m going to get pregnant again soon. I wonder if they have everyone on a two year clock in their system? Either way, I didn’t particularly mind.

Until I got another big box of formula.

This time, I was livid. How are you sending me, Lactating fricking Girl a big box of formula?!? After I specifically called and was taking off your list (assuming it was the same formula company as before which I think it was by the size/color of the box, but I’m not sure). Raaaaaaaaar!!!!!!

So I called Motherhood Maternity. They said that they do give information to “select partners”. Why exactly are they choosing to partner with a formula company? Why is this formula company trying to get as much actual formula in my house as possible? I mean, it’s one thing to send me coupons and let me choose whether or not I want it in my house, but to send me actual cans of formula is wrong. They’re hoping that I’ll be crying in the middle of the night as a new mother and decide to give my baby some of their formula. Then they’ll have me hooked! Then I can spend thousands of dollars on their formula over the next year. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!

I am this close to boycotting Motherhood Maternity entirely for partnering with such a company. I realize all formula companies send out boxes of actual formula samples, but I think it should take signing up with the actual formula company for it. If you truly want the formula, sure, send samples. Don’t send samples to every unsuspecting woman who shops at the biggest maternity store in my area!

So internets, I ask you for your opinion on what I should do about this mess. Is this boycott worthy? Possibly just worth some strongly worded letters to Motherhood Maternity and/or formula companies? Whatever conclusion we all come to, will you join me in this fight?