Got milk?

We have been long time Ikea patrons. As a matter of fact, most of our furniture at home is from Ikea. For the longest time our living room looked like a page out of their catalog (that is before kids started ruining it). We were very happy when they opened their store in Red Hook, which meant we no longer had to travel to New Jersey if we wanted to go to Ikea. What we discovered very quickly though was that the staff in the new location is less than friendly. Security guards reminded me the Soviet era customer service and why exactly everyone hated it. A few times I had an argument with guards when they insisted they knew better than me where I needed to go in a store and whether or not I can take a shopping cart there with me. Whatever. Ikea in Elizabeth is so much friendlier. And sales tax is only 3%.

So I am not surprised that a nursing mother in Ikea, Red Hook got a less than stellar treatment. Thankfully, such an incident never occurred to me, but now I wonder if I should continue patronizing this location. If not as a matter of principle, then simply because I don't want to be herded asked by a rude security guard to nurse in their bathrooms.

P.S. the article has a very comprehensive guide on the rights of nursing mothers. Some things might come as a surprise even to seasoned moms. For example, did you know that employers are OBLIGATED to provide breaks for pumping? I only found out a few months ago, and this guide has this info.