As mums, we all know how difficult it can be to navigate a busy department store with a wailing toddler in tow, so a little understanding in certain circumstances can often go a long way.
Unfortunately for one mum in Manchester, empathy wasn't on the agenda when she was asked to leave leading department store, John Lewis, on Saturday afternoon following a complaint about her little girl, Heidi.
Opening up about the weekend's events, Lindsay Robinson explained that her 16-month-old daughter was struggling to take direction from her mum, saying: "Heidi has only just learned to walk, so I use a harness for her as she is a bit unsteady on her feet."
"I was carrying her and she started to lose the plot. I was trying to put the harness back on and Heidi was loud and vocal. I was trying to do my best to calm her down, and get her harness on so she didn't crawl off," Lindsay recalled.
Reflecting on the events which then unfolded in Manchester's Trafford Centre branch, Lindsay revealed that she was approached by a member of staff in the midst of Heidi's tantrum and was asked to leave the store.
"I dropped a key ring and rucksack for Heidi that I was about to buy, and this staff member escorted us out of the store. I said to my friend, who was shopping with me, 'did that really happen'," she recalled while explaining that she considered herself a loyal customer who had registered with the store ahead of her wedding.
Having been "escorted" from the store, Lindsay made contact with customer services who offered her a £20 voucher as an apology - something which Lindsay has no interest in claiming.
"I am not interested in any voucher or money. My point is that when shops see a mother trying to deal with a child having a tantrum they should cut them a bit of slack. I was made to feel like a rubbish mum," Lindsay admitted while revealing that a personal apology from the staff member responsible would go a long way towards rectifying matters.
Issuing a statement in light of the weekend's events, John Lewis said: "We are very sorry that Mrs Robinson was upset after visiting our shop. One of our department managers spoke to her on Saturday to apologise and to explain this clearly shouldn't have happened."
"Our head of branch has also written to formally apologise to the customer and arranged for a delivery of flowers, the statement continued
"We are still investigating this incident with the partner concerned but at this stage believe he didn’t escort Mrs Robinson out of the store, but he did ask her to leave in response to other customers’ complaints.We are speaking to him about what happened and how we could have been more sympathetic to Mrs Robinson and her daughter."
The incident took place amid throngs of shoppers preparing for Mother's Day.
