WEYMOUTH, Mass. -- A Hingham mother never thought a day of shopping would end in controversy.
Melissa Tracy was shopping at iParty on Pleasant Valley Road in Weymouth with her husband and her 8-week old son, when her infant became hungry and fussy. Instead of leaving the store, Tracy, 40, sat down in the middle of the aisle and discreetly breast-fed him.
According to Tracy, she did nothing wrong, however the manager at iParty did not see it that way.
"Your breasts are not hanging out," Tracy said. "You're not stripping off your clothes. You can be so discreet."
After being asked to leave the store, Tracy called the corporate office, which apologized and offered her a gift certificate. Tracy refused however, saying that what they want is for companies to provide areas for breast-feeding if it is a problem.
"We were just surprised that this is still such a big issue, almost like a taboo," Jochen Tracy, Melissa's husband, said.
The company has released the following statement, "...Going forward, this issue will be included in our manager training so that all of our customers are treated with courtesy and sensitivity."
According to iParty, they regret the incident and are looking into the situation further.
(Copyright 2007 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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