Kroger Pulling Time Magazine From Registers

May 11th, 2012 by Dionna | 17 Comments
Posted in Breastfeeding/Lactivism, Compassionate Advocacy

  • Email This Post

Apparently, Time Magazine’s latest cover is too risqué for Kroger.

A friend from Albuquerque, New Mexico texted me this evening to let me know that Smith’s, a Kroger-owned grocery store in Albuquerque, had pulled all of the Time magazines from the shelves. She spoke with one of the members of management and found out that they are not happy – it was not their choice.

It appears that Kroger’s corporate office made the decision to pull the issue from the front registers. Kroger stores nationwide have removed the issue at least from their registers, if not entirely from their stores.

I called the store in Leavenworth, Kansas to ask if they had any copies. The clerk told me that they had been directed to remove the issue from the front registers, but she could not locate them anywhere else in the store. There were also no copies to be found anywhere in two other stores (one in New Mexico, another in Ohio).

What statement is Kroger making by pulling this issue?1

And by pulling this image, what is Kroger saying to breastfeeding mothers who shop at its stores?

  1. I tried to contact Kroger directly, but their offices were closed. The manager of one of the stores I called declined to comment when I asked him about the company’s decision. ↩

17 Responses to:
"Kroger Pulling Time Magazine From Registers"

  1. Sarah
    May-11-12 at 8:11 pm

    I will be going to Kroger tomorrow to see what other magazines they have at the register…whats the bet that there is a scantily clad celebrity on one of them…

    • Ruth
      May-11-12 at 8:25 pm

      But I bet the scantily clad celebrity is NOT breastfeeding!! This is just so ridiculous!!

  2. Crunchy Con Mommy   
    May-11-12 at 8:19 pm

    I’m not surprised. I’m kind of surprised it didn’t happen sooner. My other prediction: next week, about when they get a new issue to cover this one with, Kroger will decide to display it after all, with a half-hearted apology to nursing moms claiming they support nursing.

  3. Destany
    May-11-12 at 8:26 pm

    “Sarah says:

    I will be going to Kroger tomorrow to see what other magazines they have at the register…whats the bet that there is a scantily clad celebrity on one of them…”

    That’s so true. :(

  4. Camille   
    May-11-12 at 9:11 pm

    Wow, that seems very discriminatory toward breastfeeding moms. And I would be interested to see what other magazines they have and if the women on them are anymore covered.

  5. Glowless   
    May-11-12 at 9:19 pm

    I can see less on that cover than I can on many other magazine covers showing off celebrity bodies.
    This cover was brought to my attention at my mothers’ group with a “I can’t believe they’d do that, it’s so gross”… when I replied “I’m still feeding” the silence was deafening.

  6. Pat Robinson
    May-11-12 at 9:25 pm

    Here is Kroger’s “Contact Us” Corporate page: https://customer.kroger.com/comments/comments.aspx/

    Select “Policy Inquiry – Inquiries about our company policies.” (scroll down)

    Also, Kroger’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Kroger

    Pat

  7. Lauren @ Hobo Mama   
    May-12-12 at 1:09 am

    Wow, that is just so sad. We all know exactly what they’re saying by pulling the issue. :-/

    I guess I’ve been around lactivists and breastfeeding parents enough now that it never even crossed my mind this time that a store would refuse to display a picture like that!

  8. Anna   
    May-12-12 at 4:42 am

    But it’s all over the news, even here in the UK, and the voices saying that extended breastfeeding is healthy and normal are drowning out the voices saying how gross the photo is.

    • Ruth
      May-12-12 at 7:27 pm

      It is really lovely to hear that the pro-breastfeeding voices are being heard somewhere, Europe seems to be ahead of the game in that dept!!

  9. DadCAMP   
    May-12-12 at 8:34 am

    They’re probably saying try to be discreet.

    Breastfeeding is awesome, sexualizing it the way TIME has done with this pose and the boys ‘caught with his hand in the cookie jar’ look is over the top.

    • Dionna   
      May-12-12 at 9:30 am

      I’m not sure how this sexualizes breastfeeding. The look the photographer was going for was confidence, certainty in our decisions.

      And my problem with “discretion” is that it is so open to interpretation. Who gets to decide what “discreet” means for every breastfeeding mother? And why can’t it be up to her?

  11. Samantha
    May-12-12 at 1:56 pm

    I am a conservative Christian homeschooling mom. I have nursed six children all close to 2 yrs of age and one past two yrs of age. I’m all for modesty and strive to be modest.

    Breastfeeding is NOT immodest!! I have always nursed my kids anywhere and everywhere. I have wonderfully supportive in laws and my own grandmother was also supportive (she nursed 7 children to age 2 and beyond! back in the 60s)

    I have used a cover before but it was b/c *I* felt uncomfortable, or the baby got distracted otherwise.

    Babies (and older children) are meant to be close to their mommies and love on them and nurse as long as they and mom mutually desire to do so.

    I complained on the website mentioned above.

    Your pictures were wonderful.

  12. Kristine   
    May-15-12 at 2:10 pm

    I interviewed Dr. Sears yesterday afternoon, and mentioned your experience to him, if you’re interested in what he had to say. I don’t think he’d heard about it until then, but he is hoping us bloggers raise a stink :) http://www.mamapop.com/2012/05/mamapop-interviews-dr-bill-sears.html

http://www.nest.ca/


  • Display & participate!

    Visit Code Name: Mama

  • Carnival of Weaning

    Carnival of Weaning