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Chinese buying up all the baby milk !

(229 Posts)
gillybob Sat 31-Aug-19 10:00:35

I saw it with my own eyes yesterday as DD and I were in Boots (Newcastle) looking for baby milk and baby juice. My Dd has told me in the past that she has struggled to find milk in town and that the shelves are often bare and she often has to try quite a few different shops before finding any.

Yesterday I questioned an assistant and she told me “oh don’t get me started, I could stock the shelves to the top right now (if we had any) and the Chinese would come in and buy it all. We have had to limit the milk to 10 boxes per person but they come in 6 and 8 at a time and take the maximum amount per person , meaning that people like your daughter cannot even get one box.....ditto the special baby juices”

Apparently they send it all back to China . There is a large Chinese population in Newcastle and this is becoming common place in most of the shops that stock baby products. I had to hear it with my own ears and see it to believe it ! shock

Thankfully Evie is only having one bed time bottle a day now which is just as well. Not sure they can do about it ? Making the limits per person 2 or 3 instead of 10 might be a good start though.

growstuff Sat 31-Aug-19 12:51:04

It appears that China intends to increase production of baby milk, which has caused an Australian manufacturer to lose 930 million Australian dollars in market value.

I suppose the moaners about Chinese buyers in Australia will be happy (unless they happen to have shares in baby milk).

www.ft.com/content/714ed388-8695-11e9-97ea-05ac2431f453

PS. The rich Chinese are prepared to pay a premium for European chocolate, if anybody wants to set up a business.

gillybob Sat 31-Aug-19 12:51:59

Not stealing just selling it on the black market River .

Oh and for the record my DD works in Newcastle city centre so easier for her to shop there .

gillybob Sat 31-Aug-19 12:56:49

trisher some of the students are probably doing it too . Making a pretty penny selling it on.

growstuff Sat 31-Aug-19 12:59:54

Interesting article about milk drinking in China:

www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/mar/29/can-the-world-quench-chinas-bottomless-thirst-for-milk

To be fair, gillybob, they're just being entrepreneurial. Why's it being sold on the black market? It's not illegal to buy and sell milk. The UK got rich on buying stuff cheaply in one market and selling it for a profit in another market.

gillybob Sat 31-Aug-19 13:03:32

To all those who thinks this is fine and just “entrepreneurial” I hope that there never comes a time when something you or your grandchild really needs is stripped from the shelves and sold abroad for profit .

lemongrove Sat 31-Aug-19 13:05:56

BradfordLass I agree with your comments, the only problem seems to be that Boots cannot keep up with the demand.If the manager there had any ‘nous’ he would make sure that his store was sent massive amounts of baby formula to keep up with the customers.

gillybob Sat 31-Aug-19 13:10:23

Does no-one read anything properly ? The lady is the shop said if they bought 10 tines more, 100 tines more they would buy that too . They do not have the space to stock enough for their greed .

If the Chinese want to do a deal with a baby milk company then they should do that (assuming they are allowed to) but simply buying entire stocks from the shelves and selling it to China for profit is not on and should be stopped !

TerriBull Sat 31-Aug-19 13:24:28

An awful situation and an example of the worst kind of "I'm alright Jack" mentality, sod all the others shock

"Mine were breastfed, never used formula" lovely subliminal message there, "new mother you've failed"

GagaJo Sat 31-Aug-19 13:27:09

No need to be rude gillybob. There are hundreds of places to buy milk in Newcastle. Supply more than outstrips demand. Within walking distance of both Boots in the city centre there is a Tesco, a Sainsbury, Superdrug, M&S, Fenwicks grocery department.

As I also said (which you don't seem to have read, despite your protestations of others not reading your post) I live in Newcastle and in over a year have NEVER not been able to get grandsons baby formula.

This is an interesting topic. But I feel you are scaremongering. No idea why.

Boots need to step up their game. 100 X the demand? Provide 100 X the supply. They are a national company. They can manage it.

GagaJo Sat 31-Aug-19 13:34:28

China makes it very difficult for businesses to do deals with western companies. It is as everyone is aware a communist state and they prioritise Chinese companies.

Chinese mothers, naturally want safe milk for their babies. Daigaus are therefore providing a service. And earning a living from it.

SueDonim Sat 31-Aug-19 13:44:32

Amazon sell loads of different formula, why not buy from them? www.amazon.co.uk/s?ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_9&crid=A9HB1J8V4VJ6&sprefix=Baby+form%2Caps%2C667&k=baby+formula&tag=gransnetforum-21

As the baby is only having one bottle a day then I imagine she's about a year old, so moving her to cows milk is also an option. It would save money, too.

You really can't stop people from buying things they want. When I lived in the far north of Scotland there was a regular ferry that came into harbour from the Faroe Islands. You always knew when it had docked, because the town was stripped of sweets, chocolate and other goodies, which they bought in bulk. No online shopping in those days!

Gonegirl Sat 31-Aug-19 13:55:29

Does no-one read anything properly

What the hell is rude about saying that? Good question IMO. Often thought the same on various threads.

Gonegirl Sat 31-Aug-19 13:56:30

Boots should get on top of this, They must know what's going on. They could stop it. All Boots think about is their own profits.

Gonegirl Sat 31-Aug-19 13:57:46

It's a decade since Chinese baby formula was contaminated. Nothing wrong with it now. These people are playing on new parents' fears.

GagaJo Sat 31-Aug-19 13:58:53

Gonegirl, possibly IF no one had read it properly. But we had. The assumption that other commenters are stupid and can't read IS rude.

It was the poster, refusing to take on board differing opinions to her own that caused the problem.

If you don't want disagreement, don't post.

Gonegirl Sat 31-Aug-19 13:59:44

And this has got to do with racism either. There are callous profiteers everywhere.

GagaJo Sat 31-Aug-19 14:02:03

Gonegirl there have been ongoing issues in China with milk. Possibly not reaching the Western press.

4 years ago I was enjoying some Chinese milk sweets, only to read on Wechat (Chinese social media not used much in the UK) that the very sweets I was eating had a big contamination.

Not to mention that Chinese farm animals are heavily overdosed with antibiotics as standard. Mothers don't want that milk for their babies.

Not quite the expert you thought you were, huh?

Gonegirl Sat 31-Aug-19 14:02:49

Can't believe the post BradfordLass72 Sat 31-Aug-19 11:28:37.

"British exporters? Really?

GagaJo Sat 31-Aug-19 14:03:29

It isn't illegal. How are they callous?

My mother posted copious quantities of Yorkshire tea to me in China (I know, I know, tea to China...). Was she a callous profiteer?

Gonegirl Sat 31-Aug-19 14:05:52

I'm no expert. Never said I was. But I do know the Chinese authorities were highly embarrassed over the baby milk thing.

Sorry to hear about your Chinese sweeties. hmm

Gonegirl Sat 31-Aug-19 14:06:16

Oh, work it out for yerself. hmm

Gonegirl Sat 31-Aug-19 14:07:10

God, you are saying some rubbish gagajo.

GagaJo Sat 31-Aug-19 14:11:38

Only equalled by you and A N other on here.

Do you SERIOULY expect a retailer to prevent certain ethnicities from buying specific products?

How would this be enforced? Skin colour charts? Passports?

Shops are not there to provide a service. They are there to make a profit. I'm a socialist and even I can see that is reasonable. They're hardly likely to turn some of their best customers away.

Gonegirl Sat 31-Aug-19 14:14:31

Do you SERIOULY expect a retailer to prevent certain ethnicities from buying specific products?

That is a just laughable comment. Not worth answering.

gillybob Sat 31-Aug-19 14:15:15

Would you have starved without your sodding tea GagaJo ? no I guess not !

It’s not like me to lose my temper at all but honestly some people on this site . Need to give their heads s bloody good swivel ! Talk about I’m alright Jack ! And the “ Earth mothers” what’s that about???
No wonder some young mothers think they are failures if they can’t breast feed ! Thank you Gonegirl .