Alright. I mostly do not post rants. But today- I'm furious. I went to a local store, WalMart. To pick up a few things. Since it's Christmas time -(sheesh- can you believe that?) I checked the toy aisle to see if I could pick up a few things. On the shelves I found AquaDots. They've been on the news ALL DAY. RECALLED. Labels: rant, safety, toy recall, walmart
These have been recalled for being extremely dangerous. I spoke with a store employee who said "Oh yeah- we know we're in the process of pulling them." There had been no one in the aisle pulling them. Afterwards- I (stealthy sleuth Mom that I am) circled back. No One. Still on the shelves. I asked to speak with a store manager before leaving. Manager was busy but employee took note of the issue. They are probably still on the shelves. Hence- the fury of a mother scorned.
I could have pulled the items off the shelves and into a basket in about 30 seconds. (Now that I think of it- I should have)
How long do stores have to remove dangerous products? When confronted with a dangerous item- WHY on earth would an employee answer "oh yeah we know"- and not DO something about it?
Is it the big-box store mentality? Too much red-tape to pull an item? What if kids (teens) go in purposefully hunting for this item? I'm furious. Will put a follow up call in to the store. Already called a local news team.
I am sure this bothered me so much because it is an item the little guy has been wanting, desperately. Last week we spotted them at another store- and had them in the cart. But they were missing the "pen" part. So we decided not to purchase. Good thing we didn't- as the little guys has a history of putting things in his mouth. But, we could have.
So- Moms who stop buy here- PLEASE don't purchase or allow your child to use Aquadots. If YOU see them on the shelves- say something. I'm sure all the recalls lately are making it difficult to keep up. But- unless they want lawsuits- they better.
PS- it will be a while before I step back in a Walmart. Service- prices blah blah blah--- but flagrant risking of the safety of kids? THAT WILL KEEP ME OUT.
Hope you don't find any.... But if you do- speak up.
sheesh I think I'll be knitting toys this year! Maybe with cat hair- we have plenty of that around here- and I know it's not contaminated with anything- but cat spit.
Edited to add:
At 6:30 My Hubby went back to the Walmart- to see if the Aquadots were still on the shelves. The ones on the pegged rack were gone- but 4 pkgs were left on the shelf below. He took them to the manager. Ridiculous. Still furious- but at least they are off the shelves. (we hope)
