Go Media

When big box stores negotiate lower prices, our families are the ones suffering.

Most recalls on baby furniture and products are found on items sold in big box stores and retailers. This is often the result of big box stores putting pressure on the manufactures to cut corners, and to cut cost in order to meet their stores price points. This coercion has resulted in poorly manufactured and unsafe products: including cribs, mattresses, toys, car seats just to name a few. These big box stores are pricing out and pushing out locally owned and operated businesses in every industry. When they succeed, the consumer will have limited or no choices with these big box stores controlling the pricing.

The latest recall was Thursday May 6th, when over 170,000 cribs were recalled.
Infants and toddlers can then become entrapped, strangle or fall out of the crib.

“What will the consumer do when there is nothing left but chain stores and national retailers who sell us cheap, and sometimes unsafe products?” asks Alina Fargo, Owner of B aby's World and Kids Room Too. “It is difficult for store owners like myself to compete in the price wars, but it is so important that consumers do their research and understand why these products are less expensive.”

Baby’s World and Kids Rooms Too is one of the only independently owned and operated youth furniture stores in the State of Connecticut. “We would never sell our customer anything we would not use for our own children or grandchildren. We will never compromise your baby’s safety, and sometimes that means the products we carry have a slightly higher price point,” says Farago. “We do our very best to educate first time parents on what items are the most useful, and how and why they are made.”

With all the recalls on children’s products, how can you know that your child is safe? If you look at where these recalled items are sold, it always includes stores like Wal-Mart, Costco, BJ’s, Target or similar big box stores. These products are specifically made for the “cheap” price point of these large box store retailers. “When are we going to stand up collectively as small business owners and as a concerned public and demand better products? This is not only occurring in our industry; it is occurring in every industry. Big Box stores are pushing all small business owners out, by offering the public cheap and unsafe products,” says Farago.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission does its best with protecting the public from unsafe products, and has issued recalls on over 15,000 unsafe products, that cost the U.S. more than $700 billion per year in damages. The Child Safe Products bill came out in 2007 to try to ban toxic chemicals and the use of pesticides from public schools and day cares. State Rep. Beth Bye (D-West Hartford), who is a member of the Environmental Committee says, “Parents are increasingly infuriated by unsafe kids’ products. They are educating themselves to buy only toxic- free toys, jewelry and food containers.”

A big problem is that most parents have no idea about any of the recalls. In order to be contacted they must have filled out a warranty card found in the box, or continuously monitor the CPSC website. Most consumers do not do this; therefore, most consumers are unaware of the current risks involved in using products they might have in their home.

November 2009 Major crib recall

Alina Farago 860-276-0692
Baby’s World and Kids Room Too
Owner

Jameson Lukasiewicz
GO media
860-232-6700 or Jameson@GO-media.com