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I had the oddest conversation recently at my local health food store. Read it and tell me what you think. Am I crazy to think that this conversation sums up the problem we have about everyone passing the buck on the issues that effect us?
I’m on the biggest search of my life for a suitable cream for my daughters eczema and so I frequently find myself at my local health store, hoping to find a new wonder cream that will resolve this problem.
As I was browsing the shelves the owner stopped to say hi and ask me if I needed help?
Me: It is so hard to find a good cream for my baby. A lot of these brands I don’t think I would trust enough for a baby’s skin. She has eczema. I wish I could find more brands that have less ingredients. And safer too, some of these ingredients are questionable, aren’t they? (OK, I admit I kinda had a lot to say right off the bat)
Owner: If we carried the brands that don’t have those ingredients we would lose money.
Me: Oh? Why is that?
Owner: Products without those ingredients do not have a long shelf life and we would lose money, that’s why we don’t carry them.
Me: What about Weleda? Weleda is a good brand that you carry and they don’t use those ingredients. I’m sure there are more brands out there that don’t have dioxins and parabens in them. Some of those brands (pointing in the direction of the more popular brands) are known to have dioxins in them. I’m sure people would prefer to not have dioxins in their skincare.
Owner: Most people don’t care about the ingredients..
(this is where my blood pressure raises one point and I’m thinking “have you turned on the computer recently?”)
Me: Don’t care? I’m pretty sure people care. I think maybe some don’t know…but I think when they get the information, they certainly care about the safety of their products.
Owner: No, they don’t care. Most people don’t care. They only come in here as a last resort, after they have tried everything else. Do you have any idea the kind of pressure that puts us under?
Me: Sure, but they come here and trust you. They trust that the brands you carry are going to be safe & healthy…I’m just saying that if you know a product has questionable ingredients, why not send a message to the company that you won’t carry their brand until they make a change? (I know, I know, I’m an idealist..)
Owner: People don’t care about those things…(and on she goes about how hard it is to be in the health industry because nobody cares, that people just make changes on their death beds and so what’s the use…)
So obviously I am thinking..You are in the wrong business if you truly think this way. What happened to passionately guiding people to optimal health and helping them rediscover their own healing ability?
But it really got me thinking!
1. If the health store thinks people don’t care, they have no reason to challenge the companies or adjust their stock accordingly when issues come up about the safety of the product. Toys are removed from shelves in Children’s stores for safely issues…why not other products that pose risks?
2. If the Brands think people don’t care because their bottom line doesn’t change, they also don’t have any incentive to change their ingredients?
This is a problem. If we are waiting for our stores to monitor the safety of products we have another thing coming. It does not matter where you shop. I can walk in to Whole foods, Capers, Choices and find a many products and foods I personally wouldn’t let into our house with a 10 foot pole.
The lesson for me is this:
I’m never going back to that store! Kidding, kidding.
No, I’ve learned yet again, that we are the ones that are responsible. It is up to US to let our local stores know that we are watching this kind of stuff. That WE care.
Read all labels. It does not matter where you shop, do not assume that anyone has your best interest, unless you have a brand that you absolutely LOVE to pieces and know they are truly safe.
Maybe it’s just me. The whole encounter at the store left me feeling like a wingnut for even questioning the methods of the health store and the brands they choose to carry while knowing that they could be better.
Anybody else have any thoughts on this? Do you trust your health store to stock safe ingredients? Do you think a message can be sent by simply not buying certain products, or was she right, and only just a few of us care enough to take that step?
These are my thoughts on living a healthy and simple life. I'm a modern mom with some simple ideas, a little common sense and a natural philosophy. This is the sanest way I know how to navigate the 21 century.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Monica, I wouldn’t trust all health stores, even if they call themselves so. BTW, I’ve got eczema myself and even have a site on it based on my extensive research. I reversed a severe outbreak some 2 years ago to 98-99% recovery, using mainly natural ingredients and approaches.
My conclusion is the same: do your own research and learn how to read labels!
Evelyn
I think the owner of that store is the main one who didn’t care. If you are in a business, you should care. You should care enough to cater to the needs of your customers who care, and you should try to educate the ones who don’t.
I’m not being naive here either. You can create a thriving business by really caring. Oddly enough people like it when you care about them.
A health store owner should be the caring expert. There are plenty of businesses out there for a person to make money without caring about your customers.
Just my thoughts,
John
My local health store seems to be a little different. We have different buyers for different departments and then volunteers for different departments. When I’m looking for something I get like three people that care. There are free books to check out and tons of help. I’m thinking it was the store you went to. The owner, bless her heart, probably did care once. Then it came to dollars, rent, and marketing. She probably was weighed down by the bad stuff verses the healing and helping people.
I think you’re right…we need to be the advocates and demand and request. Shaklee is ridding all Parabens as of the new year, did you hear? A request of the people. See, people can make a difference. The company and science might have thought one thing but the people said, “No, we don’t want parabens!” Enough demand equals change.
Keep doing what you’re doing and a one point raise in blood pressure is nothin’! LOL!
I was nodding my head in agreement as I read your post! As a parent to 2 young children and a staffer at Environmental Working Group, I am immersed in this stuff and am equally frustrated by the availability of unsafe products and the energy/initiative/research/sheer coordinating required to buy only products that I consider to be safe.
I think telling retailers and manufacturers that you are actively not buying their products b/c they contain what you consider to be an unsafe ingredient is very useful. Like legislators, the more they hear from customers (or lost customers!) the more likely they are to make a change. And when a retailer makes a change (e.g., Walmart and BPA bottles) it can really have quite a ripple effect.
Getting easy-to-digest, useful info out to concerned parents – like you’re doing! – is a terrific action until our laws are tightened. In my mind, that’s what it’ll take to safen up the shelves. At EWG we’re working hard to assist parents with solid research, digestable info and advocacy.
As the EWG parent contact, I’d love to hear ideas anyone has for how we can be most helpful to parents and bloggers who are doing so much heavy lifting in all this. As if we didn’t have 1,000 other things we should be doing instead! Thanks for all the excellent inspiration and perspective on HGM.
I care!! I hardly read ingredient labels as thoroughly unless the item is to be put on my child or in her mouth! But then I find myself reading labels for the things I am eating… and I mostly shop at Wal-Mart. There isn’t a health food store close by me, but I have found myself saying mutliple times that I need to start making a trip (40 min. away) to stock up on HEALTHY (i.e. chemical free, natural) items. This is because I assume that they would sell these types of things. You are right in saying that that lady IS in the wrong business!
I’ve encountered this apathy in surprising places (like health food stores and doctor’s offices) too, so I was shouting “Amens” throughout the reading of your post. I think you’re exactly right that it’s our responsibility as individuals and concerned consumers to work for change. Talk to owners, clerks, friends, etc. and “vote with our feet.” It’s just frustrating that it’s so hard to find safe, natural, effective stuff.
Also, I have a friend who uses California Baby products like Calendula Cream on her daughter’s eczema with great results.
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Our health food store is kind of the same way. I don’t think it’s that they think the public doesn’t care, but that the buyer for the department doesn’t really care. Hopefully as people become more aware, they’ll start to realize that they DO care.
Any of the all natural calendula stuff has seemed to help my son’s eczema.