Although it isn’t required by law, many retail stores are choosing to provide a place for their female customers to breastfeed. This is a very sensitive subject, and many retail stores aren’t typically equipped to meet these customer’s unique needs. There was recently an incident at a large retail store in the state of Texas in which a woman breast feeding her fussy infant was confronted by store employees. She had an unfortunate incident and ended up finishing breast feeding her son in a dressing room after she was asked to leave the clothing section of the store. This incident then led to a multi-state protest against several different chain locations of this store. This was an unfortunate incident all around and could have easily been avoided with a few simple actions. Many retail stores are now providing a comfortable safe place for women to lactate and breastfeed their children. Lactation rooms are growing in popularity amongst many retail stores with customers and employees. Although a few states require a place for women to lactate, it isn’t required in all states across the country. Some stores are even hesitant to add lactation rooms because of the construction involved in the process. Retail construction is typically quite the ordeal for many retail stores. There is often a lot of dust and debris generated during the process, which means that employees and merchandise will need to be moved during the building phase. Furthermore, most construction projects require an army of contractors and subcontractors to paint, frame, do electrical work and many other roles. Many retail stores are using a different kind of construction process called modular construction. Using modular construction is quite different from traditional methods in that the majority of the heavy lifting is accomplished in a factory under controlled conditions. All the walls, doors and other major components are fabricated in the factory and then shipped to the retail store where it will be installed. Instead of all the intrusive contractors and subcontractors coming into the store, a small team of skilled installers can have a set of lactation rooms up and installed in a matter of hours or days, not months of endless construction. Since the majority of the fabrication is done off- site, there isn’t a bunch of dust, debris and construction waste generated onsite. Modular construction is quick, efficient and generates nearly zero onsite waste. In conclusion, retail stores should provide a place for their customers to breastfeed, and using modular construction is a great way to build and install lactation rooms without disturbing the store.
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