Why aren't MCN in regular stores?

[BabyJoy]

I have been raving to my friends and family about all my new MCNs and many of them have said "where do you buy them from?" so I say "online" and they say "why aren't they in regular shops, like Target or Kmart, or specialty boutiques like Pumpkin Patch?"
And I couldn't give them an answer...

I think the main reason people use disposables is because (a) they don't know they exist and (b) think cloth means terry squares, pins and pilchers.
If they were in the shops for people to see - and therefore advertised in regular catalogues - then the message would get out there.

I know many MCNs are made by WAHMs, but what about the bigger brands that sell wholesale around the world?
Can anyone give me a reason why MCNs are (mostly) only found online?

[Oscar's mum]

Quite a few differenent types are sold at baby stores or an organic type store (can't think of what type it is called), or markets etc.

[~Kimba~]

I've seen some at Babies Galore (can't remember the brand though)

[daisyxs]

could you imagine the violence at restockings :laughing:

[Billy]

could you imagine the violence at restockings :laughing:

LMAO!!! :laughing:

[jess_live_die]

could you imagine the violence at restockings :laughing:

:laughing::laughing::laughing: thats so funny

[Oscar's mum]

I have seen Baby Beehinds, Eenee, Pea Pods, Kushies (I think) and 2 other's in stores.

[KapowSchazam]

I saw the ones at Babies Galore - look kinda dodgy and not very cute IMO

[TinyStar]

In some parts of the world they ARE in regular stores.

My mum went on holidays to Belgium and Holland and said she saw MCNs in the supermarket, (they were AIO's) but didn't know what size to get,:(

and when I read a review for the organic tender tush fitteds I've got, you can apparently buy them in some organic supermarket in the states.

It's most likely lack of confidence on the part of the stockists, they just dont get that there is demand for the product.

BTW you can get peapods at Sydneys baby kingdom, although the staff had no idea about mcns, lucky they had a nice big poster to inform their customers.

[jembelina]

I think it is a real shame they are not readily available in stores. If it weren't for bubhub I would have no idea about mcn. Even just having teh net - who would think to google cloth nappies if you think all that's available is terry flats??? Before I had any I went to a stockist of pea pods who just happened to be in my area to see them before buying. I told the woman to put a big sign in her window advertising teh fact that she sells them!! Even though I am buying online, I much prefer to see what I am buying. Whta would be great, would be an mcn store with all the different styles, brands and accessories!

[mama anne]

i think there is something to be said for stores having possible contracts (dont know if thats the right word ....) with sposie companies also.
i went into big w today and along one wall of the baby section were posters for huggies, snugglers .....

i don't know for a fact, but its possible, they'd sell enough of them!

[stellarella]

That is what RNW and organisations like The Australian Nappy Network and Oz Cloth Nappies are trying to do. Spread the word, increase demand so hopefully more stores will stock them.

Right now, there are so few of us MCN mummas in the grand scheme of things that convincing a lrage chain store to stock gorgeous WAHM nappies is impossible.

One day it might happen if we keep working towards it. It would be fantastic if sposies were GONE and MCN took their place :thumbsup: :smiliedance:

ETA: Sposie companies a lot of money to spend on advertising etc, WAHM s dont

[Phoenix's Mum]

Like everyone else says....
Sposies sell!

People think mcn's are about soaking and hanging out white cloth squares on the line, and nobody is telling them otherwise!

I found out on bubhub about them! Imagine if I didn't! Aaaaaahh!! LANDFILL!!!!!!! (Huge pile of nappies suffocating me, my son, his children, his children's children....)

Most of my friends and other mums I know are confused about why I use cloth "Why bother?", "Isn't it stinky?", "Don't you spend all your time hanging out cloth vomit rags?", "God! Napisan is expensive, I prefer Snugglers!"... blahblahblahblah

They don't know and Huggies is too busy letting mums know they are HUGGING their child by using plastic:laughing::laughing:

Imagine an ad about a mum cuddling a baby wearing a Berry Plush... Sales would skyrocket! But it's about money, and advertising, and the whole goddamn media machine......

[beeware]

It would be great to see the MCN in a big supermkt chain like woolies or coles. Maybe down the track....
I actually discovered the existence of MCNs thru seeing peapods in Babies somethingorother. Then I googled. Lucky it was when my baby was only 3 mths. Mind you I bought one peapod when I was pregnant. Did I google then? :( No it was only after I went back to buy another because it was so good.
I guess one of the aims of RNW is to get the exposure & word out there. Eventually the big s'mkts will have to give in to consumer demand & stock bumgenius or whichever. Maybe they'll be doing this in 2 years! :D

[pookiesossige]

Imagine an ad about a mum cuddling a baby wearing a Berry Plush... Sales would skyrocket! But it's about money, and advertising, and the whole goddamn media machine......
[/B]

I am imagining it, but Huggies' advertising is so effective that the background music in my imaginary advertisment goes "it must be love, love love... nothing more nothing less love is the beeeest" Or is that Johnsons?? :confused: :laughing:

[Two Little Buggalugs]

Ozcloth has lists of stores that sell nappies in real life, for each state. Unfortunately, not many in Vic and not my favourites!

I think it's a cummulative thing - for each new person, maybe another two or three start, just from RNW, bubhub, telling friends etc. When it gets to enough numbers, they have to start including info in antenatal classes and selling them in stores. Surely??

[stellarella]

I cant bear those adds...

By the way pookie...thats the huggies add :thumbsup:

The nappies look gross....in effect a disposible is a gigantic PAD wrapped around your babies bum!! Noice :barf:

They are trying to turn an ecological disaster into warm fuzzy feelings of love and happiness...well NEWS FLASH...its not lovely....its foul and horrible!! :thumbsdown:

[TinyStar]

They are trying to turn an ecological disaster into warm fuzzy feelings of love and happiness...well NEWS FLASH...its not lovely....its foul and horrible!! :thumbsdown:

sorry this made me laugh...... eerrrughhhph gets all serious.

edumacation people.

I have friends who are professionals in the waste management industry, and they gave up on cloth cos they had no idea.

The latest wastie mate to fall preggers is getting a honeyboy for her baby shower pressie from me in the hope of turning this terrible travesty around.

Spread the word during real nappy week.

And ask at the shop you'd like to stock the nappies if they have them. If enough people ask then it might make managment think twice and oreder some in, ;)

[M&O]

There are at 2 stores that I know of in SA that sell MCN's.

Nature's Cradle on Brighton Rd and The Rainbow Tree on Magill Road.

Not been to the Rainbow Tree as of yet, but saw them at the Expo.

Natures Cradle is my fave store, and they have BBB and BBH, Baby Eco, Mummy's Touch, Peapods and quite a few more.

I didn't know about MCN's till I went into this store by chance when I was pregnant.

It's definitely about letting everyone you know, KNOW! Spread the word. Everyone I've shown bubby's MCN's too are amazed at them - didn't realise they existed.

[Mor]

A list of "In Real Life" stockists is here:
www.ozclothnappies.org/irl

Do you know how hard it is to get them into stores so that the WAHMs still make *something*? Nappies aren't as cheap and easy to make as T-shirts, and those that are hand made by WAHMs have so so so many woman hours in them that even the margin on those sold through online stores is well below the minimum wage. Larger chain stores are used to having 50%+ mark up on products, eg. a $25 nappy would need to make the store at least $12.50 to appeal to the store. I don't think there are many nappies that would cost less than $12.50 to manufacture, hence the stores would mark up the nappies (which can be purchased online for heaps less) to $30-$35. I know many baulk at the idea of nappies being 'supposedly expensive' as it is, so can't see that a $35 nappy in Kmart is really going to go down that well. As well as that, from my experience, the store workers need to understand the system (like prams I guess) - and have the time (and hence more overheads) to explain the products tot he customer. Again, makes it even harder to get them into larger stores because they are time consuming. So, time consuming, unknown, expensive, space takers, complicated (relatively) and low margins. Hence I think it will take quite a lot of effort to get nappies better than fluffies into chain stores, sorry to say.

But that said, support your local baby stores, as PPs have said, and ask them to stock your favourite brand/s and tell them how to find out more about them. These stores are more likely to take on some of the products as specialists.

And yes, this is what Reusable Nappy Week is all about - increasing awareness of all the reusable options... and I can tell you, it's working! :yes:

[HoopDeeDoo]

Well said Lucy. :yelclap:

As someone who has worked in my family owned business I know first hand how hard it is to expect and stock what people want and make some profit aswell. There is not enough mark up on a WAHM made nappy to be able to sell wholesale.

So unless you are making them on a huge production scale there is no point in trying to sell them through someone else's store because the store would want thier 100% mark up, which is fair enough because they are the ones paying the rent, advertising, staff and millions of other costs that come along with owning your own shop.

So then the price of your average pocket nappy would go from $25 to $55 inc GST.

Because if you think it's is a lot to pay $25 - $40 for a nappy now - you haven't looked into the cost of the materials and the time it takes to make them.

I think the nappies that should be in stores should be peapods and baby beehinds, and some of the bigger american brands. And it looks like it is starting to happen. :smiliedance:

Just keep spreading the word and it will happen :D

[kymmy]

Okay these are my thoughts without reading the thread...

A certain KC company that make H brand wouldn't allow it in the shop. Their sales would fall!
Some baby stores have Pea Pods and Bambino Mio and Kushies.
There was a store in Northcote that sold a few WAHM made things and I thought it was great - like oZebaby irl. But I think they have closed because it would be so hard to make any money. WAHMs generally make very little money for the time they put in.
For a WAHM to stock a shop would be very demanding. The WAHMs that are in demand as it is are busy enough just selling online though with help they can make more to sell in shops (whether online or irl eg itti bitti)
In other words its not realistic to expect to see mcn in stores off line. Not at Target at least :rolleyes: (I rather they didn't stock it to be honest)

[ikis84]

Also, it wouldn't be a money maker in shops for other reasons... you would only buy so many, and then as they are reusable, you wouldn't need to buy more off them, yk? Just think of all the products that have built in obselesence.... they could make batteries that last alot longer than they do, but they don't make them because people won't need to buy them any more. That kind of applies to major companies selling cloth nappies. Okay, maybe it is a bit of a stretch, and maybe I am not making any sense!!!

[beeware]

people are continually having babies so there is a constantly changing consumer base.
If the more mainstream shops could be persuaded to stock the MCNs produced on a larger scale like eenees, BBs, peapods, then and only then will there be a population move to MCNs. It is already starting to happen a little little bit. And I hope the WAHMs continue to sell their beautiful and superior products online!

[mama anne]

Also, it wouldn't be a money maker in shops for other reasons... you would only buy so many, and then as they are reusable, you wouldn't need to buy more off them, yk? Just think of all the products that have built in obselesence.... they could make batteries that last alot longer than they do, but they don't make them because people won't need to buy them any more. That kind of applies to major companies selling cloth nappies. Okay, maybe it is a bit of a stretch, and maybe I am not making any sense!!!

totally know what you mean. a non-nappy example of this is (not sure what brand) 'take and toss" food containers - marketed as cheap so if you're out you can throw them away, but you can reuse them if you want to.
um, they're plastic containers, why would you throw them away? i've been using them for a month now and they are exactly the same as when they were first used - strong plastic containers!
part of living in a throwaway society i suppose - but companies make more money if something is disposable and people have to buy more of them.

[BabyJoy]

Wow, this has turned into a great discussion!

I certainly don't think stores would NOT stock MCN simply because it's a once-only purchase - the same could be said for cots, prams, bottles, breast pumps, etc, etc.
According to latest figures, Cairns is having a baby boom, so there's definitely a market here if only people were aware of it. I only found out about MCN through bubhub. I've been carrying the bubhub ribbon around for weeks now and no one has recognised it, so perhaps I'm the only nerd sitting on the computer every night! :laughing:
In all seriousness, if you can buy terry flats and cheapo covers from Coles and Woolies, why not MCN?
As far as I'm aware, there is only one store selling MCN in Cairns and it's an environmental store. They sell one brand, and it's tucked away on the top shelf next to one sling - woopee doo! We don't have Babies Galore here, only Toyworld and Toys R Us, but I still think big companies like that could buy (for example) Bumgenius wholesale, advertise in their catalogues, and I am sure people would flock to the store to have a look. Then hopefully the winds of change would spread to WAHMs.
It's a shame that disposables have taken over the market in such a convincing way (Huggies especially)... when we were all babies, our mums wrapped our bums in cloth. Wouldn't it be nice if it were like that again? (except in gorgeous MCNs of course!)

[tishsmum]

Unfortunately the problems with many OS brands is still often supply and demand, they often cannot keep up with supply even when making them commercially. But the big one for buying in big wholesale quantities is the customs and duties which is 17% on nappies, making them a waste of time and space since they have virtually no margin left after that extra cost. :no: