Mothercare. Another one bites the dust.

[TheQueef]

Another 2500 job losses.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50287153

Sad news.
The high street is amassing job losses not unlike the mining and steel industries did.
We need to start trying to counter the unemployment now.

I've been stocking up for DD who is due at Christmas.

I do most of my shopping online, and to begin with I starting looking at Mothercare by default.

But EVERYTHING is cheaper or nicer somewhere else.

So despite being a FTM, who should be their target market and has spent tonnes in baby stuff in the last few months, they've not had any of my custom.

I think the market is also changing in terms of how parents shop for baby things its so easy to access 2nd hand on places like Gumtree and marketplace that a lot of people no longer bother with brand new everything. Ive bought everything 2nd hand apart from the car seat and mattress etc that is recommended to buy new but i can't justify £150+ on a basic cot with no mattress from mothercare or the prices they charge for clothing they won't be in 5mins Primark Asda Amazon etc all offer these things at rock bottom prices

I do have fond memories of our local branch's babyroom being a newborn oasis for mums who ventured out in the early days but I suppose it depended on the town where you lived. I'm sad for the job losses and sad that management have run this once solid brand into the ground.

I bought a pram from there, paid £700 in cash, was told it would be delivered in two weeks and didnt hear a thing so I called and they said it would be two more weeks etc. That happened SIX times. On the sixth time I called they said oh it was cancelled a month ago! So when were they planning to tell me? And what were they planning to do with my money seen as I paid cash and noone had been in touch!

I ordered a crib same thing happened with the delivery although I did eventually get it (the day before my due date!)

These two items were exclusive to mothercare so I couldn't have got the same thing elsewhere.

I went in to buy a carseat - delivery only! I went next door to argos and picked it up immediately.

I went to buy a cot - again delivery only will take x amount of weeks!

No wonder they have gone bust.

They have some nice clothes but they are ridiculous prices.

Our local shop shut down last year and they rebuilt it all brand new about 2 months ago in a different shopping centre! Why? Surely they knew it would be gone soon?

Shame, I was in there recently and I thought it was a lovely shop. Great baby clothes.

I like to see what I'm buying too particularly baby equipment

Gutted. I thought they did a good line in gender neutral clothing, especially little bird. Anyone got any good alternatives?

Our store is lovely, clothes are good and lots of toys and baby things for gifts. In the early days when I wasn't very confident about BF and getting to grips with it their feeding room was amazing. Those comfy rocking/gliding chairs, footstool, dimmed lights, water machine and complete privacy in a secure quiet room only staff could unlock after knocking.

I could move DD round to find a good position with my boob completely out and not have to worry about juggling muslins as cover, and later on when she got distracted by every little thing so we needed the quiet.

It'll be a shame when they go, I know most places now are BF friendly and you can crack on, but as a new mum finding my feet that space was such a relief.

I thought they did a good line in gender neutral clothing

Every time I went there the clothes were just a sea of pink and blue clothes.

I'm not surprised its going under. The clothes were expensive and not particularly good with unrealistically tiny neck holes.

It didn't help that they didn't sell things that you wanted after having a baby such as breast shells.

It took over 5 weeks for them to fix the lift in my (now closed) local branch, so obviously custom wasn't very important to them as people couldn't see half of the stock that they sold.

We have a large Mothercare. And within half a mile we have Mama’s and Papa’s, John Lewis, Ikea, Next and Asda.

Mothercare is always completely empty as they just can’t compete.

I feel sorry for the staff, but I'm not in the least bit surprised.

Their customer service is awful. I ordered a travel system when pregnant with my now 4 year old. I worked full time, so paid extra for a Saturday delivery. They tried to deliver it on a Monday. I had all the hassle of rearranging (constantly being passed between mothercare and courier) and then when it did arrive, the carrycot was the wrong colour and the colour I had ordered was now unavailable. Customer services were completely unhelpful.

Their website is awful to use. Nothing is ever in stock.

I needed a steriliser urgently earlier in the year after DS's broke. I had a quick look in Mothercare, then bought the exact same Tommee Tippee brand steriliser for £20 less in John Lewis.

I wanted to get my daughter some triangular shaped pencils this summer as she was struggling to hold a pen properly. I thought I'd be able to get some in the Early Learning Centre. Wrong.

I haven't bought a single item for my baby DS in there.

It's a shame but not expected.
The items for sale are expensive and not the best quality. I saw a lovely fair isle cardi yesterday but it was very thin material-£15. Plus you can't put a rainbow or stripe on a child's top or trousers and call it designer.

Leopard print patterns for little girls in one line of clothing there. Who in their right mind dresses a toddler or baby in leopard print?? They are behind the times. Plus the app is rubbish. Lots of things listed are out of stock.

@recreationalcalpol little bird are most my awful now. They were okay when my eldest was a toddler though. They look chavvy now.

Happy memories from the 1970’s very derailed catalogue they used to do! Spent hours imagining what I’d buy for my future babies

5 babies later and the family started off with all the basics from mother care..... I felt an adult at that point,living the dream,buying the catalogue!

What a shame it’s all going

*detailed not detailed!!!

One of my earliest memories is going to Mothercare with my late mother, back in the early 80s.

It’s sad to see Mothercare go and sad to see the decline of the high street - particularly when it’s being replaced by a small number of uncaring behemoths such as Amazon.

I don’t buy from Amazon as a matter of principle, even though it would often be cheaper. I’m in a small minority though!

I made it a game to check every time I passed a mothercare, to see if their toilets or feeding rooms were actually open and usable. After around 100 visits, dc2 was 5,and I'd never managed to use a mothercare's facilities.
Nor could they show me how to fold my Maclaren buggy, or sell me reusable nappies for babies over 10 lb, or slings. Or nursing bras or more than one top in my size. I spent a voucher my colleagues gave me, but that was it.
Did send DP there in desperation to buy stuff to help with breast feeding, most of which was returned but the My Breast Friend pillow was used for four years.

Some of these Mothercares sound awful! I’ve never been to ours when the toilets and feeding room haven’t been open and useable. I bought our bugaboo donkey from there and a mclaren and the sales assistant was knowledgeable and helpful. Sling selection wasn’t great but bought an ergobaby.
They don’t usually have maternity bras in my size (I’m a 30J!) but ordered them in for me. Maternity clothes not really to my taste but have got some nice baby/toddler clothes in the sales.
I also bought a sleepyhead from there (wanted it quickly in desperation and mothercare was open until 9pm!), and a next to me crib.

When I went in there a few weeks before baby was due to get, well, everything. We were met with a sea of "will take 8 - 10 weeks to arrive" on everything. Unfortunately we only had about 3 weeks (ended up only being two). So we walked away with one bouncer (it was on sale for less than 20 quid) and nothing else from there and got the rest from the nearby John Lewis and IKEA.

Hit post too soon.
A few months later we were about to go on a few holidays and wanted to get a stroller. So off to our local mothercare we went and the shop assistant couldn't tell us how to fold the stroller or how to attach the car seat.
So of we went again to John Lewis...

My dd's 5 weeks old and the feeding room was a godsend when she got hungry and lost the plot on her first trip into town. As a first time mum, getting a bit panicked because all the seating areas were filled with guys waiting on their partners shopping and with toots screaming, it was a lovely space to take a deep breath, calm us both down and chat with some other mums.

On the other hand, I've found I can always get what I want cheaper elsewhere and places like John Lewis offer warranties too. I'm sad to see people lose their jobs but the news hasn't come as a big surprise.

I worked for Mothercare part time back in 1979. I did Saturday and one day during the week. My DS was 3 and my DD was 1.

I had no confidence at all as I was in a very abusive marriage and I was shaking at the interview but the Manager saw potential in me.

It was the best job for me in terms of confidence building and me feeling actually valued by my Manager, Colleagues and Customers.

Ladies would come in at all stages of their pregnancy and then they would come in with their babies it was a lovely atmosphere to work in and I loved it.

Whether it was helping them with maternity wear or buying prams or holding or pushing their babies round the store whilst they got 5minutes time out to choose some baby stuff.

I had money to buy clothes for the children(we got a 25% discount back then). So my DCs were dressed head to toe in Mothercare clothes.

I can remember it like it was yesterday although it's over 40 years ago

Ah it's sad to hear the news. It's remember walking past Mothercare just after a scan where I learned I was having a boy. Just inside the window was a beautiful set of blue checked dungarees and a white long sleeve vest underneath. I went straight in and bought it.
Nearly 17 yrs later I still have it preserved as one of the first items of clothing that DS wore. DS being a typical teen thinks this is "sad" 😁
Their feeding room was a godsend and the staff were fab when they helped me choose and practice fitting a car seat. So lovely.

It's sad as the store has been years and is such a well known brand. I also don't know other stores devoted entirely to mothers, babies and kids that do clothes and as much variety.

Got to say I'm not surprised. I've had a voucher since January from when DD2 was born and I've struggled to spend it. Everytime I go in I look at the clothes and think they are just a bit meh and for a few quid extra I could get really nice Scandi stuff. Then looking at actual baby kit it's just so expensive compared to Amazon/supermarkets etc.

With the big ticket items pram/carseat their customer service was shocking. It's like they couldn't be arsed to sell us anything. Just painful experience. So we've ended up using local independents. Yes a tad more expensive but at least they spend a bit of time with you making sure your purchase is right for you.