Mothercare

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So, all the shops tomorrow. Sad.

Anyone seen any good deals there?

Well at least you sound sympathetic to all the poor staff losing their jobs.

Hope you get a good deal

^^ get a grip

^^ get a grip well it's true. It's amazing the amount of people that wouldn't shop in a store usually, but then go in looking for great deals when the shop is going out of business (not saying OP never shopped there before it ran in to trouble). My dm went through it with a now defunct brand, shop had never been so busy than when people thought they were going to get a bargain when it closed down.

You can’t blame people for wanting a bargain. Not everyone could afford to shop in there before because it was pretty expensive... hence why it’s now closing.

I went in earlier in week. Felt so sad for the staff, they looked so down (that's not the right word but can't think of the right one)

I bought a large bundle of clothes... £30. I felt almost guilty about it, my deal being someone else's misfortune.

I bought baby clothes in there before all this. I honestly don't understand why people thought it was expensive. Compared to other high street like next etc it wasn't at all. My branch was always busy. All our loss now.

I shopped in mothercare loads. Gutted it's closing. I went Friday and got 2 change bags that were meant to be £90 for the 2 but cost me £3.33 for both. BOTH. I felt so guilty.

Well I find next expensive aswell. It might surprise you but everyone has different budgets! No way could I afford to shop in mothercare or next, it’s primark and supermarkets for me!

I didn't shop much before because we could not afford it. We got baby clothes from Primark and Mothercare was 30%-50% if not more more expensive. We did get some random bits here and there, and still I think it's a shame they are closing down, for the sake of the staff and regular customers. I visited our local M last week and it was so empty, just loads of empty shelves with people trying to get the last cheap items. It was really busy though. I felt sorry for the staff working there, but the store did price themselves or of the market really.

I liked Mothercare and did shop there before they announced administration. Got my travel system and several larger items which I’ve been very pleased with.

However, their maternity clothing was shoddy and awful. I bought two items and had to return immediately after it fell apart on the first wash. They didn’t seem surprised.

Baby clothes are nice though. It’s never been cheap either so I don’t blame people wanting a bargain, lots of people couldn’t afford the full prices hence didn’t shop there - that’s not their fault!

I can sort of understand why. I remember going to one when pregnant hoping to stock up on bras and other things and there was just nothing I wanted to buy. The supermarkets were much more useful.

Obviously sucks for the people being made redundant.

With retail having had a very bad year and bad Christmas period I wonder what stores we'll see go this year.

Really hard to imagine what a successful retail industry looks like in say 5 years.

I feel very sad about Mothercare. It’s the last place that you could go and get anything pregnancy/baby/child related and it will be missed. Feel sorry for those poor staff and hope that they go on to new jobs. I hope it’s true that some of the clothing is going into some boots stores, be nice to be able to still buy the odd thing. My favourite purchase for babies is the Terry toweling babygros, never seen them anywhere else and they are so snuggly.

We're gutted it's closing and were hoping they'd last another few weeks until our baby comes.
What we liked about it is that you could browse round the store and see numerous things that you hadn't realised you might need or that even existed - we have zero experience of babies and no friends/family that have them so we don't have a clue what we need.
Our local supermarkets don't have any of these items, we don't have a John Lewis etc so mothercare was our best option without driving miles and miles to a city.

We have had a few bargains over the last couple of weeks but also a few wasted purchases such as a display piece of furniture that seemed a good deal (small amount of damage, bit dirty but pretty good) until my DP Googled it when I told him what I'd bought and we could have had it brand new & delivered direct from the manufacturer for an extra £20 as its on clearance .
Bought an isofix base for £10 yesterday - then got home to find my car doesn't bloody have isofix despite it being the law since about 2002!

Our local store is terrible at updating prices so you have no idea what the sale price is and it usually doesn't come through the till at the right price either. I think that's a big reason why people didn't buy so much at my local one.

My travel system is a mothercare own brand one (a journey edit) and it’s been perfect. No problems at all and a fraction of the cost of a branded one. I always see people out and about with the same system. I also get sleeping bags from MC as they’re cheaper than Gro.

I’m sad we’re losing all their own brand things like that, there’s no where else that really does own brand travel systems or buggies so everyone will be stuck with brands, which are eye wateringly expensive.

I also feel sad about mothercare, personally I did use them Alot in the baby stages (less so now but only because the nearest one was then too far away because I moved), I did use them a fair bit online and thought their own brand product were good value for money, for example I've got a mothercare carseat.

It is very sad. I wish that councils would make it easier for businesses to survive the harsh retail climate whether its reducing business rates or improving parking.

I think it's sad the shop is closing. When I had dd I liked using the shop and seeing all the things I would need in one place! Bought both car seats from there and my travel system. Although i do agree it wasnt always the cheapest so understand why people wouldn't always go there. Some of the staff in my local mothercare store bought some of the clothing in the clearance and donated them to the local neonatal unit which I thought was lovely of them, still thinking of others despite them losing their jobs.

We went a couple of days ago (used to go there for the best softplay around for miles), and it was just empty apart from a rack of discounted Father Christmas suits.

It was quite sad actually, but the few members of staff left were stoic and were taking photos with each other which I thought was lovely. I wouldn’t have blamed them for being miserable and angry!

It is a shame as I loved it when I was pregnant and after I gave birth - I did buy my travel system there. But I refused to buy their clothes (lovely as they were), because they were so much cheaper in the supermarket (where I was going to anyway) - babies are in them for such a short time, I couldn’t justify the price.

My mum used to shop there for us when we were little. Wlwhen I was pregnant with DS I went along to an expectant parent event and got lots of things for my dd at such a good price. I didn't tend to buy clothes from there though unless in the sales as I thought they were pricey for the quality. It was great for trying out different prams, carriers etc

I bought baby clothes in there before all this. I honestly don't understand why people thought it was expensive. Compared to other high street like next etc it wasn't at all. My branch was always busy. All our loss now.

^Completelt agree with this.

It's sad but I'm not surprised. I tried shopping online when my ds was little and I gave up on them both times. It was an appalling online experience. The shops were nice but I did find them expensive. I think their online presence is where they'll have fallen. Really dropped the ball from what I could see.

It's amazing the amount of people that wouldn't shop in a store usually, but then go in looking for great deals when the shop is going out of business

The reason these people didn't shop in stores (various brands apply) is usually price. The same reason said stores are closing. Now if only mothercare had brought their business model out of the 19080's they may just have survived in the current market.

I bought baby clothes in there before all this. I honestly don't understand why people thought it was expensive. Compared to other high street like next etc it wasn't at all.

Next has its own bizarre cult of followers though. It used to be good quality and worth paying more but the t shirts these days are made of that shitty cotton with horizontal lines through it which goes mis sharpen on the first wash. People still choke to shop there, no idea why. An Asda £4 t shirt is better quality these days, and that's what people will be comparing mothercare prices to.

I feel for the staff but when a shop is so unnecessarily expensive it's only inevitable it will shut down as people find the same (or better) products for a lot less money elsewhere.

Ive struggled to find anything in mothercare when dd was a baby that i could afford or what and tbh getting to the shop was impossible due to a terrible roundabout off a roundabout that if you in mothercare was impossible to get onto to as mothercare was on the minor road. Its the main reason i never went as the thought of the double roundabout.