Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask my local mothercare if they could give me a nappy for my soiled dd ?

159 replies

Lilyloo · 28/03/2009 21:23

Basically i got caught out without enough nappies today.
Teething etc lot's of soiled nappys.
I ask at the till if they can provide a nappy and am told no!
I didn't have the £8.99 for a 24 pack but was a bit surprised tbh.

OP posts:
2shoes · 28/03/2009 21:24

yabu(although I understand) they are a business

Disenchanted3 · 28/03/2009 21:24

They have nappy machines in the Loos. £1 each.

I wouldn't have asked!

rubyslippers · 28/03/2009 21:25

can you imagine how many nappies they would give away?

i can understand your frustration though

scrooged · 28/03/2009 21:25

Boots used to do this but I expect people took the piss. I'm not surprised they don't to be honest. Was there another parent who could have given you one?

RealityIsMyOnlyDelusion · 28/03/2009 21:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Wilts · 28/03/2009 21:27

When I worked in Mothercare we always kept a stash of nappies in the cleaning cupboard to give to customers if needed.

We couldn't leave them in the changing room or they would have all been pinched

saadia · 28/03/2009 21:28

I think YABU, as 2shoes said, they are a business and I guess their logic would be that if someone was out shopping they would have funds to buy nappies.

Original poster
Lilyloo · 28/03/2009 21:28

There wasn't a nappy machine.
I ended up sitting her on paper towels to travel home in.
Do you really think they would use a lot of nappys ?? (I have 3 dc and have only ever been caught short a couple of times)

OP posts:
differentID · 28/03/2009 21:28

why should a business have to write off over 5/6 packs of nappies a week because some people forget to bring enough with them?
Not to be hostile, but that's over £50 a week, per week. That's likely to be 1/2 of one memeber of staff's wages(part time staff)!

katiepotatie · 28/03/2009 21:29

I would have asked another mother if they had a spare one. Or they usually have a vending machine with them in. What I am more shocked at is £8.99 for nappies! Were the gold plated?, 24 cost a fiver in the supermarket.

RobynLou · 28/03/2009 21:31

in our local boots they have them in the baby change, in our tescos they have a whole variety to choose from.
wouldn't impact much on them as a HUGE company and would be v good pr imo.
yanbu

Original poster
Lilyloo · 28/03/2009 21:33

Different but surely they wouldn't go through 5/6 packs ?
I agree they should be in cleaning cupboard / behind counter etc

Yes £8.99 was the cheapest pack and they were all pampers too !

OP posts:
FAQinglovely · 28/03/2009 21:33

our local boots doesn't even have a baby changing place now let alone any free nappies.

differentID · 28/03/2009 21:35

yep- you'd better beleive it. #one customer asking in hearing of other customers gets given one. Another customer asks and gives same reason, needs different size nappy etc, etc.

ravenAK · 28/03/2009 21:35

I usually use washables but agree it's a PITA to be caught without a change if you're out shopping.

You'd think someone might market a range of individual emergency nappies for 50p, to be stocked by shops like mothercare which cater exclusively for shell-shocked new parents...

shinyshoes · 28/03/2009 21:36

YANBU, I admire your guts for asking. I couldn't have done that. Some places have them some don't. I would have given you a nappy had I have been there

I think places like Mothercare should have a machine where you can get a nappy and a packet of wipes with maybe 3 in the pack for a £1.00

Original poster
Lilyloo · 28/03/2009 21:37

Raven she number 3!!
The emergency nappy machine sounds like a good one!

OP posts:
tryingtobemarypoppins · 28/03/2009 21:38

YUNBU these things happen. Mums should look after one another in these situations!

ScottishMummy · 28/03/2009 21:39

your baby your responsibility to have enough nappies.not the shop

EnterStageLeft · 28/03/2009 21:40

Basically i got caught out without enough food today.
Life etc lot ' s of empty tummies.
I ask at the till if they can provide a snack and am told no!
I didn't have the £1.99 for a sandwich but was a bit surprised tbh.

ffs

Original poster
Lilyloo · 28/03/2009 21:41

Scottishmummy i am not for one second saying my baby is the responsobility of anyone but me , however 4 nappy changes in a short shopping trip is slightly beyond the norm for us so i was caught unaware!!

OP posts:
theyoungvisiter · 28/03/2009 21:41

I don't think you were being unreasonable at all to ask.

But equally I don't think they were being unreasonable to not offer you one.

If the till person didn't have authorisation to break a pack she might have had the whole cost deducted from her wages.

Plus then, where does it end? Free wipes? Free formula? Free newspaper and coffee in the feeding room?

I was accosted the other day by a woman in Brent Cross saying "is your child a size 4? He looks like a size 4!" It took me a few minutes to realise she meant size 4 nappies, but yes he was and I was happy to give her one, I felt I might be storing up a bit of karma for some future emergency...

expatinscotland · 28/03/2009 21:42

YABU.

It's a shop that sells things, not gives them away.

I've never seen a Mothercare out on its own.

There's always other retailers like Boots and supermarkets nearby where you can buy cheaper nappies.

FAQinglovely · 28/03/2009 21:43

expat - I know of 2 Mothercares in my "local" (ie 20 miles radius) area that are out on their own. Well with no other shops that sell nappies nearby anyhow.

Original poster
Lilyloo · 28/03/2009 21:45

Expat it was on a retail park with a halfords and an electrical place and a next and food type places.

OP posts: