Please Shop Independent!

We have had a bit of a shocking week this week here at Cheeky Wipes, when we heard that two of our peer companies in the reusable market have declared insolvency.

Tots Bots Nappies launched in 2001 and along with Motherease were the only reusable nappies that I used on my two boys.  Their two part nappies were super absorbent and responsible for my ongoing love affair with two part nappies.

Close Parent were the home of the fabulous 'Caboo' carrier.  I remember wearing my daughter Aerin in a Close Caboo for a weekend when she was 6 weeks old. 

It was at the NEC Baby Show where Cheeky were exhibiting for the weekend and she slumbered peacefully in her Caboo carrier for pretty much the entire time.  People thought she was a demonstration dolly, not an actual baby and were so surprised when I whipped out a boob to breast feed her!

It's SO sad to see both these companies closing and our thoughts and best wishes are with them all.

I am sure, like ourselves they have been impacted by a multitude of macro environmental impacts:

• Brexit which has made a massive hit in EU sales
• Cost of living crisis meaning that people haven't got cash to shell out more for reusable products, even though they end up cheaper long term
• Perception that washing costs with rising energy prices will more than offset any cost savings
• Flood of cheap Amazon copies of goods

Although we do sell through Amazon, and we appreciate the convenience of it, as an independent business, they are killing us.

That's why shopping directly from Cheeky Wipes will ALWAYS be cheaper than Amazon, even allowing for our postage costs. 

(By the way, if you want to understand we are transparent in our shipping costs and charge it separately, rather than building into the cost of the product, read our article, Is free shipping really free?)

Amazing Customer Service

Not sure if you should order our sporty pants in size 8 or 10 for your daughter? Or how many wipes you'll need for a newborn plus a toddler?  Our fantastic customer services team are here to answer those questions and more.  They delight in helping people switch to our simple reusables, saving money and the planet!

Sustainability at our Core

And that's without having to state that Cheeky are a sustainable business, recognised when we were awarded with the Queens Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development.  Our factories have been personally inspected and pay workers and fair wage.

We also value our employees here in the UK and are a certified living wage employer - with lucky staff who also benefit from working a 4 day week!

I can't say it clearly enough, Amazon are killing independent businesses.  Please shop directly with us.  

About the Author: Helen Rankin founded Cheeky Wipes, the original reusable wipes kit back in 2008 after disposable wipes caused her eczema to flare up. 4 kids later, internal period protection such as tampons or menstrual cups were no longer an option for her and she went on to develop their range of 'Simple Reusables' to include period and pee protection pants, and reusable sanitary pads.

The Cheeky customer services team pride themselves on providing honest, friendly advice and just LOVE to chat pee, poo and periods all day long, helping people make the switch to reusables! The Company was recognised for their hard work in developing environmentally friendly products with the Queens Award in Enterprise for Sustainable Development in 2021.