Company actually asking for our advise/opinions!!

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Basbugboy

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  1. Diaper Lover
  2. Incontinent
Hi everyone. Ive got some exciting news :)

I know somome who is a senior manager at a well known british pharmacy chain. (They know about my nightime "issues" and the fact i use various incontinance products.) Apparently getting feedback and information from people who actually use the products they sell is very difficult.

This is where all you guys come in.
Ive been asked to come up with a sort of hints, tips and info guide that could be distributed round all the pharmacys (fiinally and opportunity to have our oppions heard!!). I really want to make this count.

So lets hear it. Any comments about service you've reccived/would like to receive , product stock. General Advise etc you would like passed on.
 
Personally, I'd love to see premium brands (i.e. Molicare, Abena, Wellness, etc.) stocked in local supermarkets/chains. It'd be great if they were then sold as close to wholesale pricing as possible, even for single packs/units as opposed to just the cases (I'd assume the store would purchase them as wholesale so if those savings were reflected in the price per unit that'd be extremely enticing). Even if they weren't necessarily cheaper than online prices, having the option and convenience of getting something the same day and not having to deal with shipping would be awesome. Also, if there were diaper samples available for purchase in store, that's something that'd be very helpful as well.

I have a feeling that successfully selling premium diapers and samples in a store for profit wouldn't be a very feasible business model since it'd be catering towards a relatively small amount of customers (those with incontinence and/or ABDL alike). But if it were advertised enough and the savings from buying wholesale are significant enough then maybe it'd be possible to do (I'd like to think at least). I've heard of (but have yet to see myself) medical supply stores selling premium brand diapers for relatively good prices so maybe it's possible for bigger retailers to do as well.

Also, there's a rep from NorthShore that has an account here for both feedback and (I imagine) advertising purposes. The person you know could create their own account here and ask questions and get feedback directly. It might be a little awkward though having to share that you visit a site for ABDL/Incontinent individuals, although you did mention he or she is aware of your IC already.

Finally, I don't know how big this chain is that the person you know works at, but if it's an international chain it'd be sooooooo nice to be able to get Libero here in the states.
 
Inside of pharmacys I would love to see premium diapers on the shelf so I don't have to order as much online if they can make this happen I would love hem forever
 
Get them to stock plastic backed abena's and they will make a fortune. No joke ;)
 
I think I would add to the "stock premium diapers" suggestion. All most pharmacies stock is low grade depends and store-brand diapers, you don't see abena or tena or any other common premium brands usually. I've never seen premium diapers at any store in this city.

It would also be nice to see related items with the diapers. Things like rash cream, plastic pants, lotion/talc, wipes. I've NEVER seen plastic pants, although those are far less useful with disposables, and I doubt they'd want to stock cloth diapers. The other stuff you generally have to go hunting for elsewhere in the store.

I realize diapers are bulky compared to their markup, so stores are reluctant to burn up valuable shelf space with items that don't move fast, but ideally they'd have a wider selection available, instead of three shelves each with 20 bags of one kind of diaper. It's not like you're going to sell all 20 in a day, take some of those out and slip in a few other options. Diapers have a very long shelf life.

Also I don't know if anyone else notices or cares, but diapers tend to be stuck in with tampons and pads. I realize there's a similarity here, these are all hygene products, but it does make some of the men uncomfortabe being in that aisle, let alone standing right next to stacks of that sort of thing. I get a little uneasy there personally. Must you put them right next to each other, or just plain mixed in with each other? Like technically you could put the jock straps right next to the bras, but nobody would like that, so don't judge me ;)
 
Stock plastic backed products.
 
Ideally I'd like to see a store similar to Rearz in the USA. But I would start with the plastic ATNs and Tranquility overnight pullup available in Wal-Mart. Then maybe add plastic Abena as well.
 
Thanks for the feedback :). I'll make sure i pass it on

Anyone got anything else to add? It's a couple of weeks before Ill see the family friend again.

Anything about service/advise?
 
Basbugboy said:
Thanks for the feedback :). I'll make sure i pass it on

Anyone got anything else to add? It's a couple of weeks before Ill see the family friend again.

Anything about service/advise?

It's nice that they're thinking about this, but realistically, can you train shop assistants to be completely professional when discussing something so personal and embarrassing, and even if you can, what customer wants to discuss their incontinence with a random shop assistant? And what could they say that you wouldn't hear from your doctor first?

I would suggest that if they want to give advice, they'd do better producing a fairly detailed pamphlet.

The big problem we have is that anyone who is profoundly incontinent will be getting products from the NHS Continence Service. It may have its limitations, but it does severely limit the size of the market that's available for pharmacies to serve. And anyone who can afford to routinely order premium nappies when they could get adequate ones for free can afford to get them directly delivered.

Additionally, assuming that the "well-know British pharmacy chain" is Boots (I don't know any other chains that I'd describe as well-known), they already have an arrangement with Attends to sell rebranded products, so I suspect that the best you could reasonably expect would be for them to stock Attends top-of-the-range - which is not very impressive compared to the likes of the old Abena M4 or Tena Slip Maxi. It would not at all surprise me if they got a significant reduction in wholesale price from Attends, in exchange for an agreement not to sell anything else.
 
Basbugboy said:
Thanks for the feedback :). I'll make sure i pass it on

Anyone got anything else to add? It's a couple of weeks before Ill see the family friend again.

Anything about service/advise?
When it comes to helping advise the customers who are purchasing incontinence products, many medical supply houses here in the United States have someone who is knowledgeable about different types of incontinence and what will work for one person versus another. I understand not keeping a huge number of options for diapers in stock, they are bulky and take up a lot of shelf space while not selling as much as may other products. Having the ability to order these products in a day or two is often worthwhile.

A great idea might be to have a small sign near their incontinence products saying, "Talk to our (pharmacist, representative, etc.) about your incontinence needs--we can order to fit your needs." A pharmacy I used to frequent (now moved, so don't use it anymore) knew I used briefs they had in stock then when they stopped carrying them they ordered them for me. Very worthwhile as getting them online wasn't really an easy option back then (almost 20yrs ago!).

So, have someone on hand who understands what someone might need (and be non-judgmental if someone who is not IC wants some), know the right questions to ask to direct them to the right product, and have products that can be had in a short time frame.
 
Basbugboy said:
]Anyone got anything else to add? It's a couple of weeks before Ill see the family friend again.
Anything about service/advise?

I'd be willing to bet that most ic and abdl would rather be the ones to initiate contact for customer service. I like Fac's idea about a sign suggesting people ask for help at the parmacy counter, that's probably the best balanced response - helpful, without being overly aggressive/forward.
 
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