I've noticed some new items in the baby section at Target over the past six months or so. They're items kind of like I might find on some of my favorite blogs or on Etsy. Cute, handmade looking items, using fun fabrics and things. If you're a Target shopper, you may have noticed them too. For instance, this:
Ten dollars!! It's four alligator clips, each covered with a piece of ribbon. The "grippie" to hold hair in place, if I recall correctly, is a tiny piece of thin foam. Doesn't this look like some cute little something you'd find on Etsy? Maybe, this:
The Target psuedo-handmade item is a whopping $10 for four clippies, while the genuine handmade Etsy version is available from Murals with Love for $5.25 for four clippies. I did a little research on the Ribbies brand, and it was apparently started by two moms. It seems, though, that once Target gets into the mix, the prices for ribbon-covered alligator clips skyrockets...
This little gadget is what set me over the edge today:
The $10 diaper pouch will apparently hold two or three diapers and a travel sized box of wipes. To be fair, this was on clearance at my Target for about $6.50. The photo here doesn't do this justice. In real life, this guy is pretty flimsy--no interfacing or anything from what I could tell. It was an outside fabric and a plain lining fabric, and neither felt very soft. It's just a pouch with velcro (but "patent pending." I'm no patent attorney, but I'm pretty sure you can't patent a fabric pouch...)
The Target pouch is another pseudo-handmade item that can be had for much cuter on Etsy:
This version is handmade from decorator weight fabrics and is available from Keiki Boutique for just under $12. It costs a bit more, but it's handmade and presumably uses better quality fabrics. More importantly, your money goes straight to the person who made it, rather than being filtered through the retailer, the distributor, the shipping company, the manufacturer, the designer, the patent attorney...
Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Target shopper. But lately I've become more selective about what I'll buy there. Diapers, household goods, paper towels, clearance-priced tea towels. No problem. Clothes, bibs, burb cloths, clippies. Not so much.
What bothers me the most about all of these products is that they're marketed to make us believe they're not made by "The Man." You'll find most of these under the "Parent Inventors" section of Target's website. They're packaged to look handmade, or at least like they came from small facilities. In reality, according to Target's website, all of these were imported, and I'm guessing that does not mean they were lovingly sewn by our friends in the UK (have you seen their blogs? They do make lovely things). While these products may have been invented by parents (I'm sure they probably were), the idea that we need to purchase them from Target is just silly.
So, I guess what I'm getting at is this: Spread the word about the wonderful handmade things available on the internet! I'm always surprised when I'm chatting with a friend and they mention their difficulty finding quality toys or baby items. I tend to assume everyone spends as much time randomly shopping online as I do. Chances are, most of your friends, neighbors and family, don't.
Let's spread the word, help our fellow crafters, and save our loved ones from overpriced baby things.