Shampoo and shower baths

Shampoo und Duschbäder

Good morning
I have registered because I have a suggestion for Migros:
Why not offer shampoos and shower gels in canisters that the customer and the customer service staff can refill? Hygiene products in particular produce a lot of plastic and plastic waste. You could first offer three products each to test acceptance. I am quite sure that this could be done in a relatively short time and with little effort and I am sure that many people would accept it.
I think it would be a huge step forward!
Best regards
Campingdany

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All replies (8)

AlMiDeCoLi

@Campingdany

That would take up a lot of space in every store. Because not every customer buys the same product as the other and everyone would naturally want to have "their favorite product" on offer.

Incidentally, Migros (and other retailers) have been allowing customers to return these bottles to the plastic bottle collection point for some time now (not just milk bottles).

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Campingdany

Of course, it would also require a certain amount of rethinking on the part of customers. I am convinced that this would be relatively easy to do and that two or three canisters would take up no more space than 50 bottles. I don't think you need 200 types of shampoo and the like either.
Of course you can return the empties. But most of them are incinerated again and it's always better for the environment if you don't produce them at all. Most customers dispose of them in the bin anyway.

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Kathrin_Migros

Hello everyone

Thank you very much for your suggestion @Campingdany.

I have forwarded it to our experts and will get back to you if I hear anything further from them.

Have a nice day

Kathrin

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Campingdany

Thank you very much Kathrin
I would be very happy if something would happen in this regard.

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Kathrin_Migros

Hello again Campingdany

Our experts have reported back and emphasized that open sales - whether for non-food or food - are not generally more ecological.

The decisive factors are:

Does this actually save packaging material? For example, small bags/containers are often offered for filling. If the customer chooses such a solution, the amount of packaging is usually at least the same, often even higher. In such a case, it is really only about the "experience of filling yourself"

It is very important that the ecological footprint of the product is many times higher than that of the packaging. So if, for example, a lot goes wrong during filling in open sales, the overall ecological balance is significantly worse than if the products are sold pre-packaged.

I can also assure you that sustainability is a major concern for us, which is why Migros is constantly reviewing its product range for optimization potential and possible packaging reductions.

Best regards

Kathrin

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Campingdany

Hello Kathrin
Thank you for your answer.
I think you got a ready-made answer from the experts, because otherwise I can't explain the quick response.
Let's assume you charge 2 Fr. for an empty shampoo bottle and you have to fill it yourself. Perhaps with an automated device for 200ml. Then every customer would think twice about buying a new container the second time.
Migros also offers refillable bags for vegetables and I see more and more customers using them.
I think it's a shame that Migros doesn't want to take a pioneering position. There always has to be a law first and then suddenly it works.
We all live on the same planet, this round ball that will soon sink into plastic and on which people behave as if they could change planets at any time.
What a shame!
Nevertheless, have a nice rest of the week and thanks again for passing it on.
Best regards
Campingdany

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AlMiDeCoLi

@Campingdany

The accusation with the prefabricated answer may well be true. That's because you're not the first person to suggest something like that. Questions have already been asked about self-filling of cereals, muesli, nuts and drinks (among other things). In addition, Migros has certainly already evaluated the possibility of self-filling independently of customer questions.

The problem is more diverse than we customers realize. A manufacturer can only guarantee that his goods will reach the customer in perfect condition if he himself ensures that they are properly, i.e. hygienically, packaged. So if, for example, someone were to come to your canister with a dirty shampoo bottle and refill the shampoo themselves and then discover that something is wrong with the product, Migros could argue that the customer has filled the product into their own container and therefore Migros can no longer be held responsible for the proper condition of the product from this point onwards and therefore does not have to provide a replacement.

This is an example that shows why the current form of distribution is better. Other major distributors in Switzerland and abroad have already offered various forms of self-bottling, and in Switzerland in particular this has been repeatedly abandoned for various reasons.

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Kathrin_Migros

Hello everyone

I'm getting in touch again and can assure @Campingdany that I'm writing completely freely, quoting the responses from the experts at best and then using their texts unchanged.

My colleagues from the non-food sector have written to me to say that they will check the idea carefully but cannot make any promises.

Unfortunately, we only have limited space on our shelves and a canister would take up a lot of space...

We also offer refill bags, which are a little more conventional and "mass-market" for our customers.

Thank you very much for the inspiration or for (re)taking up the idea.

With best regards

Kathrin

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