Really surprised to hear about Quidsi shutting down. Just recently, I had been eyeing some positions with them, as they seem to have been in a hiring spree, particularly some high level IT positions, and there was little indication of a shutdown looming. Wow. There will be a lot of tech talent getting laid off.

Quote:

I asked Diapers.com your question and this was their verbatim response. Better cash those in while you still can;

Hello,

Thank you for contacting Diapers.com regrading your inquiry about Quidsi gift cards.

I regret to confirm that we are finally coming off to an end. Quidsi gift cards are still valid, however, there is no given time frame as to when the Quidsi-affiliated sites will go offline. As long as the company is still running, all Quidsi gift cards can still be used in any of our sites.

I hope the information that I provided helps.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to reach us at customercare@diapers.com or 1-800-342-7377. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Sincerely,

Mary Ann S.
Customer Care
Diapers.com

what about my diapers.com gift cards?

Amazon.com Inc. is closing Diapers.com, Soap.com and other sites it purchased for about $545 million in 2011 to eliminate a dogged competitor and gain e-commerce customers.

The online retailer said it?s shutting Quidsi, the unit that ran the websites, because it couldn?t make a profit. But e-commerce analysts said Amazon probably intended to eliminate the sites as stand-alone businesses at some point, and the company?s renewed grocery push is an ideal time to consolidate brands.

?They sucked out any knowledge that team had and now they?ll put it behind the Amazon brand and steamroll those categories,? said Allen Adamson, founder of Brand Simple Consulting in New York.

More than 260 employees at Quidsi?s Jersey City, New Jersey, headquarters and customer service operation will lose their jobs in June, according to a notification sent to the New Jersey Department of Labor. Some of them will be able to apply for other Amazon jobs, according to the notice. Quidsi also has warehouses in Kansas and Nevada.

More

Jersey City company launches pet products site

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
By Stacy Jones/The Star-Ledger

Quidsi chief operating officer Vinit Bharara and chief executive officer Marc Lore inside the company's Jersey City headquarters.

The Jersey City company that set out to save parents from frantic trips for baby formula with Diapers.com today launched Wag.com in hopes of simplifying the lives of those who care for the furry, finned and feathered.

Wag is Quidsi?s fourth foray into online retail, joining Diapers.com, Soap.com and BeautyBar.com, which sell baby, cleaning and beauty products, respectively.

"The legacy of our business was built around the ability to serve the baby in the family," said David Zhang, Wag.com?s site leader. He likened pets to the other babies in families.
Quidsi, which means "what if" in Latin, opened in 2005 planning to challenge retailers like Amazon by keeping costs down with an automated, robot-run warehouse.

Five years later, Amazon agreed to buy the company for $545 million to eliminate what had become a formidable competitor.

Quidsi has received good reviews for its free shipping for customers who spend $39 and a 365-day return policy.

"We?re not selling cars ? at least not yet ? but a car dealer focuses on making a lot of money because they won?t see that customer again," Zhang said. "If we keep our customers happy, they?ll come back often. If we don?t, that would be a disaster."

Quidsi decided to give the $51 billion pet market a shot because customers kept asking about it, he said.

"Seventy-three million American households count pets as family members," said Marc Lore, CEO of Quidsi, "yet only a small portion of those households are ordering pet products online."

Although e-commerce has been growing for years, brick-and-mortar stores offer perks like being able to try on clothes.

But Zhang said "repeat oriented" items, such as kitty litter and dog vitamins, work well online.

Wag launched with more than 10,000 items in its inventory, Zhang said, but the company wants to ease the browsing process.

A cat owner won?t receive e-mails about new iguana products, and new pet owners can use Puppy 101 lists of recommended items to get themselves started.

Selling pet products online isn?t uncharted territory.
Pets.com opened in February 1999 with a high-profile marketing campaign, only to shutter in November 2000.

"Pets.com collapsed because it gave away its inventory," said Howard Davidowitz, chairman of the New York City-based retail consulting firm Davidowitz & Associates.

The company planned to sell popular items like dog food at drastically reduced prices, he said, and make up the money lost with high margins on food bowls and toys.

Davidowitz said he thinks Wag is positioned to do much better than Pets.com and its sock puppet mascot.

A Quidsi spokeswoman wouldn?t comment on Wag?s traffic, but Zhang said through e-mail it was an encouraging launch.

"If we can offer these products at a strong value to our customers," he said, "we can take this business to a place where others haven?t be able to go."