tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150649422744296369.post354729359819172400..comments2023-12-23T02:17:12.549-08:00Comments on Quest for Fun!: BuyingGary Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897166491600280320noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150649422744296369.post-59996515171685943512007-12-01T10:44:00.000-08:002007-12-01T10:44:00.000-08:00I agree with most of what you guys have said. How...I agree with most of what you guys have said. However, I think the number of people willing to order online is way lower than you think. Alpha gamers like yourselves are more motivated to find stuff, regardless of the hassle. Most people are not.<BR/><BR/>There are people who ALWAYS order online, and I used to be one of them. Then there are people who hate ordering online, and I think they're more likely to go to other stores or do without than go through the hassle.<BR/><BR/>As for online ordering with gift wrapping, shipped to their door, I've done it. I found that people find it incredibly informal and de-personalized, like sending a check.Gary Rayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11897166491600280320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150649422744296369.post-52439067685295015972007-12-01T10:04:00.000-08:002007-12-01T10:04:00.000-08:00"just in Time" ordering does tend to break down du..."just in Time" ordering does tend to break down during the holiday season.<BR/>There are a variety of reasons for this, including:<BR/>* shipping delays due to volume and weather<BR/>* "one shot" gift buyers who don't come in regularly<BR/>* busy customers needing to get their shopping done - now!<BR/>* greater than average demand for "hot" items - an item might only sell four copies a year, but three of them sell in the holiday season, and customers would buy four more if they were in stock when they arrived<BR/><BR/>So the big decision for a retailer at this time of year is - can you afford not to have it in stock vs. can you afford to have too many in stock, and carry them as excess inventory over the next year (for evergreen products), or forever (for products that have limited appeal).<BR/><BR/>Gift buyers are frequently less likely than most customers to special order an item - in many cases they can order it online, shipped to the receiver, already gift-wrapped, from their desk at work. And they certainly will do so, if you don't have the widget they want when they do come in to the store.<BR/><BR/>This is where having a good stock of "evergreens" can come in handy - basic troops for miniatures games are a good example - you really can't go wrong giving a miniatures gamer more basic troops and vehicles for their army. The sales staff may have to point this out to the gift buyer, but it's generally good advice. The other benefit of this is that these are also products that will sell at a steady pace throughout the year - meaning that they may hang around for a long time, but they will sell without having to be removed to the sale bin, prize bag, or auction..JoeDoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04768616880852081399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150649422744296369.post-88248588107802131812007-12-01T09:52:00.000-08:002007-12-01T09:52:00.000-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.JoeDoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04768616880852081399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7150649422744296369.post-23556699549769727322007-11-30T22:38:00.000-08:002007-11-30T22:38:00.000-08:00The thing that some store owners don't seem to get...The thing that some store owners don't seem to get about special orders is that if I, as a customer, am willing to special order something, then I'll drop the "special" part and just order it direct or from an online discounter. The people who shop at brick and mortar stores don't want to order anything, they want to walk in and buy it and walk out with their purchase. <BR/><BR/>Regular customers are willing to special order the occasional item as long as doing so stays "special" either because it doesn't happen very often, or because they're ordering some truly obscure item.<BR/><BR/>Brick and mortar stores simply can't afford to let special orders become the standard way of doing business.Fulminatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14332824290977548527noreply@blogger.com