Gordon and Gotch, in their wisdom, decided to not allocate us any copies of the new Inspector Morse partworks released this week by Bissett Magazines. We discovered that we had been left out of this opportunity when the Gotch merchandiser visited us yesterday to put up a display. Our enquiries revealed that this was not a missed delivery by Gotch – they had not allocated any of this new partwork series to us.
We escalated the issue through Gotch and were asked later in the day by Gotch representative if we would like to be put on their list of newsagents who support partworks and therefore want good quantities of new releases. We were surprised to discover that such a list exists. Our partworks interest has been well established, or so we thought. Consider this:
I have blogged here before and spoken at newsagent conferences about the importance of partworks to newsagents – urging newsagents to take up partworks.
I have shared sales data with Gotch management about the efficiency of partworks customers – baskets with partwork product are more efficient than almost any other category we carry.
Ben Kay, Manager of my newsagency, and I have met with Peter Bissett, owner of Bissett Magazines, and discussed partworks at length and out commitment.
Ben and I have had discussions up and down Gotch chasing more and more partworks product , impressing on them the sales we can achieve with the right stock. These discussions have been from the GM down.
Through my software company, Tower Systems, we created some exclusive partworks specifics enhancements and advised the folk at Gotch and Bissett about these – enhancements which help newsagents better manage partworks with a view to better customer service and lower time cost management. The enhancements were delivered to Tower Newsagents free.
I launched the newsagency industry’s first ever magazine loyalty card in 2004 in part as a result of our partworks success and to drive even greater success. Gotch was made aware of this at the time.
Peter Bissett recently brought a UK executive to our store (and others) to show best practice.
Our commitment to partworks is absolute. We only wish we had more new releases to promote.
This time around like others Gotch will blame others, Bissett will blame others. In the meantime TV hits, customers come to us looking for the product, we look like hopeless retailers and we lose them to someone else. These are sales worth fighting for.
Obviously someone at Gordon and Gotch is not across any of this so they cut us out of the Inspector Morse game.
And magazine distributors wonder why newsagents complain about them. Sure we will get Inspector Morse. The ‘system’ which took us off the list is flawed and no one cares enough to fix it.
Footnote: I wrote this blog entry last night but did not click PUBLISH. Just as well as today I’ve been able to edit out some of the more colourful passages. The facts are colourful enough without me needing use more robust language to make my point here. Maybe I should have slept on the email I sent to Gotch but then maybe they will understand how upset people like me get when we are denied an opportunity to do what our newsagencies have been created to do.
I understand this frustration completely. We were in a similar situation with partworks from Network Services last year. They just did not allocate us any stock of three new releases in a row.
The worst part was the dishonesty from Network after we requested copies. We were told no stock was available but after contacting the publisher (Peter Bissett) direct, we miraculously had stock the next delivery day!
Scott
Sick of dissapointing customers, particularly those building models such as the Victory part series, we began giving customers contact details for Dawn Keogh at Gotch. This sometimes resulted in missing issues miraculously appearing within days and on other occassions left our customers in no doubt of the cause of their and our frustrations. We have now decided not to support part series as the work involved in back ordering missing issues and the angst it causes customers is not worth the effort particularly in the face of the don’t care attitude from Gordon & Gotch. I only wish all newsagents would stand up to distributors and refuse to kick off there part series until they supply all agents with enough stock to cover at least the previous issues sales. I have a theory that they only use us to initially promote a series and are happy to then pick up subscriptions from customers who cannot obtain the part series from us.
Hi, I’ve already posted this comment on June 06 blog, but I figure that ‘the squeaky wheel gets some grease (maybe).
I’m not a newsagent but have been caught twice (silly me!) by Bissett & Co and DeAGOSTINI.
The first time was years ago when I subscribed to a classical music CD collection from Bissett. After chasing them for months towards the end, they finally completed my collection BUT the final binder wasn’t available. I finally ‘bullied’ them into supplying me with another series’ binder. I now have a set of nice classical music binders and one horrible “Ancient Egypt” binder on my shelves!. Imagine how it looks!
The second time, I subscribed to Bissett’s (DeAGOSTINI’s) “Champion Racing Bikes” series for my grandson in April 2003, first at the local newsagent and then direct from Bissett. This series should have finished in April 2006! but I’m still waiting for the final three and binder.
I am concerned that my grandson will be my age before these donkeys comply with their end of their agreement!
When I get annoyed enough, usually at Christmas and his birthday, when I want to give him some, I contact them and complain, and, wonder of wonders, they turn up with one or two, but even that hasn’t worked the last couple of times!
So, you see, it’s not only the newsagents that are being bitten by these bandits. Those of us who buy direct from them are also suffering. I agree with you that this is something that the TV current affairs shows would like to get hold of.
Maybe…………..