For some reason we were not allocated any copies of The Guide to Ethical Supermarket Shopping by distributor NDD. This is a pity because we missed plenty of sales. It featured in The Age a few days after release – this is the first we had heard of it, when customers asked us for it. While we now have stock, it is frustrating that we had to chase The Guide to Ethical Supermarket Shopping yet have no challenge in receiving titles which do not sell. I shake my head some days at the magazine allocations process.
Mark – I’m far from defending NDD but what were they supposed to do given the current push system ? They allocate to you, you don’t like the product, you rip into them publicly. They don’t allocate to you as they fear another negative write up, and you rip into them publicly. They are dammed if they do, dammed if they don’t. Look I’m near always in agreement with everything you put forward on this blog. Your right, the allocation process often doesn’t make sense and wrongfully affects our business. In this instance, I can at least see some logic (whilst I’m sure you disagree) behind the decision. As an alternative maybe there is another reason.
If they are scaling out the allocation for a new title and basing the number of copies each agent gets off another similar title, maybe you weren’t considered on a sales based argument?
For what it’s worth we did not receive any stock either.
Sold seven copies in a week.
Wade, NDD sees from their data for us that we support socially important product. Given what else they send us, not including us on this title does not make sense.
fair enough. cheers