What do they really mean by 'In Stock'
You'd have thought this was a simple question, with a simple answer. But it isn't.
In the old days (rickets & child labour and all that) if a retailer said they had something "in stock" it was a good bet you could nip round and buy it there and then.
Not so in the brave new on-line world. We order a lot of stuff on-line, and when we're fulfilling orders for customers time is important. So we're careful to check that the items we order are listed as "in-stock". Given that everything is computerised and automated there is very little excuse for this information being wrong.
Nevertheless we've lost count of the number of times that an order hasn't shipped when expected: and the excuse given when we enquire is "we are waiting on a delivery".
Because what they really mean by "in stock" is that the requested item is "in stock" with one of their suppliers. They claim that this what "in stock" means - I'd disagree, as this interpretation makes the phrase effectively meaningless. This little fib is only possible because the modern on-line world allows one company to get near-real-time access to another company's stock system.
So here's another example of suppliers using technology against the best interests of their customers (which I have mentioned before).
I'm sorry guys. If this is how you treat your customers, I'll shop elsewhere.
Thing is though, businesses not holding stock is one of the prices we pay for the British obsession for trying to get stuff on the cheap. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. 'Twas ever so.
In the old days (rickets & child labour and all that) if a retailer said they had something "in stock" it was a good bet you could nip round and buy it there and then.
Not so in the brave new on-line world. We order a lot of stuff on-line, and when we're fulfilling orders for customers time is important. So we're careful to check that the items we order are listed as "in-stock". Given that everything is computerised and automated there is very little excuse for this information being wrong.
Nevertheless we've lost count of the number of times that an order hasn't shipped when expected: and the excuse given when we enquire is "we are waiting on a delivery".Because what they really mean by "in stock" is that the requested item is "in stock" with one of their suppliers. They claim that this what "in stock" means - I'd disagree, as this interpretation makes the phrase effectively meaningless. This little fib is only possible because the modern on-line world allows one company to get near-real-time access to another company's stock system.
So here's another example of suppliers using technology against the best interests of their customers (which I have mentioned before).
I'm sorry guys. If this is how you treat your customers, I'll shop elsewhere.
Thing is though, businesses not holding stock is one of the prices we pay for the British obsession for trying to get stuff on the cheap. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. 'Twas ever so.
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