AGENT PROVOCATEUR
Does size matter? N
selling in packs is a good idea as it enables them to sell ‘cheaper’, as most of the packing is done ‘way out yonder’ where the labour cost is far less. It is easier for the retailer to receive “whole consignments” as the goods are packed and shipped together avoiding “bitty” deliveries into the stores. Retailers are always saying they want cheaper
ow, who is coming to the end of their “buying season” and who still has a lot of suppliers to see? If it’s the latter do you have too many suppliers? This leads us to the question of how many suppliers in one shop is the correct amount? This is
obviously an impossible question to answer as suppliers come in all shapes and sizes……..you may order lots from one supplier and just a couple of lines from another, but this isn’t the main topic of this month’s AP, my question for you is “do you think pack sizes are a good or a bad idea?” Do you avoid suppliers that sell in packs or do you find it more convenient because it saves time? At the risk of showing my age, when I first started in the trade it
was only the wholesalers that sold in pack’s, particularly wellies, slippers and the cheaper end of the market products, but due to the changes in production and using overseas factories, most of the most famous suppliers now sell in packs. From the suppliers/manufacturers point of view
in-stock, whereas those who can offer a selection of smaller packs are doing very well.
. If you buy ladies shoes you will have your favourite pack combo’s
in your head 1,2,3,3,2,1 and to a certain extent the same for men’s 1,2,3,3,2,1 but kids buying is not so easy – and unless you have a good stock control system it is all too easy to be left with too many or kick yourself for not ordering nearly enough. Overlapping the brands to get the right pack’s of the right shoes in the right sizes takes a bit of doing, and for new shops the second and third season is a very different buying experience to the first!!! For those suppliers who are chasing every pair they occasionally curse the fact that packs are not flexible enough, that we cannot
product for greater margin and in this way suppliers can keep an eye on the bottom line which they pass on to their customers. For argument’s sake if a supplier offers packs of 8’s, 10’s, 12’s, or 15’s they can confirm their requirements early enough to the factories and ensure that the belt time is sufficient to block book manufacturing. The depth of sizes and styles to the retailer also gives a greater representation of their product creating brand awareness, whereas if a retailer buys ‘silly’ odd amounts – maybe 2 or 3 pairs of a style in intermittent sizes, and not consistent sizes/fittings in depth, then it is hard for staff to keep track of what there is, and will spend more time apologising to the public that they haven’t got what they want. A knock on effect of this is that those who ‘cherry-pick their stock i.e. have too few styles and sizes, cannot do a brand justice – it just disappears without any personality (as does the supplier loyalty!). There are a large number of suppliers who sell in packs, but some
At the risk of showing my age, when I first started in the trade it was only the wholesalers that sold in pack’s, particularly wellies, slippers and the cheaper end of the market products, but due to the changes in production and using overseas factories, most of the most famous suppliers now sell in packs.
of the more “pushy” suppliers will supply pack sizes that are far too large and you end up with sizes you really don’t want - or should I say, too much of a good thing! It is a balancing act to get this right. Those suppliers that have been too greedy or demanding are now
seeing big reductions in their ordering as shops simply do not have the credit available to risk buying too many shoes and relying on
14 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011
supply Mrs. Moody from Manchester with her 4 pairs of size 37 black patent stiletto’s and 3 pairs of 38’s because she would have to have the 2 pairs either side, or Mr. Nitpick from Nutsbury who wont order at all because he would have to include a 42 and he rarely sells a 42 and doesn’t like putting them in the ‘Sale’. So what do you think about packs? Do you subscribe to the view that the suppliers are trying to sell you more shoes than you really want? Or, do you think it’s a good idea and prefer packs because they are quick to order and keep track of? Are you pleased to eliminate all that logistical nightmare and thinking time or do you feel frustrated that you can’t have exactly what you want? Do you have suppliers that try to cover all bases or have you stopped buying from someone as they are too inflexible? AP and the team really want to hear from you – we may even go back to having a ‘letter’s page’ if enough of you drop us a line….so let’s get your thoughts. Whether packs are a good thing or a bad thing they’ll be around a
very long time and not just at the cheaper end of the spectrum – but if you have any better ideas, let’s here them!
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