Retailers what would you do?

We had a customer call today at about 12:30 or so, he wanted 3 different vintages of a Cult Wine and up to 6 of each. This would have been a sale in the $27K -$36k range give or take a couple “K’s”. They needed the wine tomorrow or the very latest Wednesday. The wine is not available through normal channels, we would have to source it from where ever we could find it and have it shipped to us Next Day Air and in turn do the same to our customer for Wednesday delivery. After a few phone calls it seemed impossible to get it here given the time of the day (after searching, now it’s 2:00+) and try to turn it around in time. I called several places to see what their inventory was and then called the customer with the information so he could call the retailers to place the orders. I made sure they had the exact inventory required and could get it to this guy by the deadline and all agreed.

What would you have done especially with the amount of the sale ?

I admit, I hated to pass it up but maybe it will be good karma down the road . flirtysmile

All I can say is that a “rational” customer who has such needs in such a compressed timeline is not, indeed, rational.

Or is an investment banker.

Same to me.

Marc,
We have customers that do this kind of shopping, they’re used to it happening. It’s normally not a problem but 18 bottles of Screagle is a different story, anything else I can usually accomplish.
FYI: not any kind of banker but into wine & food.

Plus $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Instead of going through all the trouble sourcing the wine the customer wanted I would have just offered him the latest $80 Spanish wine that tastes like Screaming Eagle and has a 98 point TWA review. But that’s just me.

I have spent hours trying to find another retailer who can get a wine for a customer that I can’t. To my mind, this should impress upon that customer how far you will push for them. Obviously it’s a gamble but if your heart is really in the game, you can’t avoid trying.

headbang

John,
I would have done that in a second but there was no talking them into something different, they were doing a vertical wine dinner of screagle.

Mark,
exactly

Then you go home and open the tequila…

Did he ask if it was OK to pay using several different credit cards and for you ship it to his office in Nigeria? [whistle.gif]

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[rofl.gif] this is a well known person and in this country. He wasn’t looking for Cristal! neener

Carrie,

I would have done (and have done) exactly what you did. Never for anything quite like Screagle, but same general scenario. I always thought it was all about serving the customer. Karma is karma.

grouphug

I would have done everything possible on my end, simply for an invite to the event to taste the wines. [thumbs-up.gif]

If it was a regular customer I would have done the same. If not a regular customer then they would have lost me at “do you carry Screaming Eagle.” Have had similar requests by first-timers calling in asking for Opus One and the like. That is not our business. Your model is likely different.

You did the right thing, especially given the information that you’d have had to go outside normal distribution channels. In my old age, I’ve come to realize that it’s all about the supply chain. Imagine if you’d gotten the stuff and it arrived cooked. (Anyone who doesn’t think this can happen even with super-premium wines had better think again…)

Beyond that, I’m happy to report that I rarely have to do business with the hyper-privileged. I’d like a big payday, too, but man, those people are a lot of work.

No doubt, there are many such customers of wealth, particularly in the usual urban areas. It just continues to amaze me that people of such wealth can’t plan, uhh, a little in advance. Isn’t good planning part of getting rich? [Strictly rhetorical question.]

These customers, if they exist for a given business, are essential to said business’s success and should be catered to as was done. That’s my actual response. This is the retailer’s reality.

I always try to do what’s in the customer’s best interest, even if that means sending him to a competitor. I’d like to think that the customer truly understands what I’m doing, will be eternally grateful, and will show their appreciation by spending even more money with me in the future, but it rarely works out that way. My experience is that high-end wine customers want what they want when they want it and I’m just a tool to help them get it. Despite that, however, I keep doing it because at the end of the day it makes me feel better to have done the “right” thing.

Richard

So, how shortly after you hung up the phone did you yell “What kind of maniac tries to put together a vertical tasting of Screegle on 48 hours notice?!?!?!”

It isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last, they actually gave me more time than some have . It didn’t make much sense to have it all shipped to us and then to them for double shipping charges, the guy seemed happy about that.

And of course double shipped wines will show REALLY nicely with no rest [bleh.gif]

C’mon. Pobega isn’t all that well known. [tease.gif]