A.G. Holliman of the Comic Strip in Tuscaloosa,
After several weeks of problems with our UPS deliveries, I felt I had to write. I want to bring up the subject of a 'Friday Street Date.' I know some retailers don't think this is a good idea and Diamond says they can't enforce it. Please give me a moment to explain my reasoning.
Now we are:
- Competing against Tuesday new game and dvd release sales
- Unable to review product to discuss with customers
- Under the gun to get product on the rack
- Vulnerable to delivery problems
- Vulnerable to damage and shortage problems
With a 'Friday Street Date':
- No change at Diamond, still Wednesday delivery
- Thursday and Friday are paydays for many people
- Customers have more time to browse on weekends
- Two extra days to read comics and know what's in them
- Two extra days to get problems fixed, like late deliveries or damages
- Two extra days to get re-orders if needed
I know some retailers think that they will lose second visits by customers on the weekends. I believe the increase in sales from a 'FSD' would more than offset any visit loss. Other retailers feel it would create a slow mid-week sales situation. Think about the customers who jump in and out on Wednesday, if they came on the weekend they would be under less time pressure. Does it really matter when people spend money as long as they spend more? Diamond could enforce this 'FSD' in a very simple and legal way. If a retailer breaks the date, Diamond could ship their product to arrive on Friday.
The opinions expressed in this Talk Back article are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.
