Do the wheels grind slowly in retail?

[Maria102]

Coming from an IT background I am used to living and dying by email, the internet, etc, etc..... maybe its just me, but is it fairly standard to wait a week for a response in an email from a supplier, designer, or anything to do with retail?!

Flippin eck! Meant G R I N D!! Can you change it Richard so I don't look quite so silly? :o

[m8internet]

Sometimes I don't even get a response within 28 days
I usually then print the email out and send it by postal method!

I recently wanted to advertise in a magazine
I emailed two companies for their rate cards
I received one the following day, but never received a reply from the other, so had to request details from another magazine
Personally, it was their loss!

[Maria102]

It's crazy! I have just emailed a major wholesaler and it has bounced back as their mailbox is full.:rolleyes:

[retailworld]

Not sure why, but retailers still aren't that great at doing business online. Hopefully I'd like to change that...

[emmab]

yes but how ;)

[After Work Deals]

Wow - this thread just lifted a huge weight of paranoia from my shoulders. Like you Maria102, I don't come from a retail back ground and I'm very used to getting things done fast by email and online. I have also noticed that the retail industry don't use email as effectively as other industries. This is also true in the leisure & hospitality industries - I have spoken to some businesses who still don't have email in 2008!

I think part of the reason is that most retailers are busy dealing with the 'real world' ie they are not at their computers for most of the day, rather they are dealing with customers, managing staff & stock etc. Will that ever change? Probably only very slowly and never completely. Until then we have to use all the tools at our disposal, including good old snail mail!