A&R - Arrogance & Rapacity??

[arose62]

Have you seen this story in the SMH??

http://blogs.smh.com.au/entertainmen...er/014948.html

Sheesh!!!

Cheers,
Andrew

[Coldamus]

Muddy baskets! I hope they sink without trace.

The reply was beautifully worded and well deserved.

[Rossluck]

That's fascinating Andrew. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. Economic rationalism is still threatening the devolpment of Australian literature.

[corbs]

Well after reading that I know that I will not be purchasing from A&R again .

Corbs

[Sebastiaan56]

This has been going on in the supermarkets for years. Line fees were established as a revenue source and an incentive for manufacturers to keep their marketing programs at the cutting edge. The big two supermarket chains (and their sub brands) will delist your product for being out of stock, not meeting sales forecasts, quality problems or a change of strategic supply. This has made line fees a major element of new product marketing planning.

The consumer goods industry has been battling with this for years. This is why your brand choice keeps on declining. It affects everything you buy in major supermarkets, liquor shops, electronics and clothes. A major barrier for new players and an effective gouging of your money to maximise corporate profit. You get those weekly specials bulletins in your letterbox? all paid for by suppliers, who ultimately pays, you do, who profits, you know who.

As far as I am concerned it is an abuse of market power. The ACCC has never done anything about it that I know of because of the political power of the big 2 retailers. That A&R have taken it on is deplorable, particularly as they push the educational books bit so frequently. But book sales from book shops have been falling as e-commerce gains momentum. I havent bought a book from these guys for years. I buy from on line specialist sellers as they A&R and Co dont carry what I want anyway.

Profiteering, nothing more, at least we now have the internet, means you can buy what you want without feeding these companies. Let them die off from the lack of a business model that supports society.

Sebastiaan

[Wood Butcher]

Well after reading that I know that I will not be purchasing from A&R again .

Corbs

Neither will I. What a load of rubbish. If I had done that to my customers when Dad & I sold goods wholesale we would have been out of business.

[Ashore]

That makes three of us , it's why I always buy my papers at a newsagent, meat at a butchers , fruit and veggies at the fruito etc even when it costs more or is more incovienant .

[Iain]

Another vote from me, Readings are my source of supply, I find them informative and helpful and eager to please, they have their own 'experts' on certain areas and it is their usual response to point you at whoever to answer your query, they are are a bookshop and music retailer in Melbourne and I find they are great.
Goodnight A&R, no more book vouchers for presents anymore either.
http://www.readings.com.au/html/home.html

[Stuart]

What a fascinating read.

I love line 1 of the initial letter "....a piece of work" That letter is certainly "a piece of work"
I also love the last line - where a meeting time is arranged in advance for 10 minutes of his time to discuss the deal.

I cannot believe this is real, but I'm not doubting the source.

Even if this decision is reversed due to public outcry / pressure, I won't change my opinion.

[sea dragon]

Are you aware that it will mean A&R will not necessarily be stocking the Miles Franklin winner or like books, because they are published by smaller houses that won't pay up. Something about nose removal and spite?

There are parallels. Think of the equivalent for small wineries not on the shelves of the Big Two and all the named outlets they own. When they have the right product, it still sells and I hope the publishers have equal success. Keep the Independent Retailers alive, whatever they sell.

[lesmeyer]

Will most certainly boycott A&R from now on.
Les

[markharrison]

That guy is soooooo funny! I really thought it was a spoof (the name Rimmer had the alarm bells going) until I went to the A&R website and saw he really is an executive there.

He sounds just like his fictional namesake in Red Dwarf.

[corbs]

I sent general feedback on their website about my feelings towards the original letter and have received a reply from A&R. I was going to post it here, however it has the disclaimer at the bottom...

Caution:This communication is confidential and may be legally privileged. If it is not addressed to you, please immediately contact us at our cost and do not use, disclose, copy, distribute or retain any of it without our authority.

So unfortunately I wont be posting it. I am guessing you would probably get the same response if you did the same though on their site though

Corbs

[sawdustmike]

Ditto Ashore. I always support my local people, cause if you don't, they will fold and then you have no choice. Still can't believe Rimmer though, what was he thinking. Probably works on the "everyone is a dumbass" theory. Never thought much of the big box style of marketing anyway so I doubt if A&R will feel the pinch from me.

[silentC]

Having been into A&R in Sydney a number of times, it's easy to see that they have a problem. The comment about them being purveyours of Sale signs is spot on. I much prefer Dymocks and rarely ever bought anything from A&R. Hopefully the fall out will knock them about. Would be a shame to see them go down the gurgler though, so maybe they'll sack Mr Rimmer and hire someone to rebuild the bridges.