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Dr - 307 wrote:Melbourne is correct.
Bad experience, absolutely. Just made me more determined to steer those who want to listen towards the better retailer(s). I thought I was finshied with Sesame St and it's puppets long ago. Ernie was the funnier one anyway.
Dr - 307 wrote:Policy or no policy. You go in to pick up yourself....no surcharge. Fair is fair. At my place of employment we have a $150 minimum. Someone wants to come in and pick up an item of $10 worth, they are more than welcome. No surcharge because I haven't packed and processed the order. That's fair. And, they get a smile and a 'Have a nice day'. That's service. Now, some guy doesn't care about the little guy/small collector that's fine but don't be arrogant and hide behind policy. What I love about wine foremost is it's ability to bring strangers together and have good conversations about wine, obviously, but also other things as well, to strike new friendships and meet people from different walks of life. To have some puppet tell me that "maybe our policy is not for you" just doesn't wash. His loss not mine. I reward an excellent retailer who looks after me and doesn't just shove points under my nose. And the puppet hasn't just loss my $300 a month (which may be insignificant to some) but he's also lost the countless recommendations and no doubt the recommendations from those recommendations and so on.
Anthony and Dave, a grouch I am not, just straight up, honest, honourable and helpful. Maybe that's old school to some but it's better than being arrogant, small minded and dismissive.
FWIW, I concede that the quip about Sesame St is childish. After all, no need to fall to other peoples levels.
Dr - 307 wrote:Comparing noise taxes and multi nationals like Qantas to a wine retailer, c'mon mate. We are talking about a store selling wine.
Dr - 307.
Dr - 307 wrote:Policy or no policy. You go in to pick up yourself....no surcharge. Fair is fair. At my place of employment we have a $150 minimum. Someone wants to come in and pick up an item of $10 worth, they are more than welcome. No surcharge because I haven't packed and processed the order. That's fair. And, they get a smile and a 'Have a nice day'. That's service. Now, some guy doesn't care about the little guy/small collector that's fine but don't be arrogant and hide behind policy. What I love about wine foremost is it's ability to bring strangers together and have good conversations about wine, obviously, but also other things as well, to strike new friendships and meet people from different walks of life. To have some puppet tell me that "maybe our policy is not for you" just doesn't wash. His loss not mine. I reward an excellent retailer who looks after me and doesn't just shove points under my nose. And the puppet hasn't just loss my $300 a month (which may be insignificant to some) but he's also lost the countless recommendations and no doubt the recommendations from those recommendations and so on.
Anthony and Dave, a grouch I am not, just straight up, honest, honourable and helpful. Maybe that's old school to some but it's better than being arrogant, small minded and dismissive.
FWIW, I concede that the quip about Sesame St is childish. After all, no need to fall to other peoples levels.
Anthony Basilone wrote:PS: you talk about collecting the wines- from where? last time I looked Winestar was an internet based business?
Anyway, sorry I stired the pot, guys. I'll move on
). The ones with many posts next to their names just have thicker skins than the ones that run away
Andrew, you are the master of the understatement!
Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere.
Red Bigot wrote:Anthony Basilone wrote:PS: you talk about collecting the wines- from where? last time I looked Winestar was an internet based business?
I believe the original Strathmore Cellars shopfront is still part of the business. Most of the good independent e-tailers in Melbourne have a bricks-and-mortar shopfront as well.
Murray wrote:Red Bigot wrote:Anthony Basilone wrote:PS: you talk about collecting the wines- from where? last time I looked Winestar was an internet based business?
I believe the original Strathmore Cellars shopfront is still part of the business. Most of the good independent e-tailers in Melbourne have a bricks-and-mortar shopfront as well.
On that basis I could order online from Harris Technologies and then go into Officeworks and request pickup from there. Those two companies share sourcing, back office staffing and infrastructure so it works the same?
Red Bigot wrote:Murray wrote:Red Bigot wrote:Anthony Basilone wrote:PS: you talk about collecting the wines- from where? last time I looked Winestar was an internet based business?
I believe the original Strathmore Cellars shopfront is still part of the business. Most of the good independent e-tailers in Melbourne have a bricks-and-mortar shopfront as well.
On that basis I could order online from Harris Technologies and then go into Officeworks and request pickup from there. Those two companies share sourcing, back office staffing and infrastructure so it works the same?
Murray, I was only offering information in response to a question, not commenting on the fee charged. But since you ask, I would think it more like ordering online at Harris Technology and picking it up with free delivery at the local branch of HT, I've certainly done that before. Or ordering at Vintage Cellars Online and picking up for free at the local VC store, I've done that a couple of times as well, although their policy seems to change at a whim.
Red Bigot wrote:Murray, I'm sure you know much more about the internal business structures of this than I do and probably the reasons for the surcharge. I don't argue with the right to charge a surcharge, it's a business decision and only appears to have p---ed-off one customer out of many thousands over the years. I don't care either way, but unless the relationship between the entities is more distant than I expected your analogy is still quite artificial and unnecessary in defence of a valid commercial business decision.
Anthony Basilone wrote:Dr - 307 wrote:Melbourne is correct.
Bad experience, absolutely. Just made me more determined to steer those who want to listen towards the better retailer(s).
The fact that you need to make fun of/with someone's Christian name suggests that you're not done with Sesame Street just yet.
Murray wrote:Red Bigot wrote:Murray, I'm sure you know much more about the internal business structures of this than I do and probably the reasons for the surcharge. I don't argue with the right to charge a surcharge, it's a business decision and only appears to have p---ed-off one customer out of many thousands over the years. I don't care either way, but unless the relationship between the entities is more distant than I expected your analogy is still quite artificial and unnecessary in defence of a valid commercial business decision.
Brian,
Yes, with 20 years with the parent companies of HT and Officeworks, which involved occasional dealings with both companies I expect I do.
Murray wrote: Brian,
In both the cases you cite the branding is the same on both online and shopfront entities. This is not the case here.
As such my HT/Officeworks analogy apply.
The Age wrote:Tucked away in a suburban bottle shop, Bert Werden is a seven-year e-commerce veteran whose site now turns over $4 million a year.
While well-financed competitors such as Foster's WinePlanet - which collapsed in 2001 - burned cash with no hint of return, Werden quietly built his WineStar online wine cellar from the back of a Strathmore bottle shop in Melbourne's north.
