Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cica!iuvax!rutgers!mephisto!mcnc!ecsvax.uncecs.edu!uncmed!icard!rhunt
From: rhunt@icard.med.unc.edu (Rick Hunt)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Dealers
Message-ID: <60@uncmed.med.unc.edu>
Date: 30 Nov 89 20:01:35 GMT
References: <4450@nigel.udel.EDU> <1989Nov29.220701.20519@i-core.UUCP>
Sender: news@uncmed.med.unc.edu
Reply-To: rhunt@med.unc.edu (Rick Hunt)
Organization: UNC-CH School of Medicine
Lines: 46


	While I was home for the Thanksgiving break I ran across a new 
computer store in the local mall.  It looked like the standard MOSS-DOS 
store so I thought I would go and rattle the cage of the salesman about the 
Amiga.  I asked him if they carried the Amiga expecting to have to explain 
that it wasn't a Taiwanese clone.  He said he didn't but that he would like 
to but C= required that he buy 50 Amigas a month.  We had a bit of a 
discussion where he made some bogus claims about multitasking on low memory 
clones but otherwise he seemed to know his stuff.  He seemed to be 
genuinely interested in carrying the Amiga but I come from an area near a 
city of about 30,000.  There would be no way that he could move 50 Amigas a 
month and probably could barely move 50 of a clone brand each month.

	1) Is the new dealer policy to have every dealer buy 50 Amigas a 
month or was he just yanking my chain?

	2) If it is true, would this put a lot of good small Amiga dealships 
that aren't near large population centers in a bind generating a bit of ill 
will?  Most of these guys were the ones that got the Amiga where is is 
today.  The dealer from whom I bought my 2000 no longer carries the Amiga 
because of some undisclosed policy problem.  They have gone to MOSS-DOS 
clones like a million others.  They had decent prices and great service and 
repair.  Now the nearest dealership is Software Etc. 35 miles away.

	3) If it is true, is there some way that the number of machines the 
dealer would have to buy could be based on the population within say 20 
miles and the number of other dealers in the area?  Maybe they could have 
an amount for large, medium and small dealers.  I hate to lose those good 
"hole-in-the-wall" dealers who like the computer and support it but can't 
move 50 a month.

					Ignorant of business,
					Rick Hunt
					rhunt@med.unc.edu

PS.  I was trying to put together a beginners disk to give to the Software 
Etc. so they could copy it and bundle it with their Amigas.  This was so 
they could put a sign up that said "5 DISKS OF FREE SOFTWARE WITH THE 
PURCHASE OF EVERY AMIGA".  It was going to have PD and shareware and a 
promo for our user group TAU.  I had written a short note explaining the 
concept of shareware, why piracy hurt the software market, and why user 
groups were useful.  The store refused to take it if it had any shareware 
because they are afraid that the authors might sue if they made money on a 
computer by giving away their software.  I tried to explain to them why 
this was not a problem but they would not listen.  Am I wrong or could this 
be a problem?  I am also ignorant of the law >:-).