Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!pollux.usc.edu!papa
From: papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Dealers
Keywords: Amiga policy - Stinks!!
Message-ID: <21654@usc.edu>
Date: 9 Dec 89 00:23:04 GMT
References: <4450@nigel.udel.EDU> <1989Nov29.220701.20519@i-core.UUCP> <60@uncmed.med.unc.edu> <774@rouge.usl.edu>
Sender: news@usc.edu
Reply-To: papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa)
Organization: Felsina Software, Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 34

In article <774@rouge.usl.edu> me300234@pa.usl.edu (Stelly John B III) writes:
>As of last week, the computer store I work for does not carry the Amiga
>anymore.  It is directly due to Commodore's ordering policy.  I live in a 
>town of about 100,000 people, and we HAD two amiga dealers.  Commodore
>required that, this Christmas, each dealer order 20 (!) amiga 500's.  Also
>new dealers must order no less than $20,000 of product (I believe that is 
>accurate).  We are lucky to sell 20 amigas in one year, and there is no way
>that we could sell 20 for Christmas.

While I can simpathize with your plea, the new CBM policy is pretty much a
standard one of the microcomputer industry, followed by such companies as
IBM and Apple.  CBM used to "count" the number of dealers that were carrying
the Amiga (I recall over 2000 carried it at one time).  As we all know that
did not result in much sales in the US.  If your store cannot sell 20
Amigas by Christmas and can sell only 20 a year it is not worth CBM the 
expense in time and money to support you as a dealer.  It is just dollars
and sense.  Apple implemented a similar policy a while back.  The result
of it was that lots of dealers started pushing the machine much more than
they were doing because of the possibility of losing the dealership otherwise.
IMHO, I agree with the policy.  It is much better for CBM to concentrate
on "large volume" dealers that can push the machine hard and provide real
support, than spend efforts with dealing with small little stores.  Note
that the policy is the result of the abysmal US sales, so something had
to be done.  AT the same time, CBM is cleaning up all those gray market
mail order outlet that were giving the Amiga a bad rap. A good thing that,
too.

Flames to /dev/null.

-- Marco Papa 'Doc'
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