Stock Out!

[Benington]

Just a vent about an annoying small thing here, which has been there for years, but to me doesn't seem to get better. There are more shops every year, they are seemingly loaded with products, but just about every time one goes to the grocery, and then on to others, one finds that at least one of the commonly available brands one is looking for, or at the least a size of such, is not there on the shelves. Where we live in the southern NCR area there have been a number of instances this year -  Carnation Milk was one for 2/3 weeks earlier, (Alaska is not to my taste!), then just lately a local brand of Cheese Slices disappeared for a week, forcing one to buy an expensive alternative to make one's sandwiches.

Then the worst example! A well known retailer of cheap electronics accessories/gadgets has no USBs. A staple product line of theirs. "It's Nationwide" I was told at one branch. You can get USBs elsewhere, but I found they're too large and much more expensive.

I suppose it's all to do with monopolies, the Port, sclerotic distribution channels, stock control methods. Have you noticed those pieces of cardboard used by some large retailers?

One could buy larger quantities, though at the cost of carrying larger stocks at home.

One good thing though are the efforts staff will make to look for things in the stock room. Something that doesn't happen in the UK. 

What's it like in your neck of the woods? 

[scott h]

18 minutes ago, Benington said:

What's it like in your neck of the woods? 

Same all over I think. IMHO companies just do not want to invest in keeping large amounts of back stock. I think it is almost cultural. When my wife first moved to the states she would buy toilet paper for 2 months. Even now with the stoking improved a bit here in Paranaque she still buys large amounts of stuff 

[jpbago]

2 hours ago, Benington said:

What's it like in your neck of the woods? 

Out of stock is quite common. There is not a lot of planning ahead here, most things are day to day, hand to mouth.

[Dave Hounddriver]

16 minutes ago, jpbago said:

There is not a lot of planning ahead here

I find that its the imported stuff that is out of stock most often.  It can take months to get it here and its a guess whether it will sell fast or slow.  I knew a filipina in Canada who had the same problem with Canadian specialty stores always being out of stock of the Philippine imported products she liked.  With the huge population of Filipinos in Canada I would have thought someone would get that worked out, and maybe by now they have.

[RBM]

It's a matter bulk buying. Even S@R can vary week to week, times we have bought selected wines and returned a few weeks later to be told the proverbial....now regardless of how much stock a shop may have providing the expire date is OK it's bulk buying. Seem to think perhaps they transfer stock shop to shop.

 

 

 

 

[Jack Peterson]

7 minutes ago, RBM said:

It's a matter bulk buying. Even S@R can vary week to week, times we have bought selected wines and returned a few weeks later to be told the proverbial....now regardless of how much stock a shop may have providing the expire date is OK it's bulk buying. Seem to think perhaps they transfer stock shop to shop.

 

 

 

 

You Know, I find all this very odd at times, with the technology they have at POS (Point of Sale [The Till]) one would think that they  would have an Automatic Stock replenishment system based on Todays sales. Maybe they do but just don't know how to use it

[jpbago]

8 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

I find that its the imported stuff that is out of stock most often.  It can take months to get it here and its a guess whether it will sell fast or slow.  I knew a filipina in Canada who had the same problem with Canadian specialty stores always being out of stock of the Philippine imported products she liked.  With the huge population of Filipinos in Canada I would have thought someone would get that worked out, and maybe by now they have.

It is not only food items that are often out of stock here in PI, but also the parvovirus vaccination for dogs, the hep B vaccination that is mandatory for UNOR med tech students in July of every year, the Sunday oyster lady, the Thursday okoy man, Bacardi Black at SM, and as was posted in the buy a car topic, auto parts for Kia or Hyundai.

[expatuk2014]

A little off topic but my biggest gripe is when you go into Waltermart or Robinsons

In mycase to buy cherry flavoured drinks only to get to the cashier  

who says " Im sorry but we are not allowed to sell these ! "

So why was it put on the shelf ?

[JDDavao II]

It just gets to the point down here where you want to ask, "Do you carry this or not?" Our SM can't maintain astock of Chimay red label beer. They sell the three variations plus two or three other Belgian beers that I don't like as much. Yesterday, after checking on and off for at least a month, they had...three bottles. I'm sure someone beat me to the shelf but, folks,  you have 87 employees wandering the store, if there's more stock, bring it out! Otherwise, order more this time, it's obviously selling well!

What also gets me is how they never seem to have large appliances, either. It became a joke between my wife and me that each time we went shopping for an appliance to put in our new house, the one we decided on was always limited to the display model. 

[sonjack2847]

Well best you get used to it as I don`t think it will change in our lifetimes.Maybe the suppliers are reluctant to deliver more stock when the last consignment has not been payed for.