Received an enquiry today from another bookshop wondering if I knew why copies of Eugene Peterson’s The Message seem few and far between at the moment. Have to confess that I wasn’t aware of a problem: it’s not exactly a top seller at LST; but I decided to check availability of a few editions online at STL and there’s definitely a problem…
STL Screenshot, 27/2/2009 - The Lost Message of Eugene Peterson
Note the stock status before you all rush on over to order a few; haven’t quite decided whether to laugh or cry…
Perhaps someone at STL would like to enlighten us?
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February 28, 2009 at 9:56 am
I would normally ask my STL Rep but he’s just been made redundant!!
See normally on something like this query I contact my rep from whatever company and ask them and they are usually pretty good at getting me some sort of answer.
Tim Alban from STL has alway been pretty good on this sort of thing in getting me an honest answer – however as this morning I recieved an email from him saying that he has been made redundant! I guess I won’t be doing that anymore.
I find this sad as Tim has moved around the country with me in my 12+ years in christian bookselling and he has been my STL Rep in all that time.
Perhaps rather than culling staff they should look at fixing systems – or better yet not having invested in an expensive new system that doesn’t work and has decreased their otherwise decreasing sales anyway.
I fear this is just the tip of the iceberg and wonder how many others will be sacrificed by IBS-STL.
Given how the systems don’t seem to be working I can’t see ditching reps will do much to increase confidence in their performance and increase sales.
I also wonder how many other reps have been effected as I have recieved nothing from STL directly to let me know about this – but then maybe I got overlooked as I seem to be getting overlooked in delivery of my orders due to system glitches.
I checked the STLD blog but there isn’t anything up there either which I would have expected as at least it’s a place most people can get news from and should be reactive – its a blog!
To Tim, and anyone else in this situation, my prayers and hopes for their futures go with them.
March 2, 2009 at 1:14 am
[...] you go from here. Here are Melanie’s comments from Saturday morning, responding to my post The Lost Message of Eugene Peterson: I would normally ask my STL Rep but he’s just been made [...]