Why can't studios and distributors get it together?

[wildandwoolly]

This is a rant, but with a purpose.

I'm curious as to how many of you regularly are scrambling around trying to find a distributor who has product that you pre-booked with another distributor, but that hasn't been received in time.

This past Friday, I was looking around trying to find copies of King Kong because Baker & Taylor hadn't received it yet in my regional warehouse. I ended up finding the copies I needed from Waxworks and Ingram, and asked Baker & Taylor to cancel mine, since they said they wouldn't ship until Monday, as they only received the product Friday.

So it turns out B&T can't cancel the shipment, it ships, so I end up with way too many copies. Which my highly efficient employees open up and start prepping because they're worried about having it ready as well. That part isn't B&Ts fault, but I should have had the stuff on time to begin with.

So now I'm stuck with all of them because Universal can't get it to B&T in time and B&T can't manage to cancel an order.

This exact same situation occured with "Death Tunnel" and "King Kong Production Diaries". It's Friday and B&T doesn't have it yet.

Sometimes I think the studios want the distributors to go under as well as video stores, so that way people will only be able to buy stuff at Best Buy instead of rent it anywhere.

I feel like I held up my end of the bargain by getting my pre-books in ahead of time. Why can't the studios and the distributors hold up their end of the bargain and make me feel like I can sleep at night knowing that I will have what I ordered in time for street date? I quit pre-booking from Ingram and Waxworks, for these same reasons. I was always left looking like an inept video store by not having the stuff (usually smaller titles) on street date.

Any thoughts or wisdom? I used to order from VPD and they want me back, so I'm considering trying them again. I don't want to be stuck waiting for my copies of Brokeback Mountain or some other huge title. I just don't need the stress.

Thanks,
Todd/Wild and Woolly

[IVR]

Baker & Taylor is not an authorized distributor for Universal new releases except to Libraries is my understanding.

[direct007]

All this plus you get to pay $3 more a copy than if you drove down to Walmart tomorrow morning.  It's sad when retailers are selling for less than wholesalers are charging and getting shafted on the delivery date as well.

[Thomas]

Ingram and VPD are the only two approved direct sellers of Universal new release product.  Baker & Taylor get their copies from one of them a few days early and then package to ship out to you, this extra round of shipping time is why you don't get em on time.

[tonypotenza]

and the studios are always rying to cut down the time that a new release spends at the distributors, because their renowded to have very good ''leaking'' power, most dvd retail on the interent comes from employees at distributor locations

[rufusjack]

I use Ingram and rarely have any problem if I get my pre-books done in time.  There was a problem with "Stealth" but the studio claimed responsibility for that problem.

Thomas is right, Ingram and VPD are the only studios that get all of the major studios product as "official distributers".  That is why I would not use anyone else (besides Wal-mart).

[MoviePimp]

I use Flash and rarely have a problem.  It has been a very long time since I received anything after street date (hope I don't jinx myself), but I know it can extremely frustrating.  If I don't get it with friday's delivery it shows up on monday.  I would think that since you are located close to me your deliveries would show up about the same dates.  Good luck Todd.

P.S.
You could always buy at Wal-Mart tuesday morning and return the shipment from your distributor to Wal-Mart.  They should have the same SKU # and ring up the same.  Might set off the security alarms though. Just a thought.

[mcmarc]

It seems that Universal is the only hardass of the lot.  Remember they're the ones causing Blockbuster grief so I sometimes don't mind a little hassle here and there.

I use Waxworks for all my big titles and Flash for Universal titles and indy films.  Flash seems to get them to me on time.


marc
orbit dvd

[sungifts]

P.S.
You could always buy at Wal-Mart tuesday morning and return the shipment from your distributor to Wal-Mart.  They should have the same SKU # and ring up the same.  Might set off the security alarms though. Just a thought.

Be careful doing that and make sure the cases do match.  

Each week, we get 2 each of the big titles from the distributor and the rest from Walmart.  There have been several times that the cases are different - some even have had 2 discs from one place and only 1 disc from another (Lord of War was one of those)  Sometimes we can only find widescreen at one place and fullscreen with the other, one may have coupons inside but the other don't,  etc.  

I can't say about the UPC codes as I have never checked those.  I have noticed that sometimes the distributor will list 2 different versions of the same movie - one says "Rental" behind the title.  I'm guessing that is the difference.

We always get our shipments on Monday - they are shipped on the Thursday before - if a holiday falls anywhere in that time frame, we won't get the movies until Tuesday!  UPS doesn't run until late afternoon - and on a Tuesday, that leaves us hours without new releases - which in addition to cheaper prices, is another reason I like using Walmart.

Maybe you could shrink the movies and offer them for sale to recoup your money???

[videovault]

Since Waxworks is not an "official" dealer of Universal product, they use other channels, which in turn makes their shipments "late".  I use Waxworks and 99% of the time my Universal Product shows up on Monday ( I'm on a Friday delivery).

The one or two times I did not get my product on Monday I just ran to Wally on Tuesday morn got a few copies for the morning rush and UPS shows up (1-2pm) I prep em and put them on the shelf. If I feel I dont need all that came from Waxorks I put them aside and just send them back in my next stock return.

Depending on how many copies you got it may be a blessing. You will have enough to satisfy demand for the next 2 weekends and after that put them up at 12.99 Price point  or after the first weekend 14.99.
1-2 rentals on each and the PV should atleast recoup the cost.

Just a thought.
Dan

[Hardcopy]

I just can't go with a distributor. Every few months I try it in vain and spend significantly more and the only benefit is that I get them on the Friday before. Not good enough considering that Friday, Sat and Sun are busy days both personally and business wise and I rarely have time to watch them. This means that I get them basically 1 day early and pay $4-5 more a copy. Kong was $14.87 thru Walmart and Ingram was $20.13 meaning I saved $5.26 a copy! I picked them up at 8:30am on Tuesday. Didn't cost me anything in shipping because I drive by there daily. I also stopped into GFS (bulk food place) and picked up a case of popcorn (extra butter and kettle corn)

Going through a distributor I get almost ZERO perks. Posters you have to pay for (Ingram). If you are not a regular customer anymore it costs $40 a year more for posters. I save that EVERY week.

If the distributors could get my costs down to $17.00 a copy then it would be worth it to use them and I would get them through them. If I bought Kong from them to resell I'd have to sell it for $29.95 or something.

I can see making the $17 copies non-returnable... or a $5 fee for returning or some such. Or if they made them available without packaging. (just sell the disc and cover art) for even less. We can print up our own coverart (from their files) and put them into a case easily enough. It would save them on shipping, shrinkwrapping, packaging, etc.. It would put more work onto us, but we'd in turn get a discount price.

There ARE things they could do if they so chose. Distributors and Studios though would need to work together. Right now they are simply allowing Walmart and Blockbuster, and the other chains to dictate terms and conditions. They are purposely crunching the little guy in an effort to please their larger concerns. While short term this makes sense. Long term it will harm them because they will lose more and more control over their own business by allowing their customers to run the show.

I mean would we allow our customers to set prices and dictate how long they keep the movie? That is our job. Sure we have to please them, but it is up to us how we do it.

Wow, I rambled a bit... didn't I?

[Kerry]

Must be nice, our Walmart had Kong for 19.95-the single disc version.  Sometimes the Walmart that is 75 miles from here has stuff at a discount price, but the close one (40 miles) never does-and I've tried called the other one the night before, so I could plan whether to drive the extra 30 miles or not, and they always say they don't know what the price is going to be.  Which I know is bullshit.

I also wish they'd at least do without the shrinkwrap, unless we specify otherwise (for our sellthrough copies.)  Rentrak, for example, since everything we get from them is for rental, could have the studios provide all of their stuff without being wrapped-I'm sure it would save them money, be environmentally correct and all that.  It would save me hours of unwrapping-that is by far the longest part of prepping I have.  And we know they know which batches of movies are going to which distributors and which are going for resale at Walmart etc.  They are always telling us how Walmart has revolutionised the tracking/shipping/stocking system to get low prices.

[sungifts]

Hardcopy:  What do you do for movies that Walmart doesn't carry?  I want to go strictly with WM but am kinda scared to do so.  There are times they don't particular movies.

As far as the poster perk - I haven't received any since February - and most of those weren't worth hanging!  All for $7.50 "shipping".  Waxworks has also upped their free shipping threshold to $150.

The clerks at our WM also say they don't know the prices until the movies roll out on the pallets Tues morning.  Sometimes they'll have signs that say $19.95 but the movies scans at $15.  I think they wait to see what other retailers are pricing theirs at - cause they always seem to be a few cents cheaper than others!  Our King Kong was $13.99, Get Rich and Memoirs of Geisha were $15.  But, Stay was $20.

[Hardcopy]

I stay away from the real indies because of my size, so I haven't not been able to get a movie at Walmart except maybe twice a year or so. Very seldom to they not have it. Then I go to FYE in the mall (chain of movie stores). Or Best Buy. If that fails I will go with Amazon who has their free shipping at $25.00