The Valentine’s Day product which seemed like a good idea at the time.
Karma Sutra chocolate, how could this NOT be great for Valentine’s Day? We saw the samples and laughed. Yeah, a bit edgy with the designs but fun. And chocolate, who doesn’t like chocolate?
Plenty it seems. We’ve had our Karma Sutra Valentine’s Day chocolate out on display for two days and the complaints are rolling in. Some sales too, but more complaints. I am guessing that our complainers have not looked in some of our cards.
Below is a photo so don’t scroll down if you’re likely to be offended.
We picked the product as a point of difference from the usual Valentine’s Day fare. Those who have bought it like it for this reason.
Worst case if it does not sell is that we get to eat it.
Mark
I’m sorry – did I miss something here? Two days ago you were taking a swipe at magazines (in this case Ralph) for running with an attractive (and clothed) woman on its cover and then how it was a bit rough that you were expected to promote it in store because it was offending some customers – and NOW you are actively purchasing and trying to flog off chocolate that not only suggest, but illustrate, sexual acts!
Also – I wonder how the chocolate retailers in the local area feel about you flogging their core product? Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black if you ask me! (ala you and your constant digs at Australia Post).
Give the blogging a break and get back to running your business like the rest of us.
Ken
Ken, We’ve always had chocolate in our shop so a Valentines offering is nothing new. The Ralph blog entry did not take a swipe at Ralph – you should read it again. Mark
Ken, your comparison to his “swipe” at risqué Ralph and the chocolates doesn’t sit well with my stomach.
I’m not from the newsagent industry, but my understanding is that newsagents are forced to sell what publishers provide – so with Ralph, newsagents were forced into being risqué. In this instance with the chocolates, it was a decision he was free to make.
Mark, using your “we’ve always had chocolate in our shop” justification – Australia Post has always had cards and wrapping paper in their retail outlets (for the last 15 years at least) – so I guess that makes it ok for them to compete with us in these categories.
Joe, you are not quite right – newsagents aren’t forced to sell what publishers provide – as Mark constantly reminds us, newsagents are free to early return products (especially if they come from NDD!)
Mark, despite the fact I don’t agree with everything you say or put on your blog, I do enjoy reading it.
Cheers
Ken
Ken, What I like about blogging is the transparency. I publish an opinion and you publish yours. Whether we agree or not is not as important as the dialogue itself.
Australia Post, through its government stores, has only moved into cards, books, stationery, ink and toner in, I’d say, less than 10 years. While the may have had the product before then, the post office was a post office. Now it’s 80% other product and 20% post office.
Get price checked by a government employee and watch them lower their prices to compete with you and see how you feel. They have government guaranteed traffic.
The chocolate issue is different. I have not added a category. I am not relying on government monopoly protection to deliver customers are a song.
Mark