Anyone need supplies?
EC92@AOL.COM
Wed, 10 Feb 1999 17:23:39 EST
OK, we all need BSA supplies, and sometimes we complain, and sometimes we try
writing to Irving, and all sorts of things like that.
Our guest speaker at the Religious Relationships session this week was an
Assistant Division Director for Sales/Operations, Supply Division. Can't
remember the town but some of you may know him, he used to run one of the
direct-sale Scout shops in a major city (and all I recall is it wasn't
Chicago). So first of all the facts and details he did divulge (and if I had
known I would've taken every recent complaint we have shared with me to share
with him - however I think I did better, you'll see):
1. Catalog seem smaller? It is. Know why? The USPS went through the submitted
catalog with a razor. Can't sell the religious awards stuff and mail it out
through this catalog, no siree. Unfair competition and selling merchandise
that is unrelated to Scouting. Pull that section or we'll take away your
permit for 3rd class non-profit. Lots of other items left out, too, because
selling them through the catalog mailed at the discounted non-profit 3rd class
rate directly competes with all our OTHER sources for scouting supplies like
sleeping bags, tents, maybe some day cooking gear. Oh, yeah, customized sewing
on merchandise? Guess where those pages went.
BSA has appealed the decision but went ahead this year getting the catalog out
without many items we still sell that would provide us unfair competition.
And they are considering losing their non-profit mailing status for the
catalogs in order to include the things we've gotten used to seeing in the
next one.
In the mean time, order those Philmont Cruiser hats or a lot of other stuff,
or have shirts made, or whatever. Just call supply and ask for help in finding
what you no longer have a catalog number for.
2. You can give me all the numbers you want about stores and such, I'll sleep
through it, too much like my job. However he caught my ear with a couple of
tidbits:
a) all buyers and just about everyone else working supply are now in
Charlotte. So those complaints to the national office will just be bundled
together and forwarded. More later.
b) by having everyone there a buyer can look at a box as its delivered and
realize we were taken advantage of, or the material isn't right, or the color
is wrong. (Or, in Mike's favorite case, the knot has the right colors but
they're stitched in reverse.) Supposedly.
So we probably should have fewer purchasing errors which would keep down costs
which makes prices lower - eventually. Perhaps we'll stick to a phrase like:
well, they won't rise as fast as they might have.
3. They want to hear your problems and complaints. About any gear. So feel
free to let them know, but tell them in Charlotte. More later.
4. If you're ever in town they do have a tour, and y'all're welcome to stop
by. They have presses, printers, looms, assembly lines - apparently we don't
buy vitt'l'kits, we buy the knives, forks, and spoons, assemble them, and toss
them in a case we also bought, and that was just one example. (Think they'd
adjust to just selling spoons for Philmont Trekkers?)
5. So all you have are complaints? About cost, design, or something? Write:
Steve Ericksen
Assistant Division Director, Sales/Operations
Supply Division
2109 Westinghouse Blvd.
Box 7143
Charlotte, NC 28241-7143
or call:
800-323-0732
Have fun! More as I dig through the 2 or 3 trees they killed just for us.
(Could someone convince them to put everything on CD for both platforms, or
would that be expecting too much?)
Tom Petrik
