Can stores seriously do this?

[KSchwagg86]

Well the answer is yes, because they did--but I'm upset! Here's the story:

I ordered a shirt at nordstroms.com--it had a nice sale price and I LOVED it. Well they were having a special that if you spent a certain amount, you get free shipping. I was close, so I ordered another shirt that I also thought was pretty nice. Anyway, today i get an email saying they "ran out" of the original shirt that I LOVED. So frustrating

Thanks for reading my vent! Hope I'm not too whiney

 

[minniebeth]

Yep. Had it happen with a few companies. It IS very frustrating! I'm sorry it happened to you!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Oh, it happens a LOT! You were actually sort of lucky - many times, the customer isn't notified until hours or days after the order is submitted.

Different sites handle orders different ways. Since the two I know best are HSN and QVC I'll compare them.

With QVC, as long as your cart is 'active', i.e. doesn't go more than an hour with no activity, any selected items are held for you.

HSN, on the other hand, will continue selling the item even while you shop - so if it's really popular and you're slow, yes, items in your cart can and do sell out while you're shopping.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I wish stores had better inventory tracking so that mistakes like that are rare as opposed to a common occurence.

It isn't like they a customer goes and pulls the last one off the shelf. They're in a warehouse.

I used to do the telephone orders for someone--wasn't QVC or HSN...it was the NBC one and at least from our perspective, once it was out--we couldn't put anymore orders in for an item. And then as orders went through, orders were cancelled, or charge cards denied--the inventory would constantly update.

I don't get why an on-line system cannot be that way.

And while I was working, I never got complaints that someone's order went through but they never got it b/c we oversold. I'm sure it may have happened, but I'm also sure it was a rare computer error as opposed to some hairy carey inventory wackiness.

 

[JR6ooo4]

so... do you think they ran out, or ran out of them for that price? Heheheheheee

Mikeeee