Has anyone here done a click and collect and collected the item the same day or the following day (as per whatever the site says). The last four orders (2 to my address, 2 click and collect) I have placed have all taken longer than expected, even when ordered well below the cut-off time for my postcode, or hasn't been available at the shop when it says it's already in stock there. I'll explain below, because I came back and re-wrote this section.
I go onto the site on Thursday at about 17:30, I go through the shop and pick click and collect, enter my postcode. Great! My local store has it in stock to be collected the next day (Friday). Friday comes, I call the store about the click and collect order to be told actually the click and collect orders are sent to us "it doesn't come out of our stock" so it's essentially posted to them.
I called them today about 30 minutes ago - no customer orders usually come on the weekend, fair enough so hopefully it'll be posted to them on Monday. The person I spoke with did confirm that they do have the phone in stock but they can't be used for click and collect... so... I'm a little confused.
Out of curiosity I go onto the website, I pick the same phone, same size, same colour. Great! In stock for collection TODAY.
What is going on here? Are the store not wanting to fulfil the order because it takes away their on-hand stock to sell to new customers or upgrades done in store - both of which will attract a commission, where as fulfilling an online order which they had no part in is going to earn them nothing and is one less device to sell to someone who might happen to walk in to the store?
I worked at a phone store in a different country (Australia) for a few years when I was a fair bit younger and this sort of thing did happen fairly frequently. The customer would place the order, they would come and collect the stock, and the telco would ship the store another item to effectively re-stock the one used for that order... but you would get people who would lie, just to retain the stock, especially if it was the last one, etc and the customer would have to come back the next day, etc.
If the click and collect orders involve sending stock to the store, even when it says they have the item in stock for the same day, or the next day if the shop is shut.. what is the point of it? You may as well have it sent to your home or work address instead of going through the hassle of going to the shop.
