Order Only: Argh

[alt_gredforge]

We just got an owl. From Zonko's.

All further orders are CANCELLED.

We blew the bloody store doors off for him for Halloween and Christmas was going to be even better, but no, he's CANCELLING us.

Comments

[alt_molly]

WHAT?!

Oh, no! Why? Did he say?

[alt_gredforge]

The letter didn't make any sense! It acknowledged the terrific sales, and he wished us nothing but success, but he said he'd 'decided to go in a different direction.'

[alt_pansy]

Be polite when you write back. We don't want to burn any bridges. After all, it probably wasn't his idea.

[alt_pansy]

Oh.

[alt_pansy]

You know why this happened?

I suppose we can sort it out well enough.

If it's who I think it is, it's enough to make Zonko's lose out on some really decent profits.

[alt_gredforge]

I think we all know why this happened.

But bloody hell, we're not gonna roll over and die for him them.

[alt_pansy]

Probably best to put a new ad in the Prophet -- tell people we're going exclusively owl-order, but make it sound like it's a good thing.

I'll work on it.

[alt_gredforge]

Yeah.

Private Message to George and Fred

[alt_pansy]

Bloody hell is right.

I've tried to keep a low profile, but I might have to talk to Lucius again.

We had such a good first week, too.

[alt_bill]

Oh, bloody hell. I'm sorry.

Bugger, didn't see that coming. And I should have. To undercut your business, he has to cut your income stream. Classic--should have remembered that from my training with the goblins. I remember a book on financial warfare--I'll have dig out my notes.

Warning: he may try to go after your suppliers next. Make sure you have two or three sources for everything, and keep your noses clean. Strictly legal sources only. Your consultants, too--he may try to lean on your packaging designer, for instance.

I'm dead sorry. That stinks! But there's something to be said for building an owl order network, so you'll have multiple streams of income to fall back on.

[alt_ron]

That's not on!!

We're totally starting a boycott! I've been talking to people and no Gryffindor's buying anything from Zonko's again until they have Weasley Whizbangs back on their shelves! I bet other Houses will join in.

We'll show them! And we'll tell them, too! I've got parchment out in the Common Room and we're writing letters to Zonko's and The Prophet.

We've got your backs!

[alt_gredforge]

After we've had a few days to cool and think about it...

We don't want to get him cross at us because students are boycotting him. More to the point might be having people visit the shop, ask for our products and 'when is Zonko's going to be carrying them again?' yeah? The whole point is for us to get back in to the shop.

So we plan to keep stopping by the premises periodically to show him stuff we're developing and saying, "don't you think this would sell well for you?" If he keeps hearing students telling him how much they want to buy our products at Zonko's (rather than how they're hacked off at him), he might be more likely to let us in again.

Boycotts can work, yeah, but they're best tried after you've tried everything else first. Because they can cause bad feeling, and if tempers start really flaring, he might give up on the idea of selling to students entirely. Get rid of the shop and taking up knitting like Mum.

(Except, of course, that Mum's gonna be knitting a lot less if she can get her own shop off the ground).

[alt_ron]

Thing is we can't go in and talk to them. Not until next Hogsmeade day. But we can write.