Re: [DL] AAAARRRGGGHHH! Or....

["Allan Seyberth (darious@darious.com)" <darious@plato.nmia.com>]

> >The thing is, Diamond owns Alliance.
> 
> 
> Well there it is, the catch 22 we call life.

It's a weird thing too.  Evidently Diamond has some sort of hands off 
requirement or policy with regards to Alliance.

Whatever the reason, Alliance is being handled as an automanous unit, 
instead of being merged with Diamond.

> I don't admit to understanding the politics of distribution but it would 
> seem to me that if you create a new product that you would want to sell it. 
> A company that distributes would want to make money by, well distributing. 
> It sounds very simply yet I have had to order my books from PEG.


This is going to be a particularly bad year for distributors.  The 
continued undercutting of them by WotC and Games Workshop has taken it's 
toll.  Last year at least three distributors tanked.  One of them was 
Wargames West.  

Right now, the few survivors are still working to try and absorb the new 
business.


And from what I've heard of Alliance, they have some downright UNfriendly 
customer (dis)service policies.  So at least one store I know of has 
switched distributors three times lately.  (Wargames West - Alliance - 
anyone else but Alliance).