Why is there no stock when its 'Back to School'?
Back to school can be a very stressful time for parents and learners (and suppliers), especially when they are unable to find what they are looking for – items are out of stock or unavailable and there is a chance that learners may be missing requirements on the first day of school.
PLEASE NOTE THAT DECEMBER AND JANUARY ORDERS USUALLY END IN DISAPPOINTMENT (for you and therefore for us). If orders are placed in December or January despite our recommendation of ordering before the 30th November, we suggest checking which items are in stock, and placing an order only for these. If orders are placed in December or January, with the expectation to receive the order before school begins, or shortly afterwards, it would be better to drive from shop to shop to find these out of stock items. If any of these items cannot be found elsewhere, an order can be placed that will remain on backorder until this stock arrives.
Remember that it does not serve us to have unhappy customers - we'd rather have happy customers that return year after year to purchase their requirements from us. We do understand the urgency of school orders, especially in January - but since we do not print books, or manufacture stationery, we have to rely on stock from our suppliers. If you place your order with us in December or January, we promise that we will complete your order as soon as we can - we however, cannot guarantee a completion date. In December and January, the 4 weeks lead time shown on packs may be much longer.
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DECEMBER SHUTDOWN
The availability of stock is mostly dependent on the availability of these items from suppliers. Most suppliers enjoy a December shutdown from around the 15th December to around the 8th or even the 15th January. This poses a problem for the supply of stationery and textbooks, especially when some provinces begin their academic year in the second week of January.
Simply Everything does not shut down in December. We do ‘stock up’ in preparation for Back to School, however, if we run out of stock while our suppliers are closed for the festive season, we are unable to replenish our stocks until they reopen for business in January. Place your order early to avoid disappointment. We recommend ordering by the 30th November to receive your pack in time for the academic year.
STATIONERY SUPPLIERS OUT OF STOCK
Ordering by the 30th November does not guarantee that you will receive all your stationery items on time. Challenges also arise with stationery and other items when suppliers run out of stock (containers from country of manufacture are delayed at port or experience other delays). When we place orders with suppliers who are out of stock, our order is placed on backorder and the supplier sends these items to us as soon as they are received.
If there are any delays of this nature with your order, you will be notified and an ETA (Estimated time of arrival) will be provided. The stock for your order is ‘reserved’ within this backorder, and you will receive your stock as soon as it arrives. If you are unsatisfied with the ETA, we recommend that you contact other suppliers and verify their stock levels for the affected items before cancelling your order with us – remember that we are all supplied by the same manufacturers/distributors.
Some brands are available from more than one distributor, while others are exclusive brands. If a brand is available from more than one distributor, these items are easier to obtain – there is a chance that another distributor may still have stock available, and we’ll source from them to avoid any delays. Exclusive brands, however, are licensed to particular suppliers – if these suppliers are out of stock, we have to wait until their stock arrives to supply these items.
Please be assured that the completion of your order is a top priority - we prefer happy customers to unhappy ones. If humanly possible, we'll complete your order before the academic year begins.
PUBLISHING HOUSES OUT OF STOCK
Certain publishing houses have specific run dates for reprinting textbooks/workbooks, or they wait until they have orders for a certain quantity before they proceed with their reprint run. If a textbook is out of stock at a publishing house, it is possible that there may be a delay with a particular textbook/workbook if the run date is set in the future.
Textbooks and workbooks, like all books, have an ISBN number which is licensed to a particular publishing house. If this publishing house is out of stock, our orders with them while they are out of stock, will be placed on backorder and they will send outstanding books to us as soon as they arrive in stock.
If there are any delays of this nature with your order, you will be notified and an ETA (Estimated time of arrival) will be provided. The stock for your order is ‘reserved’ within this backorder, and you will receive your stock as soon as it arrives. If you are unsatisfied with the ETA, we recommend that you contact other suppliers and verify their stock levels for the affected books before cancelling your order with us – remember that we are all supplied by the same publishing houses. Please also check the ISBN number with the alternate supplier before cancelling your order with us. They may have the title in stock, but it may be a different version of the book (The ISBN number will be different).
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Related questions:
How do I pay off my school packs over a few months?
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If you have any additional questions not covered by our FAQs, please contact us:
Landline: 011 974 5005
Email: info@simplyeverything.co.za
Whatsapp: 083 612 0155
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