Shocking Club Decision

[RedCard]

Ok so I do like the look of the new strips but after hearing that they will not be on sale in the club shop and are not available until August I'm Dissapointed by the lack of info and the time it's taken to inform the fans. We have a large crowd attending tonight with many hundreds going next week to Romania who would like to purchase a new strip or even both like I would have done. 

Im not telling people how to do their job but I working in advertising and consider myself pretty good at my job and my knowledge of the industry is vast so please don't take this rant the wrong way but.......

why close one of the main revenue streams buy only selling at JD shops? The passing traffic the club gets on match days and also tourists makes the club shop an ideal place to sell our kits! Surely JD and the club could work out a percentage scheme for any Carbrini kits sold in our club shop?

i really think that this should be reviewed because we should be looking to grow and maximise our revenue streams not narrow them! For instance when some one is down at the stadium buying a season ticket or a match day ticket they may want to buy a strip but if there's none around and they can't be arsed going over to JD Sports we then see a potential sale go down the river!

As for the August release I'm flabbergasted! It's nearly winter time in    Scotland by then and people will have been on their holidays so why not think about this months ago and get a kit out when most of the fans will be parading it about town in the summer months!

dissapointed 

Edited July 16, 2015 by RedCard

[CaleyJim]

This seems to be a recurring theme with the club. We've come a long way but we are still miles behind when it comes to marketing etc. we are at an all time high in regards to exposure and it seems a shame to waste it. 

[Iain]

I would have bought a top if it was on sale before the Romania trip, now probably won't.

[seanwanderson]

I was taking the 'exclusive' meaning they were the only sport shop selling it not literally the only place but maybe I have interpreted it wrong. I would surprised if you couldn't buy the gear at the stadium, pretty sure county and St mirren sell the gear in their shops. I agree it would have been great to launch it tonight in the shops but without knowing the reasons then it's hard to point fingers about why it hasn't. Also being available online is a huge bonus. I'll be buying both tops regardless when they come out. 

Edited July 16, 2015 by seanwanderson

[KingBeastie]

I do hope they'll be available in the shop too, for the reasons listed above.  The more places we are selling merchandise the better.

[Div1309]

county are advertising that their club shop is selling the new kit so imagine we would be the same (fingers crossed). would seem a bit strange to only have it in JD at the retail park.

the more places selling the better. 

also the retail park isn't the most central location for enticing people to buy it. in the run up to the final i think the shop in the city centre was appealing because of its location. how many will just go can't be bothered going out to the retail park.

Edited July 16, 2015 by Div1309

[ICTPaisley]

I always purchase mine over the phone at the club shop, surely that will still be possible? 

[DmontCaley]

I think this deal with JD is very good. 

For a good number of years I've thought it odd I couldn't get a Caley top from a high street shop ( same goes for county ). We're a premiership team but you had to go to the stadium for a top. 

I've nothing against the stadium, but I'm sure, like many, I've only ever been in the stadium shop twice. The first just having a look & the second to buy the Astra ticket because I was bored. All other tickets I've got online & delivered so no need to go in the shop. JD have a higher foot fall & exposure, hopefully that will amount to a few more sales.  I do hope the shop can sell them to though. 

[RedCard]

No phone orders possible as the club shop won't be stocking any kit

 

Exposure on the high street is great but we shouldn't just go with one revenue stream we should provide fans with as many options as possible and one of them should be the club shop as well as JD Sports

Edited July 16, 2015 by RedCard

[DALNEIGHCALEY]

Once again the club are making themselves look like 2nd rate amateurs .

[ICTPaisley]

If that's true then that's crazy,  how do they expect fans to buy the strips if they live outside of Inverness, it's not as if they will be in stocked nationally.

[RedCard]

Think you'll have to buy online from JD Sports

[DmontCaley]

Think you'll have to buy online from JD Sports

I'd think that's the case. I just had a quick look on their site & they're selling the St Mirren gear, fingers crossed ICT will soon be there to. 

[davie]

I'll probably get shot down for this but here goes. The OP contains so many assumptions that it makes much of the rest a bit of a fairly scatter-gun rant, which to be fair, he acknowledges. I'd be stunned if the club didn't tell fans where and how to purchase kit when the details are confirmed. As far as information and the imparting of it goes, the club is in a position where it can only go public when it is absolutely sure of the information it has, otherwise the label of "second rate amateurs" gets chucked around by the habitually disgruntled and the marketing of the club gets another on line bashing. As far as timing goes, it's only three weeks after the end of the last season, and in normal circumstances an August launch would be perfectly appropriate and acceptable. If anything, there's probably been an under-estimation of last season's achievements when this deal was set up and given that a fair few on here were predicting a season of middling mediocrity is that surprising?  No wonder there's a bit of risk aversion when it comes to publicising things. People on here have moaned for years about the relative inaccessibility of the club shop and its limited opening hours but somehow the retail park is worse. Eh? I fully realise that people want a year round town centre presence for the club but at present (as far as I know) the figures just don't stack up and there are other things that have a more pressing demand on a limited kitty. You simply can't have everything. Except two cracking shirts of which I'll have one of each. Size L. 

[seanwanderson]

I'll probably get shot down for this but here goes. The OP contains so many assumptions that it makes much of the rest a bit of a fairly scatter-gun rant, which to be fair, he acknowledges. I'd be stunned if the club didn't tell fans where and how to purchase kit when the details are confirmed. As far as information and the imparting of it goes, the club is in a position where it can only go public when it is absolutely sure of the information it has, otherwise the label of "second rate amateurs" gets chucked around by the habitually disgruntled and the marketing of the club gets another on line bashing. As far as timing goes, it's only three weeks after the end of the last season, and in normal circumstances an August launch would be perfectly appropriate and acceptable. If anything, there's probably been an under-estimation of last season's achievements when this deal was set up and given that a fair few on here were predicting a season of middling mediocrity is that surprising?  No wonder there's a bit of risk aversion when it comes to publicising things. People on here have moaned for years about the relative inaccessibility of the club shop and its limited opening hours but somehow the retail park is worse. Eh? I fully realise that people want a year round town centre presence for the club but at present (as far as I know) the figures just don't stack up and there are other things that have a more pressing demand on a limited kitty. You simply can't have everything. Except two cracking shirts of which I'll have one of each. Size L. 

absolutely spot on!! 

[RedCard]

I agree with what you are saying Davie and I'm never one to bash the club or anyone working for them. 

The he issue I have with the JD sports deal is that we are only offering fans one route to buy kit which is through JD when we should be using them AND the club shop to maximise our customer base! The overheads it takes to run the shop won't be that much and as I said above we will have fans buying match day tickets who can buy merchandise from the same shop so it's a benefit to both the club and the punters. 

I beleive the the delay in the release is probably more JD's than ours but I'm just Dissapointed that we may have lost out on extra revenue due to the August release and that one of our biggest gates tonight where many casual / new fans will be in attendance with a wallet full of cash and no new ICT kit to buy!

[DmontCaley]

I'd find it rather strange that if County & St Mirren can sell in their own stadium shop then what's so special about ICT in JD terms. Has this been confirmed ?

I also noticed on the JD site, they don't stock scarves, hats, gloves etc for St Mirren or Rangers ( didn't check any other teams ). Maybe the stadium shop will sell these. If so then surely these items are the high turn over good on match day. 

Edited July 16, 2015 by DmontCaley

[RedCard]

St Mirren have the same set up so fans can only buy locally in JD and online, this hasn't went down well with their fans. 

 

[DmontCaley]

Thanks RedCard. My apologies, I read earlier that they could sell them. 

[Renegade]

A football club won't be selling it's own jerseys from it's own shop.  Sorry folks, but that's absolute facepalm stuff.

That's so preposterous, you literally couldn't make that up.

Edited July 16, 2015 by Renegade

[RedCard]

Thanks RedCard. My apologies, I read earlier that they could sell them. 

no worries mate I was under the impression that they did too but my St Mirren colleague at work has told me that they don't. 

He he also warned me about Carbrini's sizing issues and how the tops are tiny so be aware when ordering 

[TheKarl]

I'm presuming the only incentive to this is money.

[Renegade]

The fact of the matter is, we've now got the same kit supplier as Ross County, yet they've managed to negotiate a deal whereby they sell their kits through JD Sports and their own club shop.  To me that suggests they've managed to negotiate a better deal than we have.  Simply, that's not good enough.

I've no problem with the kits being sold at JD, but to not sell your own kit at your shop is simply madness.  You're highest grossing piece of merchandise won't be sold at your own club.  I just can't get my head around that.

[TopSix]

If the club shop isn't going to be stocking strips, does this mean there are plans to close it? 

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Thanks RedCard. My apologies, I read earlier that they could sell them. 

no worries mate I was under the impression that they did too but my St Mirren colleague at work has told me that they don't. 

He he also warned me about Carbrini's sizing issues and how the tops are tiny so be aware when ordering 

Feck me - what size should I ask fer ?