Bear Feet Soft Shoes.....

[mommy2maren]

So, I belong to a yahoo group that does co-ops for soft shoes....

one member had contacted bear feet soft shoes to see if they'd participate


Hi:

There is a group of us moms who are wondering if you participate in co-ops
or group discounts. We are a group with 600 members and we love your
shoes!
If you do, what is your minimum/maximum number of shoes or order amount?
We would love to get more information!

Thanks,

Wendy


and got this response

While we appreciate that you love our shoes the answer is no, we do
> not sell to groups.
>
> No, and here's why we mean Absolutely NO. We support our retailers who
> work hard for us and fit and service their customers. Retailers pay
> local taxes that support local schools and communities and have
> employees whose families they also support. My feeling is that
> discounting, WalMarts, people looking for the bottom wage and bottom
> price are destroying manufacturing and locally owned retailers in this
> country. I am not willing to participate in the race to the bottom. If
> you want a strong community, you have to be actively willing to
> support it and pay for it. From my perspective a sale of 600
> discounted shoes to a group such as this adds nothing to my world and
> does much to destroy what is left of it.
>
> Also, to be blunt, if you can't afford a Lexus, you don't belong on
> the lot no matter how much you might love it's lines.
>


THEN, when someone called to see if it was the owner that wrote that nasty, rude, uncalled for response, the owner hung up on her :eek: :mad:


Just wanted to pass this along, as I know they will NEVER have MY business, EVER!

[mommycal]

I belong to the same group as the above poster and I couldn't agree w/her more! I think that was very unprofessional and uncalled for. I'll take my business elsewhere. Little does that owner realize what she just did to her herself. That really irks me!!!!!! :mad: :( :p

[Chylynn]

I belong to the same group too and I could not agree more with the PPs! Totally unprofessional. And, I could afford to buy her shoes full price, not that I would now!

[cr8zyforaf]

I also belong to this group - I was horrified by this response. I WILL NEVER spend a cent at that company and I will encourage everyone I know to do the same.

[Jenyfer9]

I'm not a part of the group (? Don't even know what it is!) but while I guess I can see her point, but that little jab (little?) at the end would put me off completely! Poo on her!

[HGMorgann]

I understand her point...but that is just RUDE! Sheesh, I can window shop for a Lexus if I want:-D I want to support businesses that support everyone and are friendly!!

[jh124]

Hey, I'm on that group, too! How many of us are there?

[BooeyJ2]

I'm not a part of the group, but wow, great "customer service". Little does she know that all of her comments (especially the Lexus one) make her company do exactly this:
race to the bottom.

[dana b]

wow :eek: i think they get hounded a lot to do co-ops and the one time they did agree to it, nobody even got their shoes.

[cr8zyforaf]

Little does she know that all of her comments (especially the Lexus one) make her company do exactly this:


Couldn't agree more - my husband runs a small business and the best and worst form of advertising is word of mouth. He hasn't spent a cent on advertising and is booked solid for 6 months due to excellent referals...looks like this company may have the opposite problem.

[janders6]

I'm a part of that group too and was horrified by the email. I don't understand why she couldn't just say "No we don't do co-ops, but thanks for your interest in our shoes." I guess I'll take her advice and just continue to support my local european shoe store rather than buying a pair of bear feet shoes online, which does nothing for my "community."

[pixiecat]

I also thought that the email was uncalled for! I agree that she should have just said this:
Originally posted by janders6
I don't understand why she couldn't just say "No we don't do co-ops, but thanks for your interest in our shoes."

But now I'm interested, what's a co-op??

[Brink]

OK, I had never heard of "Bear Feet" but went to a site to see what it was all about. Completely agree with PP that this person is completely rude and unprofessional. With that said, I can't believe how expensive those shoes are (and I own a Mercedes - does that count instead of the Lexus?).

[BooeyJ2]

But now I'm interested, what's a co-op??


A co-op is where a large group of people buy and the company gives a discount. There are different "Yahoo Groups" with co-ops for baby shoes, strollers, diaper bags, etc. Hope that helps :)

[Tenny]

WOW!!! Talk about burning bridges!!

[Mickey&B]

I don't belong to the group but Wow! That is horrible, I can say that I will never be buying a pair of "bear feet" shoes, and for the record I can afford to do more than just window shop!

[LexyLou]

I'm a part of this group too and I cannot believe this response! I agree, the owner could have just said, "Sorry, I don't do co-ops".

I think we should all email the owner so they are aware that his/her email is being posted around the net and people are disgusted.

[BooeyJ2]

I'm a part of this group too and I cannot believe this response! I agree, the owner could have just said, "Sorry, I don't do co-ops".

I think we should all email the owner so they are aware that his/her email is being posted around the net and people are disgusted.


Good idea :) Can you imagine the "oh sh*t" face she'll have when she sees all of the emails? LOL.

[jrdhbunny]

I'm not a member of the group, but I too am so offended by her e-mail! Especially the oh-so-clever :rolleyes: Lexus metaphor.
I think we should all email the owner so they are aware that his/her email is being posted around the net and people are disgusted.
I am seriously interested in doing this!

[jh124]

I sent her an email essentially saying that I'm her target demographic but I am so turned off by her I will never purchase her product.

[LexyLou]

jh124-Where did you get her email?

[pixiecat]

jh124 - I'd love to know if she responds to you! Will you let us know?

[Kanga]

I think we should all email the owner so they are aware that his/her email is being posted around the net and people are disgusted.

I was going to suggest this as well. No need to be snappy and rude. If she gets that many requests for co ops, then she just have a (nicely) worded document saved in Word to end all her trouble.

I'd also like to send her an email. She has no idea what she just did to her company.

[mommycal]

you can contact her/them here:

salesdept@bearfeet.com, elejon@aol.com, & buttonupdallas@sbcglobal.net

http://bearfeet.com/contacts.htm

ETA: I sent one email to all 3 people. I want to make sure it's known of her poor behaviour.

[Mickey&B]

Thanks for that email address. I sent her an e-mail as well!

[jh124]

I have not gotten a response, but will post if I do.

[CarolinaGirl]

I'm not part of the group, but I just sent her an e-mail too. I can't tolerate that kind of rudeness.

[maryanne]

Wow....all I can say is this is exactly the type of story that the press loves...maybe you should foward it to the media, including some if the parenting magazines?

I think that it would make an extremely interesting story especially if it includes the co-op side of it. I am surprised at how many CC members are part of the co-op without knowing that the others are.

[Mickey&B]

I just wanted to share my response from Bear feet shoes today

I am a blunt person and apologize for speaking angrily, however to give
you some background, we have had numerous attempts by "group" members to
subvert our distribution by presenting themselves to us as real stores.
When that didn't work these women called our retailers around the
country and told them they had orders for 100s of shoes and were
shopping for a store to place an order for them at $5.00 over cost since
we would not sell directly to them. I received a number of emails from
these stores who were greatly disturbed at this activity, and they also
complain about all the activity on E Bay. Some of our retailers closed
accounts because they thought we did nothing about these groups and
Ebayers or that we sell to directly groups and Ebayers. So either way I
lose. I lose you or I lose the retailer. As I said even companies like
Gap and Gymboree have this problem because some of their employees use
their discount to flip new merchandise on Ebay and to groups and this
hurts their bottom line. Manufactueres have the right to know who it is
they are selling to and to have their products in the venues they think
present their products well. What happens after they are sold to the
consumer is of no concern us. That isn't the issue here. No one care
that someone bought all of an exclusive style from one of my retailers
and then flipped them from more money on ebay because they were
temporarily unavailable elsewhere. The main issue is at the moment is
that I lost my temper. The secondary issue is that we don't sell to
groups and ebayers and apparently some people will go to any length to
get us to sell to them.

I apologize for losing my temper. I was and am very very angry about the
number of outrageous ploys some of these group members have set up. Your
group member's recent email and phone call came in the middle of a long
string of amazingly deceptive attempts to purchase at wholesale by
non-retailers. For example a women called here and swore on the dead
mother's grave that they were not participating in these groups and then
their mother calls me within five minutes to try to order through her
quilt store. I knew this because other people in the group forwarded
her emails outlining the plan as they understood that this kind of
activity would destroy my relationship with our retailers and was
dishonest. For some reason the phrase "600 members" appeared as a
constant in these emails and phone calls including the one made by your
group memeber. I took my anger and frustration out on the most recent
person to call which was unfair, especially since she was said she was a
member of a group and didn't devise some ploy. I should have just said
no, but I wanted to say why I said no which was apparently mistake. My
reasons are of course in conflict with the reasons a person wants to buy
at a discount.

I make shoes to sell to retailers. Whole sale is one level of service,
retail is another. I don't do retail, don't sell direct to the public
because I don't enjoy dealing the public and if I did I would have no
need to the retailer. I enjoy making things. I was in the middle of
shipping. It's my hands that get the box cuts, and it's my temper you
run into when you call here. Actually, it was one of my retailers who in
discussing this persistent problem made the Lexus comment and it stuck
in my mind because it is true that we can't have what we want at the
price we want just because we want it. I didn't mean to sound arrogant.
It's just a fact of life.

while I understand her point she made a very bad choice and I still will NEVER buy a pair of her shoes!

[DanaLynn]

Is that lady for real??

[mommycal]

Is she for real?!?!? What a joke. I hope she looses a ton of business.

It's obvious that she doesn't like dealing w/the public. She's got ZERO people skills.

[solongtogo]

What a nasty witch of a woman!

[cr8zyforaf]

This is a canned response - I've seen it in many places sent to many different people. I think she is an a** and I will never spend a cent on her merchandise.

[katiadarling]

That is in fact the exact same response I got, except mine was missing the last sentence. I totally think she's an ass, I mean you can not be a people person and at least right a civilized e-mail (or two). I just can't believe how brash she is! Oh well, her loss!

[jmvan74]

OMG. I can't beleive the nerve of this woman. I'll be spreading the word to anyone I know, not to purchase those shoes.

[Kanga]

I got the same response as katiadarling and also got this one from elejon@aol.com

Liz, thank you for your response. Let me take a moment to say that I understand your feelings and hope to tell you of the problems that the owner of the company has been faced with. She has been screamed at by licensed retail stores who have been used as try on stations for customers who want to go home and purchase the shoes on ebay. It has taken many months to identify the source of problems. This has taken a toll on her patience. Many persons have used every tactic in the book to obtain the shoes, at or below wholesale. This has caused a problem for the state and federal tax systems, who apparently feel shortchanged. The legitimate store who pays property tax, lease, employee compensation, and other expenses have been complaining about lack of fair pricing in the online industry. The stores feel that consumers should pay a legitimate retail price for a quality product. In a retail setting, you as a consumer has the opportunity to select, in person, try on for fit, and receive compensation if there is a problem When discounting becomes widespread it undermines the product label. In an effort to make the business fair and equitable for everyone, she has had to say no. After much conflict from buying group who are not licensed retailers, she simply got caught up in the word game. She too has been called names and everything in the book. She has not been willing to go overseas to have the shoes made, perhaps having to compromise quality or control of the style and fit. As a result, the shoes have maintained a good quality product for the price. Where it is unfortunate that things get out of control, it is also unfortunate that the group has decided to deny their children the pleasure of comfortable shoes made in America. We hope that you can feel a sense of understanding for the process that has brought us to this point. Thank you for your past support. Ellen

Much more tactful IMO

[katiadarling]

I wrote back to her canned response, thanking her for the form letter. Here's the reply that I received: What I've learned from this is that I should not talk to the public and that I should give very short answers and that I can't please everyone. I am sorry my answer did not satisfy you.

She seems like a great woman. :rolleyes:

[katiadarling]

I like the response that ChadandLiz got much better than the other one. It's unfortunate that the company is run by such a snarky woman, kind of ruins it for everyone.

[Kanga]

I emailed Ellen back basically saying that I appreciate her kindness and tactfullness but that the owner needs to find a new a job and pass sales and PR onto someone else. Also stressed that the discount WASN'T the issue-had she been professional with her response, she wouldn't have lost as much business and still been able to only sell at regular retail price.

She even emailed me back again with this:

I will pass the comments on to the company. BTW, She has made a public apology for her comment. I hope that it gets to you and others who may be involved.
Thank you, Ellen

[BeachBum]

I'm pretty satisfied with her response. I can really understand why she felt like she did. She screwed up, by making the comments to a customer but I think the majority of her email is true.
From a business perspective I totally understand her reasoning on not doing co-ops and being upset over the "wal-mart culture". Let's face it, small towns and independent stores all over the country are going out of business because of big box types stores.

Local retailers are the ones that donate to the high school softball team, the church silent auction and the YMCA. Additionally, these small stores are typically where new hot products get started. They, in my experience, are where to find unique things. I don't want to only have the choices at BRU.

Obviously this lady was trying to share her values (shop locally) with the co-op memeber. I don't think she was trying to be ugly--I think she just wanted people to see the other side.

If I was one of her retailers I would be livid to see the shoes on ebay for just over wholesale. Even at 100% mark up, small independent retailers (at least in my town) are struggling.

We've all said things we wish we wouldn't have. Read her original email again and skip the Lexus comment (which was very snarky)--see if you can cut her some slack. :)

Just my opinion.
:D

[LexyLou]

Beach Bum-I agree with you that her POV is totally valid. There are actually a lot of companies that won't do co-ops out of respect for their retailers and I TOTALLY respect and get that...but that being said, I still think she handled the situation poorly. All she has to say is, "Thank you for your interest in our shoes, but our of respect for my retailers, I do not do co-ops."

I just think she dug herself a hole and made her self look bad which has left a bad taste in many people's mouths (mine included). It's just hard to forget the rudeness even after an apology, KWIM?

[mommy2maren]

Ok for the public "apology", but what about an apology to the woman she hung up on???? I'm still not impressed, no matter what excuses she comes up with. There are many other makers of shoes made in america to whom I can give my business and money.

[TrulyBlessed]

Wow....all I can say is this is exactly the type of story that the press loves...maybe you should foward it to the media, including some if the parenting magazines?

I think that it would make an extremely interesting story especially if it includes the co-op side of it. I am surprised at how many CC members are part of the co-op without knowing that the others are.

I agree. This type of behavior should not be tolerated & should be publicly known. Like all the previous posters have stated, the owner definitely could have handled this situation differently -even the last email she wrote was very nasty. What a rude lady! Unbelievable!

[kiki61872]

Beach Bum-I agree with you that her POV is totally valid. There are actually a lot of companies that won't do co-ops out of respect for their retailers and I TOTALLY respect and get that...but that being said, I still think she handled the situation poorly. All she has to say is, "Thank you for your interest in our shoes, but our of respect for my retailers, I do not do co-ops."

I just think she dug herself a hole and made her self look bad which has left a bad taste in many people's mouths (mine included). It's just hard to forget the rudeness even after an apology, KWIM?


i agree!
she really handled this poorly. she is entitled to her POV but the way she went about it is alllll wrong and will probably cost her some business.

[Asha]

I don't do retail, don't sell direct to the public
because I don't enjoy dealing the public and if I did I would have no
need to the retailer.

obviously she doesn't like dealing the public nor has any people skills. one of the things she has to realize is the one thing that will keep smaller businesses like this in business competing with wholesale stores like walmart is good customer service. the one reason i like to shop at family owned, smaller stores is the level of service. clearly, she doesn't understand that.