So you want to be a mail order entrepreneur?

Mall order makes shopping easier -for the customer that is. It is possible to buy flowers, furniture, books, chocolates and many other products by post. The company sends customers a catalogue, and they can choose products without leaving their home. Johnny Boden is the chairman of the mail order clothing company Boden. He says that mail order companies 'process the customer's order, get the item from the warehouse, check the colour, size, etc., deliver it to their

homes and arrange returns if necessary'. In shops the customer does all these things.

Is it easy to be a mail order entrepreneur? The disadvantage is that the start-up costs are high. You need stock to sell and computers to process orders. You also need a lot of employees. However, mail order does have advantages. A mail order company can operate from almost any place. Charlie and Caroline Gladstone moved from London to Scotland and started Pedlars clothing company. Mr and Mrs Gladstone wanted to work from home. They wanted a better quality of life

and to operate from a low-cost location. Mr Gladstone and Mr Boden visited the US separately. They saw that mail order was a popular business with good

customer service. Mr Gladstone believes that customer loyalty is important. A successful mail order company provides a personal experience, like a good shop.

From the Financial Times

1. Put the six activities that a mail order company does into the correct order.

a) process the order

b) arrange returns, if necessary

c) send the customer a catalogue

d) deliver the product

e) check colour and size

f) get the products from a warehouse

2 Complete the chart with the present simple or the past simple

Present Simple	Past Simple
Send Get Need Deliver Sell	Started Moved Saw Visited Wanted

Over to you

Do you buy products from mail order companies? What other goods or services do you think would be good to sell by mail order?

Unit 6 Sales

Buying almost anything

Level of difficulty ***

Before you read

Write the words and phrases below under the correct heading.

gym membership, a sale, a dealer, a retailer, a diamond ring, a jeweller, an offer, a bicycle, a deal

Things to buy	People who sell things	Buy things at a cheaper price
Gym membership

Reading

Read this article adapted from the Guardian and answer the questions.