Bookseller Waterstones hit by 'nightmare' after warehouse system upgrade to Blue Yonder
Waterstones suffers stock shortages weeks after warehouse software upgrade - Employees complain of stock delays after bookseller migrates to warehouse management system from Blue Yonder.
UK bookseller Waterstones has suffered weeks of disruption to its business operations following an upgrade of its warehouse management system, according to reports on social media.
Employees took to Twitter over the weekend to complain of ongoing stock shortages, which some attributed to Waterstones’ recent migration to a new warehouse management system from US vendor Blue Yonder.
Update: Waterstones has confirmed that the Blue Yonder migration created a backlog in stock deliveries, which it is now working through. But it added that some stock availability issues may reflect its own stock management choices, which cannot be attributed to the migration.
Frustrated customers read riot act to bookshops >
In response to a tweet by book marketing consultant Sam Missingham, a number of Waterstones booksellers reported that they have encountered stock shortages in stores for six weeks.
“I feel like we’ve [been] lied to the whole time,” said one user. “The delays have been extended and extended.” Another said they have removed six display tables and three bays of shelves from their store to compensate for the lack of stock.
Another Twitter user said the stock issues resulted from an ongoing warehouse management software migration. “Our systems for deliveries and order processing were super outdated. They were upgrading them and something has gone wrong, so orders are not matching up properly on the system and as a result we haven’t been able to get any books whether they’re stock or for customers.”
Right, lots of answers to what's going on @waterstones in replies.
— Sam Missingham (@samatlounge) August 7, 2022
Summary: They have been implementing a new warehouse system called BlueYonder, said it would take two weeks. Tested after that and it worked for one day. (1/?) https://t.co/KMBt3SCSak
In a statement to Tech Monitor, Waterstones confirmed that it upgraded its stock management software to Blue Yonder last month. “This is now operational, with stock flowing to our bookshops and customers alike,” the company said. “Over the implementation period, however, a backlog of orders was created which we are now processing as quickly and efficiently as we can.
“Our expectation is to have the backlog of stock deliveries into shops caught up over the quiet August period, with August new releases now being processed without delay,” it explained. “Indeed, by September we anticipate beginning to benefit from the much more sophisticated platform now at our disposal.”
The company added that the stock availability issues may also reflect its own purchasing decisions. “Unfortunately, no amount of sophisticated new warehouse systems changes the fact that as booksellers we choose what to buy, sometimes being a little too reticent, sometimes too enthusiastic,” it said. “We can’t blame Blue Yonder for this.”
