kingandy | Potter publisher practices price paralysis

So, Asda won't be selling the Deathly Hallows on Saturday. At this moment. Probably.

If you believe Bloomsbury it's because Asda hasn't paid; Asda, on the other hand, is of the opinion it's because they were going to sell it below the RRP. Of course, whichever of those you believe, this seems to be a case of Asda trying one on, and Bloomsbury not standing for it.

What the hell were they thinking? Yes, Asda is recently a member of the Wal*Mart Family, that globe-spanning conglomerate of calamitous intent, and if it wasn't used to getting its own way before, then its new owners certainly are. But still. This is Harry Potter we're talking about. With this brand you do not fuck.

That said, I'm slightly torn ... though it is nice to see somebody derailing Wal*Mart's general marketing strategy of "sell cheap, destroy competition", at the same time, Bloomsbury (thanks in large part to the Potter franchise) is certainly no lightweight, and it's not so great that a publisher feels it can fix prices in this way. If that is indeed what has happened.

It's basically a pissing contest, really, isn't it?