I feel Nikon's delivery performance is dismal, i don't care about other brands or companies, but waiting 4 and 5 months is unfair for anything.
If your an NPS member with priority that's fine, party hard, and i can see why one would give NPS priority as is often its a full margin direct sale so the dealer is often cut out, when done the dealers get supply, hey it makes sense financially..........i could be completely wrong to.
Bottom line 400 lenses a month is 100 per week is 20 a day made on a 5 day a week basis.........
When you make heaps of money as Nikon has recently and you build a new mega head office for USD $72million ? approximately ? and your charging prices like a wounded bull, then drip feed supply because you can is well disappointing..........and raises the question do they care.....or is their genuine reasons, i think unlikely.....
Could it be If they did care, things would be different, forget the Covid, Chip, Supply issues its a bit more of BS than reality that everyone is flogging to death like for ever .................
Supply ISSUES.......... effected by Chip shortages, Covid generally are a real issue for a lot of companies at times..........true or false..........? if it is you do something...i would think.
Ok, assuming the 800 mm is hand made, Johnny who is off on Covid, just leaves Jimmy, Max and Sue who all have had Covid now making still 20 lenses per day, with the billions turned over and billions in profits You would do something about it wouldn't you, i mean a billion $ organistaion dribbeling out 400-500 lenses a month, sorry sell it somehwere else, I mean Silicon Valley and Intel are doing things properly to deal with manufatcuring and supply issues LOL.
The CEO of Intel told (ordered) congress to not break for August and pass the bill called Corporate Relief fund for USD $72 Billion (of tax payers money) so manufacturing could come back to America, if not, then in their case, Intel would make products elsewhere in Asia or Europe........................ so their are plenty alternatives to make or get product.
Intel made $20 Billion last year and doesn't pay taxes in the USA.
The Above is from Bernie Sanders...........speech in congress........
Manufacturers used to build forward stock to anticipated (guessed) sales projections, then dump stock if estimates where wrong, now its more like actual forward orders and build to orders only, be it cars planes cameras washing machines.
There are a lot of reasons benefits also for placing orders 4, 8, 12 months ahead, but not for the customer.
Is it a culture, evolution, a new way of manufacturing using full robotics ? and supplying that is different and are we expected to just get used to it.
Is it ? By the time product fully pipelines and sits on the shelf in a shop, the interest has fallen or the product is being updated or replaced, a bit like smart phones..
Is it Retailers going forward would not carry expensive inventory, not on the margins they make so there is an issue here ...........change is needed.
Is it Forward orders only, long lead times, financial floor plans like the car industry, or will it be manufacturers retail directly on line.
When consumers feel their is shortage they question price less often focusing more on got to get one.........hence they will pay more LOL
Only an opinion