I didn't know what to title this thread. I still don't. It started as a reply to something on the blog but I think it's better off here, than there, where it will be overlooked even easier.

I'm going to first address the marketplace-well non-existence on it that is, because that's what I was originally replying to and it morphed into something else as I went.

When/if marketplace fails to deliver, it 90% of the time, doesn't take your funds. So simply rebuying it almost always works in those instances. In the 10%(if even, I am estimating high) of times it DOES take the money but fails to deliver all you have to do is file a ticket with LL to get the item sent. Those are about the only tickets that LL opens very quickly and also resolves very quickly. Most times quicker than the creators can, unless you know them and they are available inworld to redeliver for you on the spot. I'm not saying non-delivery doesn't happen, as it definitely does. But not all non-delivery is a case of a transaction actually taking place, in fact most times it's simply a failed event all around. So neither party is out anything.
The cons of using marketplace are outweighed by the pros, by a long shot.
I think it's high time we ignore the pretty crappy excuse as to why marketplace is not being utilized and move forward in that direction. It would appeal to the customers far more than having ONE location in world will. I hate the roo sim, I simply hate it. It's horridly designed for the purpose(beautiful decor, beautiful stuff, poorly managed and decorated as a primary retail location with constant traffic however-this isn't a bash on the owner or the team or anything like that it's simply fact of the matter, it's not put together with "the best shopping experience" in mind, nor the majority of your customers who will only be there to get food/accessories on an as needed basis, in mind ). I have never hid my opinion on this fact, obviously.
Now that we're forced to one location do people honestly believe this is going to magically fix the delivery errors we were already experiencing at *both* locations prior to this? I assure you, it will not. In fact I am going to wager that the complaints about the sim, non delivery and issues will increase greatly, especially early on. People will be nervous, they will want to get in, get as much as they need, and get out quickly. They will likely buy more food/stumps than they normally would because they don't want to have to make frequent visits to a sim that will be inundated with the consistent traffic that plagued the main store quite often. There isn't really any way to sugar coat that. It's not a slight against the company, the owner of Roo, or anything like that. It simply is what it is, and that's the truth. I've seen it happen countless times in sl over the years to all sorts of stores and to be honest I am having a VERY difficult time understanding why creators won't listen when customers discuss this fact.

There are some simple steps that can be taken to alleviate the issues we are sure to experience at some point. Both things on our part as customers as well as on their part as creators. We both have to meet in the middle. Many of the customers are doing just that, I've noticed. Taking a little extra care when they do go to the stores to be mindful of their own footprint and making sure we don't cause other shoppers to have a less than pleasant experience. Now it's time for the creators to step up and do things that will enable their customers to have a better shopping experience. There is *NO* valid reason to not use the Marketplace, absolutely none. The only reason we've been given is the profit sharing. This was very quickly debunked early on. There has been no mention of it since and when brought up, it's ignored. I think it's high time they stop ignoring it and actually address it.

I am less likely to stick around Roo than I was to stick around Twas-and simply reading the forums shows I am not alone. At Twas I knew where the items I needed were. I'd land, fly in a bit off the landing point, grab my stuff(wait for delivery) and get out as fast as possible. At times this wasn't as easy as it seemed at Twas, but thankfully since I knew where everything was I never had to wait for things to load textures-as the sculpts and prims loaded quickly in all their gray glory. I know this is how many others do things as they have said this on these forums. At Roo, I can't even do that. Getting even the gray blobs to fall into place quickly is not an option, as it doesn't happen quite a bit of the time(and yes a lot of this usually has to do with client side problems, and I know very well how to optimize my own settings to better help myself...but not everyone else does and we shouldn't assume they do). Add in everything else around you and you *could have a mess. Previously this was an issue many have discussed, at great length, having an issue with. But having at least two options, while not ideal, was better than one. Having one option is a very very very bad idea. It WILL hinder sales. It WILL anger customers. It WILL frustrated customers. It WILL create problems that can easily be prevented.

Please stop focusing on the pretty and making things look good and start focusing on functionality. This includes how you deliver your product to your customers. All the gorgeous decor in the grid will NOT make up for a poor shopping experience. It simply won't. You NEED to give your customers options. There's no way around this. I'm trying not to be harsh here because what I really want to say isn't very nice. I've done my darndest to keep my cool, be respectful yet truthful, and not be a complete jerk, but frankly it's getting a bit harder as time goes on. I'm not going to lie and pretend everything is roses here. I think overall I give the benefit of the doubt even when evidence may suggest I shouldn't. I tend to have a very pollyanna-ish attitude about a lot of things. But I certainly can't hold that attitude forever. Eventually the customers willing to overlook most of the minor stuff will be pushed over that edge and minor won't be minor anymore.

I am urging you to get someone in there with PR experience. Get someone in your team who can *really help you cater to and help your customers more. It can only help. You need someone in there who can, if need be, take your hand and guide it to where it needs to be. A team is only as strong as it's weakest player, right? And every person on the team has his or her strengths. But certainly those aren't all going to be the same for everyone. You've got people who are fantastic at dealing with customers and the group chat(especially ticked off ones, lol). You've got people great at design, scripting, public speaking, etc.. But what you seem to be lacking, or at the very least not utilizing as best as you can, is someone who can put themselves in the shoes of the customers and give perspective-then help the team go in *that direction.
That's what we've been trying to do since beta. It's what you've asked of us. Unfortunately while some of what we've said has been heard and even used, a great deal of it seems to go in one ear and out the other. Sure some of it may not really have any merit at all. But a lot of it does. If you can't even explain to your customers *why* certain things won't work, you can't expect them to believe you're actually listening when they give you ideas. You do owe it to your customers to give them your time and attention. Even if it's an idea that's so absurd and out there, you should still address it.
I am an itty bitty creator who doesn't really do much on anything besides a teeny scale. I have had some very interesting requests from customers in the past too. I can't imagine ignoring them, or making them *feel* as if they are ignored(that whole perception thing is going to be the death of the company if you don't pay attention to it). I don't have a customer base in the thousands. I don't have a public forum or a group for my customers to go to. Like I said, I am a very little fish in this great big pond. But if I wasn't and I were on par with the size you've become, you can bet your sweet butt I'd make darn sure my PR was in tip top shape. If that meant bringing in an outsider to assist, or training specific people to do just that and address public issues.. I'd do it. You have the resources and the ability. There is no excuse for *not doing it. Especially at this point. The poor community has taken one too many hits lately. To be honest if some things don't change, and quick, I don't think the company will hold out a whole lot longer. That's the really sad truth and definitely not something any of us wants to see, of course. You've been too much work, time, money.. all of yourselves, into this project to let it fall by the wayside like that. So I'm quite certain you don't want to see it go that way either.

Products have problems, companies have problems, and sometimes the crap really hits the fan no matter what you do to prevent it. What will make or break a company when that happens, is how they handle it when the going gets beyond tough. Sometimes it means, as a creator, abandoning all our previous thoughts and opinions on how to handle something and actually sitting down with our customers so we can *really* get a feel for them and their position. Then you make a plan.
I think you need to abandon some of your opinions on how best to market, and get your products to customers-among other PR related issues. This one is a huge issue, one I think you're overlooking, and one that could easily cause an extinction level event for your company if overlooked too long. You very well may come to a point when there is no going back at all.

Sigh, this is long winded enough and unfortunately the debbie downer side of me, albeit it very small, feels as though this may fall on deaf ears. I really hope she's wrong though. Please prove her wrong.