After the sudden announcement on Oct. 30 that Robinsons department store is due to be closed, customers who had previously ordered and paid for bedding products were left in the lurch, uncertain of the status of their orders.

These were customers who had ordered thousands of dollars worth of items such as beds and bed frames, and have yet to receive their purchases.

Additionally, at least one supplier has shared their account of initially not being able to collect consignment goods from the stores, before successfully retrieving the goods a day later.

In apparent response to these groups, the department store said that it is experiencing "a high volume of enquiries", and took to Facebook to address them on Nov. 1.

Mattress sales a "priority issue"

Robinsons' Facebook post said that the matter of undelivered mattresses was a "priority issue to be addressed with the mattress suppliers."

The company is therefore scheduling meetings with mattress suppliers on an "urgent basis", so that the situation may be resolved.

However, until that happens, Robinsons is unable to provide any answers or action to the pending deliveries, refunds or exchanges.

It added that customers who have placed a deposit or made full payment can expect to be notified "once we have a resolution to the situation".

in the meantime, customers should email a copy of their receipts to [email protected].

Robinsons suppliers

The Facebook post also addressed issues highlighted by consignment suppliers.

Robinsons said that consignment stock collection could only be done with "evidence that the stock is held on consignment." This could take the form of a consignment agreement, or a statement, invoice, or purchase order (PO).

"SOR stock", on the other hand, cannot be collected by suppliers, as Robinsons has legal ownership of it.

The term "SOR stock" likely refers to products on a "Sale or Return" basis, which is an arrangement where suppliers provide goods to be sold by a retailer, and where retailers can return the goods if they are unsold.

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Top image via Robinsons on Facebook

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