the only reason asian retailers keep your money for months is because you pay with paypal, right. so you preorder and pay at the same time. people know they are paying months in advance, so its nothing to moan about. if people pay with paypal with zavvi, it would be the same, right? i guess most people dont use paypal with zavvi preorders because they dont have to. im sure if people had to pay when they pre-ordered with zavvi, zavvi would receive a lot less pre-orders.
plus with asian retails, what you are buying into is practically an event. people are patient because they know they are getting something 'special,' actually desirable. these are small retailers so people are understanding when things dont run like clockwork. most importantly though, the retailers make sure their customers know exactly what is going on. they go above and beyond. i mean, it astounds me that plain archive is just two people. zavvi on the other hand are a typical large retailer, they seem to churn out steelbooks like they are on a conveyor-belt, and have little to no regard when it comes to keeping customers informed. people expect more when they know they are dealing with a company with hundreds of employees.