Which is better, to promise delivery when a customer originally requests, and do our best to make that delivery date, or to inform the customer the product will not be available until some later date, which you are more certain you will be able to deliver by? Think of as many pros and cons to each alternative you can think of. Can you think of some businesses that try to use each approach?
Notice, the type of business referred to in this question does not necessarily have to be a retailer, and the customer does not necessarily have to be a retail customer. This issue exists at the business-to-business level as well. Moreover, we are not simply talking about delivery of items that are already in stock. What if this is an item we have to produce for the customer? How do we know, ahead of time, when we will be able to deliver a product that has to be worked into our production schedule?
What if you don't know how long it will take to delivery the product? (Why might this be the case?) Is it better to over-promise (with a short delivery lead time) or under-promise (with a longer lead time you are more sure of being able to make)?