Xabulba, thought I'd throw out intent and expectations here so you can plan.
Assuming I've got some services from the tutor sprite (it didn't outroll me, I don't take knockout levels of fade, that sort of thing), I'm going to use it to get an idea of "normal", not get a karma point worth of knowledge skills. The thing is, I used to work in logistics so I'm having to carefully separate what I know from what I "know", and further from what SR and your version of SR may do.
When I ask what's "normal", I'm not asking for this shipment. I'm asking for known industry/manufacturer standards.
NORMAL 1: I'm going to skip a bunch of steps as irrelevant. NORMAL, there's a last manufacturer distribution point. Goods arrive at the location by train or by long haul carrier. Air shipments are atypical for on-continent production except when speed matters. IF they're air-shipped, EITHER they've got their own local vehicles OR they pay a local carrier to provide regular pickup-and-deliver. IN GAME, I want to know if this is generally the normal method, and I want to know which air-to-warehouse is generally the method for Aztechnology.
NORMAL 2: There are broadly speaking two ways of sorting and storing at the manufacturer's final distribution point. Basically, by product and by recipient. The last is often subdivided by load. There's a third, temporary storage which is goods received but not yet separated. Pretty much everything received goes here. Again, which is normal for Aztechnology?
NORMAL 3: Multi-site stores often have their own distribution center. I have not yet asked if either Our Patron or Big Box have these - that'll be in game. IF THEY DO, however, we enter the next choice. Does Aztechnology ship to the customer distribution center, or does it deliver to each individual store. I need to point out that in the real world both happen, and a variety of factors influence the decision. However, a given manufacturer tends to use the same method, thus the question for what's normal in this case. emphasis: even today, "tends to use" is not "always uses".
NORMAL 4: Regardless of the previous decision, the next variation is whether the manufacturer provides its own transportation or contracts a delivery service. Note this is a different question than the air delivery question.
Note that all these can be "yes" -- ARE yes in the real world. It's a cost-benefit balance, and some businesses attach different values to the factors than others.
Now we bring in Local Businesses. This may turn into an in game data search requirement but given what I loaded in the sprite it might be available -- your call.
Some businesses can force slight changes on the manufacturers. The manu's may prefer to ship to store, but some retailers are such large customers they can insist upon and get it shipped to their distribution center -- or vice versa. Sometimes they can insist on who the carrier is from manu's distribution center to theirs. Sometimes these are normal, sometimes they are situational. I'd like to know what's normal for both big box and our patron, and if there are any other commlink retailers who are large enough to sometimes have a sway in this.
I'm going to have a bunch of detailed data search questions some of which will be based on what I learn. However, I'll do those in-game with appropriate dice rolls.
Finally, if you want me to throw this all into the IC thread I will.
