welcome to...

[dabinich]

I want to tell a client/friend who is thinking about ordering a product that there's already a long waiting list before him = it will take a very long time till he can get the product since there are already hundreds of buyers ahead of him who are still waiting for deliveries. I remember there's a saying for this, something like "welcome to the world/crowd(???)". Any ideas?

Many thanks,

Dorothy

 

[Cagey]

Welcome to you, too, dabinich.

I'm afraid that both of those possibilities would sound sarcastic in this context. Is that what you intend? (It seems unlikely that you would want to speak to a client this way, unless you don't mind losing their business.)

 

[Grady412]

Dabinich, maybe the expression you're thinking of is "join the crowd."

You've been waiting for the hottest new cell phone to arrive. You and most of your friends ordered it the day it was announced, but there is a tremendous backlog of orders. Another friend has just heard about the phone and says, "I think I'd like to own that phone." You say, "Well, join the crowd. I've been waiting eight weeks for one."

I agree with Cagey, though, that this might be interpreted as a flippant remark to make to a client.

 

[Packard]

I would simply be factual.

Dear Mr. X,

Thank you for your order. Please be advised that we have 186 orders for this item to fill before we can fill your order. Our ability to fill your order will be entirely dependent upon when the manufacture makes adequate shipments.

Regards,


Dorothy

 

[Parla]

Grady (post #3) is right, and that's a common expression in AE. So is "Welcome to the club!" in that context. But neither is a proper reply to a client who is not also a friend.

 

[dabinich]

Big thanks to Cagey, Grady, Packard and Parla, thank you all for your valuable input. "Join the crowd", and "Welcome to the club", these are exactly the expressions I've been looking for. Must have heard them several times when watching American TV series and movies, but didn't purposely try to remember them.

Here's the actual situation, more like what Packard described in the example email: I was chatting the other night with a Chinese client who is also a friend now -here's another question: are there some terms to define such a relationship, maybe a "client and friend"? - and he mentioned this lens that's currently very popular yet out of storage at the same time. The next batch won't be available till next February and there won't be plenty. In the meanwhile there are already a number of people on the waiting list. So I wanted to warn him about the situation, in Chinese of course. But this just reminded me of the English sayings I came across before.

Normally I wouldn't say something like this to a client I don't know well. Yes, as Cagey suggested, there's a hint of sarcasm in the tone. I have no intention to drive away a potential client like this. Packard's message sounds more formal and appropriate, thanks!

I just like these vivid and maybe colloquial expressions like "join the crowd", or "welcome to the club"! They are the beauty of a language for me. Thank you, Grady and Parla.

Thank you all for being so informative and helpful in a timely fashion. I've learned more than I expected: )

Dorothy