The blue line is the average daily sales for a popular weekly magazine in my newsagency for the last year. The red line is the average sales for the four weeks we have received between 50% and 100% additional stock which has enabled us to have stock for the entire on sale period.
The graph speaks for itself but in case the message is not clear: if I have stock on the shelf for the full seven days I’ll achieve sales for the magazine. There is demand beyond day three or day four.
The problem is that automated economically focused scale out models set supply figures for my business which are more likely to see a sell out prior to the end of the week.
This approach starves my newsagency of oxygen – sales.
While I understand that publishers cannot print sufficient quantities to enable all retail outlets to have enough stock for the entire on sale period I suggest that they do have an obligation to enable my business to achieve its full potential.
In the case of this title, for the weeks I have had stock, sales are between 30% and 50% higher than other weeks. While I might not sell out on these other weeks of regular supply, this may be because of consumer reluctance to purchase when there are only one or two copies of a title left on the shelf.