Magazine distributor Network Services sent us two copies of the UAC Guide a month ago. Yesterday, we received another two copies. Network did this with the knowledge that the first two copies had not sold. We early returned today’s copies. This is where Network ought to be penalised for incurring labour and freight costs for us.
We should be so lucky to only get 2 extra copies. We recieved 65 on the first run that did not move and then another 37 yesterday.
Seeing as every yr 12 student in our area got one for free through their school we have no market for the title. Network should have known this before such an over the top supply and resupply.
I agree that magazine distributers have to be penalised for doing that.
The penalty should pay for all our costs and a bit more just to enforce it on them that we are paying rent to sell their product and we have the final say on what numbers we want instore to suit what we are doing.
Like how you Mark have done a nice display of Top Gear, you probably don’t have room to prominantly display UAC. You’re helping them quite obviously here but they aren’t helping you – just hindering. They should pay.
Why would they pay we have no options but to buy there mags it is not as though we can go else where .They have all the power in the world to do as they please.They were commenting at the qnf conference the other week how they loose 1 million a year to over returns ,what about the newsagents how much do we loose on over supply with our money tied up each month .
Shaun, if they loose that much per year they should have a long hard look at how they manage their distribution. Just like how we have a look at what will sell and put in the work to adjust our standing orders etc.
I’m thinking if we had a strong national body we could straighten this out by a number of ways. Such as all newsagents nationally boycotting a title for a month by not having the title for sale it would hurt us individually as much but would hurt the publisher and then the distribution company, hopefully causing a positive change.
Michael i could not agree more with you this is what has to happen or nothing will ever change .At the moment they have the upper hand but if we all got together things could change .
Shaun, I can see all agents coming together on this but we need a strong body to do it or we all get together and form our own distribution company – how fantastic would that be? But I’m dreaming!
Correction to my earlier post, sorry guys we got 36 uacs on the first drop and 37 on the second 72 in total. As of today we have sold no copies.
I think we should also ask the publishers! Surely oversupply hurts them too – the only winners here are the distributors. Its time for a change. ANF/anyone, if you are out there – this is one very useful way we need assistance. Lets make it so even if we coordinate through this blog and a fax around.
I would like to see notification of a news title BEFORE it hits my shop.
Discussion about scale out before it hits my shop.
Immediate credits on electronic returns.
Credits applied for accurate returns and NO penal attitude for a typo.
Agreed penalties BOTH ways for poor business.
Tops returns for all titles.
No restrictions on timings of early returns.
A two week window to legitimately return a partwork backorder regardless of it original issue date.
Thats my start up list – any others?
is there a restriction to early returns ??
I think probably the easiest and first thing would be to improve communication with distributers. They have their side of the story as well. Problems can fixed by talking face to face.
My key issue here is that Network has told us to get compliant in terms of sending sales data. My newsagency has done this for years yet they continue to ignore this by sending product without checking the sales data. Hence the frustration in my post.
Is there a way to get them compliant without and real hassles?
Mark,
I know the feeling, but my post is relating to the perhaps larger issue that we are being treated like this because we accept it. We accept it because as a group we say nothing significant about it. Sure one or two of us has had a go and sometimes we get a small temporary repreive, but not all and not enough in my view.
If you, honestly, write that 5 mags are going back when it should have been 4, they give a credit for NONE!
They send outragous quantities when it suits them, ie its nearly Christmas, stand by for the flood of mags!
They send Bull fighting to Frankston, well known for its rodeo and snow skiing to me on the Qld Coast! All when sales histories show no sales.
I think its time we said enough is enough.
Mark, in this instance with UAC could you invoice them for your time spent and freight?
I agree with Nelson,
We haven’t early returned for 19 years and have never had a problem. We do, however cull AWW Cookbooks from time to time.
Keith
do you mean that you keep every mag in storage until the monthly returns are due or do you sell out of the supply
Keith,
Half our returns (often more) are early returns. How do you not early return?
You would have to have a huge number of magazines in storage waiting to be returned on the recall date (which is affecting cashflow), or you have a significant number of unprofitable magazines sitting on the shelf.
Nelcon,
This is not related to supplementary reurns. My point is that Network has the sales data to show we do not need more of this product yet they sent it. I understand where they are at with sales data and know they are working on it. The purpose of the post was to remind them that they have an obligation to use the data I and many others diligently send them.
Mark
I thought they were going to weekly returns as of january ? or is it only on netonline ?
Due to our over supply we return between $4000 and $8000 worth of stock each month. Without early returns we would go broke as we cannot afford to carry dead stock. Good luck Keith if you can hold onto mags until they are due for return or sell through.
With the 72 UACS we received, if they we not early returned we would be expected to hold on to $1050 worth of stock that is given away free to our target market. One title would cost us $1000 to hold onto, no thanks
i am the same as you luke with out early returns i just don’t have the cash flow to keep going it is just to much money tied up
The other thing with distributers is they asked us how many pockets we have, then send (as above) 72 copies of something that won’t sell. Why do they have to know how many pockets we have when they don’t care anyway?
Shaun,
Yes, last I read they were going to weekly returns in January.
Believe weekly only to people using its webonline returns.
Those using manual forms will go to monthly returns.
This was in the email sent to me a few months ago.
Currently I’m using their webonline returns and returning as much old magazines as I could using supplementary return.
i tried useing it but it was way to slow and it will not let you return everything that you want to ,so i just do mine on edi even though they don’t except it i just send them the paper work from the printout and i have never had a drama with it
Bario/Shaun,
I believe it applies to both forms of electronis returns – web and EDI.