Managing magazine early returns

Magazine publishers and distributors hate early returns, the mechanism through which newsagents send titles back prior to their requested return date.  Newsagents hate them too.  For us, they are work based on an expectation of failure of the title.  For the publisher, they could be a denial of opportunity (and sales).  For the distributor, I am not so sure since they are paid a fee for logistics services regardless.

The label in the photo is produced by our software when we are supplied product which the software is certain we will not sell.  This is one of several mechanisms available to us for flagging early return opportunities based on what is to be supplied.  The label is good because it is a push activity.  That is, it is produced by the software along with pricing labels used in labeling magazines before they are put on the shelves in the morning.  This means that newsagency staff do not need to print out reports or undertake other work find out early returns opportunities.

Early return opportunities are only flagged when a title does not sell as well as a distributor expects.  That is remembered so that action can be taken next time it is supplied.  

Given that it is my money at risk with this dead stock, it is appropriate I take every step possible to mitigate any potential loss.  The frustration, of course, is that this problem is created by magazine distributors given that they have the data to stop supplying something which will not sell. 

Newsagents are stung because they have to fund sending early return product back – I found out recently that this is not the case in some overseas countries. 

One way we could address this, in instances of gross over supply, would be to top the covers and only send these back.  Publishers would soon get the message that gross oversupply is a serious problem.