The new issue of Donna Hay magazine arrived in newsagencies yesterday but the old issue is not due to come off the shelves for another month. While the publisher will say that it may sell, they don’t pay the retail rent or the labour to manage the additional stock. Delaying the return a month is a cash grab from which I suspect the publisher and distributor benefit. The process of managing a new issue of a magazine ought to be straightforward – the new issue goes out and the old issue is returned. To require newsagents to hold an old issue for a month after a new issue arrives is an unfair financial impost on small business newsagents.
If a publisher believes that having an old issue on the shelf next to a current issue will generate sales then they should back their judgement and not bill newsagents until the old unsold stock is due to come off the shelf. In other words, they should take the risk with their money and not rely on newsagents to be their bank.
This is similar to : Modern fishing, Feb issue of the shelf now, March issue on. Recall date is next month but we’re not up to this months returns.
The same scenario applies to Vogue Australia, Organic Gardener, Inside Out. They seem to be issued a whole month early.
The publisher can say that it might sell, but that would be stupid seeing its in the back room waiting to be returned, seeing the latest issue is out.
Maybe publishers with a warped sense of time would like to pay rent per square for these current, but not latest issue magazines that are sitting in our back rooms gathering dust at our cost.
they are going to be early returns for us as we have heaps of leftovers esp Inside Out and DonnahHay
Am not going to wait another month for my credits
EARLY RETURNS is the way to go guys!!!!
Its a crazy lopped sided system. Your last paragraph is spot on and fair!
I really do not want to believe that Publishes and Distributors behave this way. The evidence is suggesting otherwise.
As there is a mistake in one of the recipes of the previous issue of Donna Hay mag I am surprised they want it left on the shelf! I had two customer complaints re the error in the mag.
There is also the matter of customers wanting to know that we (newsagents) are the place to go for NEW issues of their favourite mags. Quite often they will ask “is this the new one?” and we let them know we ONLY keep new issues on the shelves.
The problem is with the monthly returns system. Obviously if they don’t want it returned one month, even to keep the title on the shelf one extra week till the new edition arrives, then it has to wait a whole extra month before they can request a return.
NDD need to move to weekly returns. That would be a great help with the trading post as well, its stupid how long you are supposed to hold on to some issues.
We didn’t even notice. New issue in, old isue out. That process is second nature to us. To deviate from it would be very rare indeed.
Shame on both the publisher and distributor. Newsagents support strong titles such as Donna Hay vigorously and that relationship needs to be two way if we are expected to continue do so.
the very slim likelihood of a customer wishing to purchase last months edition of any magazine in no way justifies the holding costs – early return asap
Can only think of one magazine that i would leave double issue up for and that bhg december and christmas issues