At one of my newsagencies yesterday morning I counted thirteen different sudoku titles. Thirteen! Obviously, the magazine distributors think that is not too many. If I complained, I am sure they would claim to have sales data showing that this level of supply is justified. In my view, this level of range of sudoku titles it is not justified in my newsagency. If I carried half the range I bet my total sudoku title sales would not change.
Distributors say we can early return product. Sure we can, but we pay the freight. They say that we can control supply through their website and other processes. Nonsense.
Australian magazine publishers often complain that newsagents don’t engage with their titles and miss opportunities to grow their businesses. That is because we are drowning in junk, like some of the sudoku titles in this photo. We need these Australian publishers to help us to get distributors from abusing newsagents. If they can help reduce the overseas junk for a start we will have a publishing and retail businesses.
We also need to take firm action ourselves to exert more control over our assets. We pay the rent and wages bills after all. I hold no hope at all that newsagents will do this though.
Sure we complain. But we don’t organise ourselves. Too many industry leaders are seduced by a nice lunch, sponsorship for an event, a trip or some simple ego stroking to deliver the strong leadership newsagents need on this issue and to push back against this appalling behaviour.
In today’s marketplace, with magazine sales falling, newsagents must act on inefficient supply. Too many newsagents are losing too much money for the current situation to continue.
We compete with supermarkets, convenience stores, petrol outlets and others for magazine sales and while the newsagency channel accounts for 50% of all magazines sold in Australia, I suspect we have the least control over supply. That is how it feels at least.
i recieve countless puzzle book 3 times a week and i just don’t look at them , just return them ,it is just crazy it cost me time and $$ .
Mark, only 13 titles, you must have them scared. Our local agent, a shop a third the size of yours has 27 different Sudoku titles on display. 14 of those were from overseas, 6 from Puzzler, 2 from us at Lovatts and 5 from various Australian publishers. I couldn’t agree with you more, the agent could reduce the titles to 5 or 6 and still sell the same number of copies. This has the obvious benefit of saving on outlay and time while freeing up space to display the better selling titles which then leads to improved sales. The answer is obvious and simple, only display the titles which work for you. Alas getting to that point is the difficult part of the equation. When I ask agents why they carry so many titles which don’t sell the response is “it’s easier to put them all out rather than looking at sales history” while I can symphathise with this answer it doesn’t offer any long term solutions. The agents also raise the valid point of if I return them they just come back again next month. You ask what are Australian Publishers doing about this, I’m a member of Publishers Australia this is a major concern to us. I must emphasise we recognise there are some overseas magazines which deserve by way of sales history a place on the shelves, it’s the unwanted unsolds we’re concerned with. Weve previously had meetings with industry bodies and distributors, while a little headway was made it was far too little. I’m happy to organise a meeting of concerned parties to try once again in bringing about much needed improvements. With the unfortunate demise of NDD it will be interesting to see what happens to the overseas tiles they were bringing in.
In reply to Erik, have you tried selling a few selected puzzle titles? who knows they might sell, not such a crazy idea
i display only australian published and just 10% of overseas junk.
Eric
There should be more like you. Spread the word.
Overseas junk! A term I’m familiar with
We put them all out but only in small numbers .My 35 years tell me you really do not know what people will buy.You could try standing them up in a box so people can finger through them it does work.,at the end of each month we clean them out in time to catch that momths returns
With respect Terry, Publishers Australia is made up of publishers who look after their own vested interests first.
The magazine distributors are the conduit. Exert pressure on them raather than calling for newsagents to not stock overseas titles.
We keep 2 of each and put them in a basket for people to finger through.
We keep them for just 1 week as we think that this is ample time for our customers who if not are daily shoppers are at least weekly. That way we are giving the customers a choice and keeping the puzzle books under control
Mark, Obviously Publishers Australia have a vested interest as do Newsagents.
If we could merge these vested interests to apply pressure wouldn’t it be beneficial to both parties?
Terry, the vested interests are not matched. Publishers Australia represents a select number of publishers.
Eric, if they never hit your shelf, how do you know if they would sell. Mark has a good point, but if you don’t try putting stock out, then it certainly will not sell ????????
If you are going to get the stuf, you might as well try it on the shelf. Just my opinion, but I have found personally that the thing we least expect to sell is the first thing that goes in our place.