We received Trader Mate yesterday, another classifieds newspaper. No question on whether we wanted, needed or had space for the title. It just turned up. This is a New South Wales publication trying to gain traction in Victoria, a marketplace already well served with free and paid for classifieds titles. I really wish we had control over every new newspaper and magazine title so that we could choose if we wanted to invest our time, space and money into the venture. The current supply model assumes we will be willing investors.
I looked at this, and nearly every ad was for a NSW car dealer.
As a Victorian newsagent, it is going straight back.
As a Joe Bloggs Public, could someone explain to me why the majority of Newsagents are members of an association supposedly driven to assist members in their efforts to run and maintain a productive and viable business. Why, if you get no benefit from membership, do you pay fees to that association.
I was a sub-agent in Mitcham (VIC) for about 8yrs and loved the experience, but even then my supplier was complaing of lack of support.
Things apparently have not changed.
Isn’t it about time you all stood up together and said “That’s the last time your gonna rip me off”.
Who is at fault, the distributors for ignoring your pleas for understanding?
The associations for taking your money and going out for a long lunch?
Or could it be the fault of the Newsagents for allowing it to happen ?
Tell ya what, if it was happening to me, I’d be really ‘peed’ off and trying to do something about it.
Why can’t/don’t you get together on this and get some action ?
Perhaps as individual businesses, you’re not really concerned about it at all…………..:-(
Lance such is the problem of the push model. We need to strength to stand up and take control of our own assets.
Dean, unfortunately newsagents have had their contracts negotiated by incompetent people at both the federal and state levels but I agree with you about why any newsagent would pay any money to an association that has never delivered outcomes. I think we are on our own except for those (and I state that I am not)who are a member of a brand like newsxpress or nextra. They are at least getting some good outcomes albeit not at the negotiating table with the publishers.
The publishers are a law unto themselves and until we have new contracts it will continue.
Mark Fletcher was our great white hope but (like all political arenas) there were jealousies and disagreements and the right person never got the job so we must move on.
Mark provides us with more info and more ideas than any of our associations and he does it for gratis.
There is no-one in Australia more qualified to help our industry and yet he was ousted by
much lesser men who could not match his intellect and therefore chose to ignore the possibilities that he brought to the national table.
Shame! shame! shame!
i am sure that our assosiations are doing something well that is what i like to believe , maybe things would be a lot worse than they are now with out them . why do you expect an assosiationto be doing anything for you w=hen you are not part of it ? Maybe if all newsagents forked out some money to fight problems we would see some changes but no every one is complaining and a lot are not even contributing to any cause .
I know i am winging a lot about things not happening but at least i am willing to coff up the fees to get6 people to do it . we need more people to join so we have more fighting power
well thats the way i see it
QNF if you are reading this could you let us know as an example how many in QLD are members compared to non members . i am sure it would not be the majority of newsagents .
shaun,
do you really believe if ALL newsagents become a member of an association, they would be able to do something beyond TALKING with distributors about oversupply?
when i WAS a fee paying member, only news i ever get is from the National Newsagent ……..i never seem to hear about any progress about issues that all of us desperately need.
i was not a newsagent yet when the bill express thing went on……but from what i have read so far, doesn’t leave me with a lot of confidence.
“why do you expect an assosiationto be doing anything for you w=hen you are not part of it ?” — i think thats why a lot of people don’t join anymore…..because they don’t expect anything anymore.
“Mark provides us with more info and more ideas than any of our associations and he does it for gratis.” — couldn’t agree more.
Associations need to be run by people who have no relationship with publishers and distributors and who do not rely on publishers and distributors for any funding or support.
We have been too soft for too long. We have also lacked a national plan for too long.
That said, newsagents get the leadership they vote for.
Mark mentioned the other week that he tried to start something up (i cannot remember exactly) every liked the odea but no one backed it . and this is what happens everyone wants a fix likes the idea untill it is time to coff up the dollars
Most newsagents have no spare time. United action needs to be web-based. One newsagent can suggest action – others can discuss, vote, opt-in or act. This would be a comercially sensitive environment. Membership (with passwords and verification practices) would be required. Action can be swift, united and intimidating, with a view to eliminating examples where our channel is taken advantage of.
Mark, I know these thoughts come up regularly under various headings, but perhaps they should have their own stand alone topic somewhere, where they can be openly discussed and kept moving.
does anyone know where to return the trader mate publications?????
paperwork has gone astray and we have no idea where it came from or where to return it to
HELP thanks