A colleague let me know that he received the following bagged magazines yesterday:
- Stunning Bags 9.95 plus 2 other issues total 3 mags
- Bagged Mini trucking 9.95 plus 2 other issues total 3 mags
- Performance Imports 9.95 plus 1 other issue total 2 mags
- 50 fabulous Rooms 8.95 plus 2 other issues total 3 mags
- Extreme 9.95 plus 2 other issues total 3 mags
- Heavy Duty Hot Rods 9.95 plus 2 other issues total 3 mags
- Holden’s 9.95 plus 2 other issues total 3 mags
- Let’s Get Beading 9.95 plus 2 other issues total 3 mags
- Let’s Get Knitting 9.95 plus 1 other issues total 2 mags
- Aust Fine art & Dec 9.95 plus 2 other issues total 3 mags
- Delightful Scrap Quilts 9.95 plus 2 other issues total 3 mags
- Embroidery & Cross Stitch 9.95 plus 2 other issues total 3 mags
- Dressmaking with Stitches 9.95 plus 2 other issues total 3 mags
- Country Decorating Ideas 8.95 plus 2 other issues total 3 mags
- Easy Organic Gardening 7.95 plus 2 other issues total 3 mags
- Innovative Kitchens & Bathrooms 9.95 plus 2 other issues total 3 mags
- Zoom 9.95 plus 2 other issues total 3 mags
- 4WD Accessory Guide 9.95 plus 2 other issues total 3 mags
I received some of these in a couple of my newsagencies but not all. I’d be interested in the experiences of other newsagents.
Bagged magazines, especially undated bagged magazines, are problematic on several fronts:
- They take up more space than regular magazines.
- They are of dubious value with the ‘bonus’ content too often being very old and or damaged.
- They often have a longer than 30 days shelf life.
- Despite what publishers say, customers don’t like that they cannot browse the content.
- In some categories they do not sell well at all.
So fellow newsagents, did you receive any of these titles? If so, what do you think?
Looks like I got the same ones you did.
I noticed especially with NDC that just about everything was bagged.
Also the order the mags came in was nothing like the Xchangeit file. One invoice was over 3 different sheets of magazine stickers. Finished my mags about 12 noon.
MAGAZINE BAGS ALONE COULD JUST ABOUT DESTROY ANY OZONE LAYER
Mine are never in any order . i am sure i read somewhere that this can be fixed i just keep putting it off “i will do it tomorrow ” maybe monday
Shaun S,
I always just print out my NDC first, in the same order that the dockets/invoices appear in xchangeit. I then do GG.
Friday I did that. GG was fine. NDC was a complete mess.
We received about one third of the mentioned titles yesterday, plus a few others like Extreme Performance and Xtreme Holdens. Not surprising, since we have quite a large range of motoring mags and bagged titles appear to be quite common in the motoring section. On the popularity, having only done a quick history scan on a few of the mentioned titles, I have to say that sales of bagged titles appear to sell erratically. (The best example I have of this is Extreme Performance: sold/rec’d: 5/7, 2/5, 3/3, 6/7, 0/7, 6/9, 1/9, etc). I can only guess the reasoning for this, but I do watch customers picking up the bagged titles, turning them over and over, perhaps wondering if there is any real value? Obviously, we do sell bagged titles, but I feel as if there should be a better way to offer ‘value’ to readers, while producing a magazine that is able to be browsed easily (ie it is not bagged and it is not too big to display effectively).
We received nearly all the titles mentioned and whilst some are a few we have not had before the qty received of each means we will be sending a lot back due to low sales history.
Checking for and takeing out the subscriptions took some time
Received pretty well the entire list in anything between single copies to 6 of one title. I’ve early returned around half of the titles received because they appear to be very similar to some other titles on shelf at the moment.
Interesting case in point regarding bagged mags; I had a lady and daughter in just before close looking at the card making mags, one of which is a bagged multi issue. She ended up going with two of the non multi bagged issues instead of the multi bagged because as she said ” she knew exactly what she was getting”. I “may” have steered her slightly away from the multi bagged mags too as I did say I wasnt too keen on them either.
We received all the titles listed. On a positive note it is only the first week of the month. All titles can stay, but if I am looking for a return later in the month these bagged titles are the first on my list.
I had to laugh when i read this post because when i was pricing the NDC mags yesterday i couldn’t believe how much crap was in the bundles and even more so than usual. As per usual the first thing i did was go through what i was early returning (which was over 50% of it) and proceeded on putting the rest on the shelf which funnily enough there wasn’t much left.
Oh to have the days back where Friday mornings only had a few titles to put out on the shelves. Now Fridays go close to rivalling Wednesdays in the amount of titles we receive. At least the vast majority of titles we get on Wednesdays actually sell at the very least a few of depending on which one. It just seems these days that Friday morning deliveries are as i mentioned just crap for the most part and get early returned.
We also received all of the bagged titles mentioned and some. I guess I shouldnt have been surprised to find that two seperate titles ( “Delightful Scrap Quilts” & “Best Applique Quilts”) had the same magazines in the bags, just had them bagged in a different order! An insult to Newsagents & most importantly our customers. Enough is enough!
We also received plenty of the stock that you have mentioned Mark.
The issue you have raised regarding customers not liking it is 100% correct.
The older issues in the bagged product that are then marketed as a value pack are a rip off for my customers.
Usually the older mags have just been returned from other stores, sometimes within the last 3 months.
My customers that buy these “value packs” feel ripped off because 9 times out of 10 they have already purchased them……and from history they are not happy.
It is just another way our distributors offload out of date stock and get paid for it.
There is also NO justification for the extended shelf life……once again putting further pressure upon cash flow.
I think that a 30 day shelf life is reasonable. Anything beyond that and newsagents need to be paid extra.
**FOOTNOTE**
Just received GG Bill for Feb; my store sold $14990.00 off GG product during February…….GG Statement for Feb…$19,000.00!!
No wonder newsagents are so pissed off at the moment with distributors!!!!!!!!
Vaughan , have a look and see if when you minus fridays and mondays deliverys out of the equation i bet it will look a lot better , as i am sure like myself and a lot of others you would have early returned a lot of the stock from those 2 deliverys .
Shaun S;
We keep a very tight control on GG product; to the level of keeping a data base from Tower Systems of product that is clear abuse in supply. The evidence is damning and GG cannot justify the oversupply we are experiencing at my store. I am currently talking with GG fortnightly as a result of the data i have collected.
It took a formal complaint and the data i had collected to get them to the table to discuss the problem. (it was discuss with me or i was going to take the information further).
I still collect the data from Tower Systems (a simple Alt-T, scan the mag, and save the history as a PDF File) and will keep a close watch over the coming 2 months. I am happy to talk to anyone that wants to do the same. The more data that is collected the more GG need to take notice.
….and you are right, particularly with Friday delivery.
I hate early returns, i really do, we shouldn’t have to do it, but it is the only way i can keep control of my stock. If i let GG go without control, i would have more magazines than Mag Nation.
the next strategy for them is bagged 12 mags for the price of 1 .
yeah please supply me i challenge them:))))
almost all my friday deliveries go straight early return.
mondays and wednesdays the titles are still good…… friday titles are “WTF titles”
@vaughan
re: #15
after you spoke with them, anything happen? or still same old?
ed same here fridays is all the crap mags i would say 90% do not make it on the shelf (they do for the up untill cut off date and then they are goneeeeeeeee )
Does anyone know if you can stop all new over seas tittles coming in and just keep what is on order at present , i have no need for any new overseas tittles they are to expensive and customers just will not pay for these over priced mags . I often get oh this mag looks great but there is no way i am paying that .
worst part of overseas titles are that customers think that WE are gouging them with the outrageous markup. (i know we can explain its not us, but some of them don’t believe us)
Ed;
We have only just begun the process of GG monitoring all titles that arrive in my store.
I would guess GG are doing this because i have made some noise and have clear proof of their behaviour.
Imagine if 500 newsagents demanded the similar treatment…..GG would have no choice but to change the way they look at distribution, as would cost them a small fortune in wages.
I only hope newsagents are taking the little bit of extra time to save PDF files and thus have clear proof of what is going on.
The pressure needs to be put on GG and Network that things MUST change or they will kill the distribution channel as it stands.
In eight years, this is by far the worst i have seen it; which does not surprise me, considering how far magazine sales are down. GG and Network continue to send the same qty of mags, if not more, so their profits do not drop.
The whole system is becoming a farce!
my crystal ball said GG will be like Border soon.