Check out what the Little Friends bundle pack from ACp looked like yesterday. Inside the sealed pack is an old copy of the magazine with a sticker from the previous newsagent. Someone, I am guessing at Network, put a line through the price and the barcode. They damaged the cover in doing this. It would have been easier to remove the sticker as it has a non-damaging adhesive.
I can’t sell this copy of the product – it is not compliant in my view and is being early returned.
I have spoken about this before. The condition of magazines coming into my
store – apart from IPS who are meticulous
in their presentation in SA – is atrocious.
The special edition of Hello yesterday was
disgraceful. Top and bottom copies of
3 bundles were all unsaleable – they were
torn and scratched and had obviously not
been treated with any respect whatsoever.
I will have to return 6 of my quantities when I could have sold every one of them.
This is especially true of airfreight copies which are the most expensive in my shop.
They ALWAYS arrive with the top and bottom copies damaged and unsaleable.
Often there is only one copy of the mag and therefore we never know whether or not it will sell because of the condition of the product.
If I was the publisher I would be appalled.
Surely it is in the interests of us all to continue to pack (as IPS does) all magazines with posters top and bottom and wrapped securely both ways with strapping.
It isn’t a hard task but it is immensely damaging to receive so many mags that are in poor condition.
In an industry that is trying hard to survive surely excellence in wrapping shouldn’t be too hard to attain.
It ain’t rocket science and you don’t need a degree to handle it but you do need some commonsense.
I asked my delivery guy from IPS why there product was so good and everyone else’s so bad and he said “my boss would have our guts for garters if anything was packed poorly” and he also told me that all
IPS product is packed in SA for SA.
Perhaps the other companies could send a delegation of packers to IPS in Adelaide to learn how to do it???
I know I sound frivolous but it is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars on a daily basis Australia wide so it is not a little
problem IT IS A BIG ONE.
EVERY delivery we receive has damage, we report that damage and now we cannot get automatic approval for our reports because we have “too many”. The bundles are strapped to tight sometimes, every time they are apparently thrown around, every time they are stacked poorly in the trolleys we leave for them but it is OUR store that has to report them and then call to justify that report. Perhaps they should look in their own backyard first.
Much improvement is needed in the supply chain, I am so glad people like June speak up on in issues, my view is its a big issue.
Although I do see care taken on magazines slotted into a cardboard splint for protection, overall the product delivered to a Newsagent needs to be reviewed.
We should highlight these issues which distribution companies have given us the ability to log damaged magazines and gain an instant credit or replacement however Newsagents are time poor and frustrated and do what I sometimes do and put the damaged ones away until the returns are due. This is not the answer though.
The supply chain is the cause and I am prepared to take all the critism if forthcoming, the fault lies with the Delivery process. The distribution companies need to look squarely at the Truck / Delivery drivers for this, when you have Job and finish mentality, no accountability or service presentation is in that persons thoughts.
I have written to Network & Gotch previously concerning this problem………No reply………
I am sorry their are only 4 people out of the whole Newsagency channel dissatisfied with unmerchantable printed material.
I am sorry to the Distribution companies as this does not seem to be a widespread issue. Keep up the good work and business as usual.
What this blog needs is an agree or like button. Quite often the comments posted say it all and there is nothing more to be added. If there was an agree button you would see how many have read the comment and support that person’s view.
It is certainly worth mentioning what a brilliant pack design these little friends come in. Looks terrific if spread out on the shelf and worked well as an impulse buy when we last got a pack like this. When pushed for space we can also display folded up, but customers can at least un-fold pack to see what’s inside (unlike most bonus packs). Like you, the first thing I noticed when unpacking the stock was the ugly thick black texta on old price tags ruining the appeal of the stock. Such a shame.
The use of bent, torn and crooked bits of cardboard sticking out the tops of magazines also kills sales. They never arrive in good condition, and the disributors love putting a tear right down the middle with the strapping machines. For any publisher planning to have cardboard sticking out the top advertising your competition or supplement….. DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!! It may look terrific on your computer screen, but it looks appalling at your newsagent.
pb I like the idea of a LIKE button. Working on it.