The frustration among some retail only newsagents re the price rise from News Limited on Saturday could have been avoided has the company established direct communication with these retailers. Without geting in the way of the day to day distribution relationship between distribution newsagents and retail newsagents, a publisher / retailer relationship could help the newsagents and their customers.
Had I not received direct advice form News, at least one of my newsagencies would not have known about the price rise – the distribution newsagent is as appalling with such things as with allocation.
Other benefits could flow from such a direct relationship – like working together on retail customer loyalty programs that lock these customers into a more regular purchase of the newspaper.
Luckily we only get a few but it drives me
crazy when I don’t get pre-advice about
such things.
As a distribution agent I was always meticulous about advising my subbies of
such things and it is typical of our industry that the respect is not there now.
I meant to say “thankyou” to you Mark because I probably wouldn’t have known
because I don’t work on Saturday mornings and it could have gone on for
ages.