And magazine publishers wonder why newsagents early return. This week we received a 71% increase in supply of Nexus magazine without any justification in our sales data and for no obvious reason in this issue of the magazine.
Our sales data indicates that no increase was warranted yet some person or process within Network Services thinks otherwise.
This is yet another example of gross oversupply over which newsagents have no control, oversupply that disadvantages us and impacts on our ability to effectively compete in the magazine space.
If this behaviour continues consumers will suffer form lack of competition.
Take note magazine publishers – if you want newsagents to keep selling magazines, fix this type of oversupply!
I got mine doubled to it must be a secret conspiracy of some kind.
Haha Peter. I’d accept that as an answer.
Why are we over supplied magazines? Why, because publishers over promise to their advertisers the amount of reach they receive.
EDI last night and I noticed I am to receive 18 My Wedding mags Monday. This is on top of the 41 I received on delayed billing previously which are not due for payment until 20/7. I have sold 5 of the 41. Why do we send our data thru each night?
As I can now return the 36 I haven’t sold, they along with the 18 I receive tomorrow will be early returned in protest and the space devoted to publishers who do the right thing. I will also be notifying the major advertisers in the magazine of the over promise they are sold. Now the future brides will need to take photos on their iphones of titles other than My Wedding.
I’d suggest others look at their arrivals tomorrow also.
I have recently done a quick mental calc for mags. Bring them into stock with labels and set up on shelving via exchangeit mon wed fri = 6hrs. remove tops and scan out send return, printout requirements and remove mags not accepted for return per week = 3hrs. Box up and label =1hr Total hrs = 10 per week @$22.00 = $220 x 52wks= $11440. Turnover $6000 per month x 25% =$1500 x 12mths= $18000. = approx $6000pa profit. no stockholding taken into account. Rent cost approx $1000 per month means a loss of $6000 pa. And we have to put up with all the B…S…. The area has got to get smaller.
If I was an advertiser in a magazine, I would be demanding rates based on the amount sold, not the amount printed or shipped (since a magazine returned to the distributor/publisher unsold means no-one is going to look at the ads in it)
If I was a publisher I would be putting terms in the contract with the distributor that mean they get less for a magazine that is returned than they get for one that is actually sold as a way to encourage them to not ship magazines that get sent back.