Several newsagents have contacted me about the freight costs in sending boxed of unsold part 1 of new partworks back to the distributors. My experience is that distributors will cover this if you contact them and explain that the allocation of oversupply is their responsibility. If the supply model was more accurate such wastage could be avoided.
I was talking about this with a non circulation product supplier recently. They were shocked that newsagents had to pay to send back unsold stock, especially where newsagents had no say in the allocation of stock in the first case.
If you travel to GNS Sydney to buy stationery weekly, drop your returns on the way. This is what we do and it is free.
That just reminded me I have a whole box of Billy bones skulls to send back that I forgot to do returns for. Only drama is they are going to cost more to send back than the dollar value in the box .. Might try calling and asking .
i only ever return part one of a series in th faint hope they will reduce my supply for the rest, always costs more than the credit we get for returning it
i only ever return part one of a series in the faint hope they will reduce my supply for the rest, always costs more than the credit we get for returning it
Chris the newsagencies that prompted this post are two hours out of Sydney and they do not purchase stationery cash and carry. The returns costs are high.
I know I could sell more if they sent appropriate stands to go on the lease line, however, we are remote so unless it is heavily supported with TV advertising, we must bear the cost of returning most, and some are incredibly bulky eg trains and planes and human body body. I just get angrier and angrier at how unfairly we are treated from returns to unfair margins on diaries, calendars, too many things sent without consent. I noticed at one of our stores we have been sent more loom bands, I can’t be everywhere all the time to police these unsolicited ‘things’ we receive so some slip through, and again I get angrier…….
We return ours to the suppliers and we are 1.5hrs from Melb G & G. We factor it into our business, and make sure that that day is spent going to city suppliers to see new stock and to follow up on business matters. Works for us – and we get to see other things happening in other markets.
The problems associated with partworks have been well documented (problems with supply, display, returns, damaged product, and the poaching of newsagency customers). Partworks companies need to respond by increasing newsagency commission to 40%.