We don’t have room for Time Out Sydney. had we been asked if we wanted the title ewe would have declined. Instead, we’ve brought it in, unpacked it, processed it and then returned it. As newsagents become more angry magazine publishers will see an increase in early returns.
In case you are unsure about newsagent anger – it is fuelled by being held accountable for indebtedness with insufficient control over this.
MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS AND DISTRIBUTORS: FYI, it’s 2015. Technology is advanced. We ought to have control over title range and volume in our businesses. Give us this and we become accountable for indebtedness and we have a reason to look at magazines as more than what they have become because of your inaction.
talking of no room for extra mags did anyone else receive 2 lots of pc powerplay today looks to be exactly the same magazine deal with a freeby mag but 2 different prices ?
one has a dvd, one without. They do it every issue.
yeah I know that I now realise this to be the case 🙂
because they are both wrapped in plastic it confused me this time they even both feel like they have a dvd inside which they do because I opened them up to see what the go was . dvd in the new mag and dvd in the old mag .
I always return the one with the dvd because the customers change the labels on the mag and come to the counter with the $13.95 mag with a $10.95 label so I have decided to return the dvd one and if I don’t sell any of the ones on the shelf I will revert to the other way around.
Gotta keep in front of the bastards (there Mark I swore too and it felt good)
just bringing in labels from IPS for next week and notice Alquimie is coming with 18 copies. Have only ever had 3 to return 3 every time so NO SALES at all and suddenly 18 copies at $15 each.
It is appalling behaviour and it totally leaves me cold to be treated this way.
It is purely and simply a grab for cash.
I would totally cancel their account if it were not for the lady who answers their phone queries. She is very very nice and personable and does her utmost to
fix the problem but it doesn’t stem from her – it is systemic.
They only have about 4 mags that sell in my shop so I don’t think it would be much of a loss to cancel the account but I don’t want to cut off my nose to spite my face so I will work my way through the changes (again!) and see if the alterations take place.
I got that Alquimie this morning as well June. My labels say $18 not $15 like yours.
Anyway I had a joke with a customer this morning, saying “would you pay $18 for a magazine about wine?”
He had a quick flick through it and said “yes, I’ll buy it for my boss for christmas, he’s into that”
So just like that, I sold 1
I only got 2 though, not 18 like you.
But they might give me 100 next month cause I sold 1 this month
Subaru, great story on the sale. I know Alquime and have met the team behind the title – they’re near my office. It’s much more than a wine title.
June, contact IPS today. I am sure it is a mistake on their allocations side.
Subaru, checked my labels and it was $18 not $15. Good sales job for Alquime though?
Mark I have rung IPS and they will change the alteration but I have to accept this 18 although the lady did say I could early return them (full copies though which will cost me) but I have to wait until they’re instore and then ring her back.
What a kerfuffle when we didn’t cause it in the first place.
June, let me know how you go as I am sure I can get a better outcome for you by escalating it.
WOW! You’re a winger!
Sean did you mean I “wing it” or did you mean I was a “whinger”.
You bet I whinge if I don’t think something
is right or it could be done better. I call it “constructive criticism”
Those who “wing it” usually don’t plan their cashflow etc and in this industry that can lead to big trouble.
Having said all that I hope everyone has a lovely Xmas and enjoy your couple of days off with families or friends.
I consider you all to be my friends and I have enjoyed the blogging year.
Obviously Sean, you don’t want to be my friend but Merry Xmas anyway.
Carol I hope 2015 brings you some luck.
Al W I hope you haven’t alienated the real Mrs Claus???????????
Ips should be rectifying this without escalation. They won’t allow early returns as a trade of to us setting supply, this is either deliberate or a mistake, either way June should get an immediate credit for at least 15, leaving the 3 she would normally get. Should not be required to return the 15 either, straight into the bin with them. Ips are starting to act like the other two, with the difference we can’t early return. If this happened to me I would not be paying another account til I saw the credit come thru, if they want to stop supply, so be it.
Rick they should. They are probably too inflexible to though.
June, how do you get someone at IPS to answer the phone? We’ve given up with no answers or put on hold, just email now. If we want to talk to them about accounts we just don’t pay and they contact us of course.
Looking forward to the day the few magazines we get from them go to another supplier and we never have to deal with them ever again.
They are the worst of the worst in all the companies we deal with!!
One more mistake from IPS and I am closing my account. I will miss Winning Post, Best Bets and Dirtcomp magazine, but that will be a small price to pay.
Max, I am disappointed to say I am with you. Their model is not viable for us.
Likewise Max – if WP and Best Bets were not supplied via IPS, my account would be closed as well.
June, we are sorry to hear about the mix-up with your delivery of Alquimie. We always want to support our stockists and make our best effort to contact as many, personally, as possible. It seems there has been some confusion here and we shall be in direct contact with you. Can you please drop an email to a@alquimie.com.au and we shall be in touch.
Subaru, glad to hear that the copy was well received. We understand that we are placed at a premium price but the paper stock, size of the publication and timelessness of the content hopefully supports that pricing. It is a product designed for longevity in the home.
As an indepedent publication based in Richmond, we are always trying to streamline our distribution and appreciate any direct contact we can have with newsagents. We have found this provides for more interesting in-store promotion and interaction with our readers.
Josh – Alquimie.
No problem at all Josh. Truly, it was a sheer fluke that I was just joking around with a regular morning customer, and he grabbed that magazine as a gift for his boss.
If I hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have sold it. It was on the counter because I hadn’t had time to put it on the shelf yet. I mentioned it, he bought it.
If you don’t ask, you don’t get