Newsagent locked out by software company
A newsagent having a dispute with the software provider found themselves locked out of their system when they opened for business one day recently. Help from an expert showed that overnight their system had been ‘updated’ and access blocked. While the legalities of such action by a newsagent software company can be tested elsewhere, my warning to newsagents is to check who has access to your computer system and why.
No software company ought to have access to your computer system without your permission and knowledge. The story recounted in this blog post is the fourth such incident I have seen this year. It demonstrates the risk to newsagents who may find themselves in a disputer with their software providor.
I urge newsagent to bar access by outside parties. I also urge newsagents to refuse licence agreements which require annual licence fees – separate from software support – as it is through such licence agreements that access such as this is often managed.
Last issue, we sold two copies of 
I received a call late yesterday from an avid collectorof the James Bond car series. He found me through a Google search and landed at this blog. We talked for fifteen minutes or so about the challenges associated with buying partworks – through a newsagency versus via subscription. He has purchased through two newsagencies in Melbourne.
We are carefully watching the publisher calendars this year – while we have canceled most, some sneak through like this one. Our concerns are margin and shelf life. The calendars we have ordered directly generate more than twice the margin so, naturally, we prefer them to these units. Also, the titles we have ordered are integrated – we ordered each for a reason – whereas titles like this not ordered by us has to be placed somewhere. Finding a relevant location for one off product is challenging.
Bagged magazines are a problem in newsagencies. Take this Jumbo Puzzle Pack built around the That’s Life brand.
I like this display unit which was provided with the October issue of 
We completed a relay of stationery at our Forest Hill store two weeks ago and while it is early days, we are seeing close to a 25% increase in sales on some days. As part of the relay we quit plenty of older stock and stock which represented brands we now wanted to carry and brought in new product – especially around the new brands. I expect the increase to settle at 40% long term once the makeover of stationery is complete.
The Trading Post has the same retail space allocation as the Herald Sun newspaper in my newsagency. The gross profit it generates is only 3% of that of the Herald Sun. In a cash-flow sense, allowing for the cost of real-estate and labour, the Trading Post is a loss making title at least at Forest Hill, Victoria. Beyond the financial return is the efficiency.
Interesting to read an Editor& Publisher