Ugh!

Without reference to our magazine maner, store manager or myself as the business owner, a merchandiser visited and moved Australian Business Solutions, placing it in the premium location usually reserved for BRW magazine.

It is this type of move which annoys me and many other newsagents.  Not only have they increased supply, they have made decisions which only I and my team should make.

Having someone walk into your business and make a change like this without permission is a violation of what should be a respectful relationship.  Publishers treat each other dreadfully.

I am sure the merchandiser will have an excuse, probably that they spoke to someone.  They did not speak to the three people in the business with authority.

Someone needs to tell Harold Mitchell that next time he wants a magazine he should go to a newsagency.  We are the magazine specialists.  Supermarkets are the shopper challenge Harold describes in his article in The Age today:

MAGAZINES are in the news, so I headed off to the supermarket to get the latest. It’s another world in there.

Last summer I managed a four-wheel-drive track through the Australian Alps with just a satellite navigation device.

But a supermarket! More aisles than fire trails. And all I wanted was a little reading matter to have with my traditional breakfast porridge.

Harold is an advertising guru.  He should know that advertising is about reaching consumers.  More magazines are sold in newsagencies than any other retail channel in Australia.  We also provide a better shopping experience for the magazine consumer.

The latest issue of 4WD Action magazine from Express Publications out today is fat.  We have to allocate an additional pocket (not justified), keep stock out the back (time consuming) or jam it into the available space as shown in the photo (not a good look).  Express Publications are the masters at sending bags stuffed which take up space and which often contain old issues which are perennially reissued to make the pack feel more valuable.

From Mag World, a Canadian publication on magazine retailing:

According to Shepard, a primary magazine pocket at a Gateway newsstand in the TTC has a list rate of $11,500 per year. The company’s most expensive location is Toronto’s Union Station, which sells primary pockets at annual rates anywhere from $12,000 to $30,000.

Read the article from which I lifted this quote here.

While I understand there is a considerable difference magazine retailing in Australia compared to Canada and a difference in transit retailing to high street and shopping centres, the numbers quoted make you think about the value of our retail locations.

This photo shows what newsagents often contront as a result of customer frustration with bagged magazines.  The bag is torn open and left to mess the area.  It damages the newsagency and the magazine itself.  Publishers like newsagencies because of our browser traffic yet they often block browsing by bagging titles.  As for the free magazine in the bag – with so many titles offering these I suspect the value proposition is lost.

I published this photo in response a question from a publisher on another blog post about bagging magazines.

I doubt we will ever be able to stop back issues being bagged with the current issue of a magazine.   I at least hope we see a reduction.  There must be better ways to promote magazines.

The US Tennis magazine which came in this morning features a Wimbledon preview.  It is out of date already.  There is a case for magazines with dated content to be air-freighted. Out of date magazines like the current issue of Tennis make us look out of date.

The extra copies of the special Michael Jackson issue of Time we were billed for was actually the regular issue featuring Kevin Rudd.  Kevin won’t sell what we could have sold of the Michael Jackson issue.  This is a frustrating mistake from cash-flow and lost sales perspectives.

UPDATE:  This has been fixed – and in time for is to get the extra sales!

The folks at News Magazines need to sort out their retail strategy.  Using the same bag for two different titles, as they have done this month for Two Wheels and Live to Ride, will confuse consumers.  Check out the photo.  One challenge is finding the title – as this is blocked by the printing on the bag – both titles look the same.  Another challenge is seeing (or not) the difference between the two titles.

I’d expect this common bag to hurt sales.

Our sell-through for Atomic computer and technology magazine was 28%.  It is loss making for us.  I checked out the magazine website and was surprised to find little connection to the magazine, nothing driving retail traffic or sales.  Computer titles are challenged enough without publishers ignoring opportunities to drive retail traffic.  Put us on the website, promote the magazine, run promoting to drive traffic to newsagencies.  We give you space – returning the favour is the least you can do!