Australian Newsagency Blog

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How to handle a newspaper thief

Mark
May 2nd, 2008 · 7 Comments

Rowan Higgon of Pakenham Newsagency passed on this brilliant advice to a newsagent who asked how they should handle the regular theft of a newspaper delivered to a subscriber’s home.

We discuss the situation with the client and they fix it by doing the following:

  1. Keep an old paper and plastic wrap.
  2. Wrap fresh dog poo or similar into the old paper and wrap with plastic.
  3. Set alarm for the delivery of the next days paper (we advise expected arrival)
  4. Swap paper over.
  5. The thief in our case is generally on the way to the train station and unwraps said paper on the train.
  6. Thief is embarrassed and now knows that we know who it is.
  7. Problem solved.

The alternative is the owner waits for the thief and gives him a hose down.

Brilliant advice!

Category: Newsagency challenges · theft

7 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Thomas T. // May 2, 2008 at 11:45 AM

    How bloody trivial.
    $10 effort for 25 cent margin.
    Focus on the main game.

  • 2 mark // May 2, 2008 at 12:28 PM

    Hmm, if this happens, say, three times a week and is not stopped it gets to be more than the margin from one newspaper.

  • 3 Niall // May 2, 2008 at 12:49 PM

    Thomas - How do you work out the effort costs $10?

  • 4 Thomas T. // May 2, 2008 at 1:28 PM

    Hello Niall.
    $10 is calculated mainly by the dog poo component. At Forest Hill, they sell it at $15.99 kg. It is proper cheaper at Mark’s, especially if it is cross-marketed with a dog magazine, on a spinner, or cross-linked at the counter, with a T-shirt worn by an employee.

  • 5 Fred // May 2, 2008 at 9:42 PM

    Thomas, you would be the best supplier as you are full of it!

  • 6 Jk // May 2, 2008 at 10:29 PM

    Here the customer can get as many free non-deliveries as he wants
    I get to keep the masterhead
    It’s a win win situation ;P

  • 7 Andrew // May 13, 2008 at 10:30 PM

    We fill the paper with flour :D

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