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AFL footy cards challenge cash-flow for a micro margin

promostockweightWhile I like the traffic for the AFL foot cards being promoted with the Herald Sun, there needs to be a discussion about billing and margin. The slim margin and the early payment coupled with customers who only want cards challenges the viability.

While you could say it’s up to use to sell something else, it is challenging with customers coming in the the coupon and wanting only the cards. More than a third of them are frustrated at having to shop for the cards and are therefore not in a head space conducive to up-sell.

I’d prefer a model where we are paid a retail margin of 30% or more.

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  1. reg

    They didn’t sell very well here, so we have a large tower of boxes in our back room ready to go back. Of course, the return date has now been extended until mid-May, ie 6 weeks away. Then again, I’m told I’m lucky to have a back room to store them in.

    2 likes

  2. David @ Angle Vale Newsagency

    Same here, reg. Sold less than a third of my allocation. Now, if only I could get some team Coach cards supplied at that level!

    1 likes

  3. June

    AFL cards from the newspaper was a dead dog in our store (and we are a big trading
    card store).
    Got the bill today and I only opened 1 x box of each no (1-10) for sale and all the rest are returns.
    The result is an extra $4K on the bill from the newsagent this week which I will not be paying until I get the credit for the remainder.

    When these unsolicited (as always) promos are sent to us we should be able to say “I want that one but I don’t want this one”.
    No one knows our demographic like we do and we are not even in the loop.
    The GG cards (orange this year) are the ones that the younger kids want and they know which ones they are. They totally rejected the Advertiser promo while they were waiting for the GG ones to arrive.
    We sold out of albums in 2 days and I am
    not happy that we have not had our full supply because the impetus is NOW.
    One parent tells another and with Easter coming we can sell them so easily as Easter gifts for parents who don’t like chocolates etc.
    I think GG need to look at how they are handling these cards and get the second lot to us asap or they will miss the boat too.
    I know a lot of newsagents who are bypassing GG and Network cards and purchasing (firm sale) direct from the companies and the lack of product at this
    time of the season is totally abysmal.
    We have been promised last year’s supply this year but so far I have only had
    50% of them.
    Has anyone else had their full supply yet?
    The fact that you can’t return them easily also means that the agents who don’t want them are stuck with them until the returns can go back so those of us who want them desperately are stuck again.
    Surely this info is available to both companies to ensure that the supply demographic is suitable – LIKE LOOK AT LAST YEAR’S RETURNS PLEASE!!!!!
    I very very rarely go outside the system but I am very tempted.

    3 likes

  4. Steve

    June
    If anyones got their second allocation I’ll be spitting chips. I rang G&G today to chase up my first allocation and was told it wont be delivered till the 7th of April (I’m in country WA) all because Collingwood were to useless to get their photos in on time. I’ve had the albulms since last Thursday but their pretty useless without the cards. Once again the AFL has reverted to the VFL with Melbourne newsagents getting priority.

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  5. jeff

    The select cards through Network are handled brilliantly. The team zone through GGA are awful and always have been that way from my perspective..not sure if its them or the supplier but I have the same supply problems each year. Cards are huge for us so its disappointing

    2 likes

  6. John Fitzpatrick

    June,

    We always nett charge at end on any promo from News.

    Every Distribution Newsagent should be doing this.

    Catch up

    John

    1 likes

  7. Amanda

    This has been going on for at least a decade. Not going to change, margin continues to get smaller.

    2 likes

  8. Gary

    I would be very interested to know where Team Coach cards can be purchased apart from Gotch. Even if it is firm sale.

    3 likes

  9. Dennis Robertson

    2nd allocation G&G AFL Team Booster Pack just came in. Metro Adelaide.

    1 likes

  10. June

    Just got my 2nd allocation from GG and it
    was perfect timing as I was on my last box.
    Has anyone had a second round of the albums?
    We have been sold out all week and I was
    hoping that today I would get them for the weekend trading but they didn’t arrive.
    Oh well, I was very very happy to get the second lot of cards.

    2 likes

  11. Steve

    STILL NOT GETTING MY FIRST ALLOCATION TILL NEXT MONDAY.TALK ABOUT PISSED OFF!!

    0 likes

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