Australian Newsagency Blog

22 responses so far ↓

• 1 Ken Burgin // Jan 24, 2008 at 12:03 AM

  FYI - Walmart purging 1000 magazine titles http://www.nypost.com/seven/01182008/business/cleaning_the_racks_368974.htm

• 2 James Tuckerman // Apr 12, 2008 at 5:13 PM

  Hi Mark,

  I’m an independent publisher and just discovered your blog. Tremendous!

  I’m constantly trying to think of ways to support our friendly newsagent owners.

  In fact, I just ran a blog of my own that I hope will support retail sales (http://editorsblog.anthillonline.com/wordpressmu/).

  I’d like to suggest a section or tagged series on advice for publishers.

  It’s hard sometimes for publishers to enter the mindset of a newsagent owner (if they visited your blog, I suspect their eyes would be opened).

  Anyway, keep up the good work.

  James

• 3 mark // Apr 12, 2008 at 6:43 PM

  Thanks for the comment James. I have a blog post half completed on independent publishers - advice for them and for newsagents. When I post I will be sure to establish a new tag. While some aspects of independent magazines are frustrating, they are important to our future and we ought to more effectively embrace them.

• 4 James Tuckerman // Apr 17, 2008 at 2:57 PM

  Thanks Mark.

  Speaking from the trenches, we fear the loss of independent media, I assume, the same way that independent newsagents watch the large chains with trepidation.

  I’m fortunate enough now to have reasonably high sales. But the early days were daunting, living in constant fear of range reviews from the big players or confusing ‘little guys’ (calling our magazine Anthill didn’t help).

  The ABC ran a short story on us in 2006 (http://www.anthillonline.com/article_detail.php?id=414), where you can see just how humble our beginnings truly were.

  If newsagents stay independent, there will be a greater chance of more niche titles making their way to the shelves, which always has draw backs (many don’t sell, frustrating for you guys) but the upside is greater commercial creativity, a broader array of opinions and a smarter country.

  I’m not sure that magazines can stay vibrant and creative if the newsagent channel is homogenized by a few.

  So, I watch your blog with fascination and respect.

  Best regards
  James

• 5 jim // May 7, 2008 at 8:56 PM

  Hi Mark,

  there is just few voice about bill express from newsagecny. Could you put the following into your blog?

  Bill Express unfair Agreement Hit Newsagent

  More and more newsagents get angry at unfair change of contract by Bill Express. Bill Express started taking $500 per/month from their pocket.

  The newsagent sale mobile phone recharge card and pay bills through Bill Express platform and at the end of the day, the profit from this platform is far from cover its rental charge which is $495 per month plus GST.

  The post office have more advanced bill pay system. The rental cost is around $200.00 per month but including POS system and post office bill pay system nearly can pay any bill.

  Why newsagent signed up with Bill Express at first place? The reason is very simple. Bill Express had told most newsagents that the system is free after the market subsidy.

  The subsidy was removed from February and advertising rebate removed from March too. Now newsagent have to pay $495 per/month rental fee for a system that can only generate or make $5~$15 commission pre/month.

  I wonder what sort of Agreement that newsagent with Bill Express. Is it a ‘Agent Agreement’ or it is a ‘Rental Agreement’. If it is later, why newsagent rents a big plasma screen to display Bill Express Advertise at its own cost?

  Any Business trading should fair. This is the essential business rule for our society.

  If Bill Express keep doing like this, newsagents will draft away from Bill Express. That is why newsagent wants to stop paying Bill Express.

• 6 VAUGHAN LAWRENCE // May 28, 2008 at 6:56 AM

  Hi Mark,
  Atrocious behaviour this morning by magazine distributors. No notification of the massive delivery problems this morning. Beechworth will not recieve magazines until 11.00am this morning; the only reason we know this is because we contacted our delivery driver who notified us. At Seymour store i would not have a clue when they will arrive, so we just sit here and twiddle our thumbs. Two issues, one; lack of communication by distributors which needs massive attention, two; what has caused this hold up that all magazines from three distributors is held up??
  Vaughan
  NewsXpress Beechworth
  NewsXpress Seymour

• 7 Shannon Cooper // Jun 19, 2008 at 8:23 PM

  Hi Mark:

  Love the blog (and was interested to read James Tuckerman’s comments- I love Anthill), as a person who is interested in small business, and I have been a subscriber for over 18months now.

  Anyway thought you might like this http://magcloud.com/Home

  Cheers,
  Shannon

• 8 HG // Jul 22, 2008 at 5:47 PM

  Hi,

  Is there any section about Point of Sale systems used by newsagents in this blog? It is good to see there is a website for newsagents opinions and thoughts.

  Thanks.

  HG

• 9 mark // Jul 22, 2008 at 5:55 PM

  HG, Click on the newsagent software category for more posts on this.

  Mark

  http://www.newsagencyblog.com.au/category/newsagent_software

• 10 David Sanders // Aug 4, 2008 at 12:55 PM

  I would liek to know if newsagencies in Australia have to pay freight costs to get magzines delivered to their shop. We are in Norfolk Island and have to pay the freight cost which add significantly to the price of the mags, without any subsidy. For magazines unsold we are left with the cost of the freight without subsidy!!!

• 11 Michael // Aug 4, 2008 at 1:34 PM

  David, I get the Sydney Morning Herald freighted to me each week and I include the freight in the price. I explain to customers that they would get it unless they paid for it.

• 12 David Sanders // Aug 4, 2008 at 1:34 PM

  I did forget to mention as a friend just pointed out, we are a part of Australia, for those that may not be aware of where NI is situated.

• 13 Michael // Aug 4, 2008 at 1:35 PM

  I did!!!

• 14 Ross Kilpatrick // Aug 11, 2008 at 3:40 PM

  Could Newspapers and Magazines Sales Disappear with FREE Online stories?

  I just attended a online seminar in Silicon Valley in the USA at Stanford University, and I could not get anyone to tell me what is going to happen to Free TV, Newspapers and Magazine quality as more people go on line for FREE stories and entertainment.
  I am the CEO of Huntingdales Brand Builders and Advertising in Sydney, Australia. We need to confidently advise clients on what media will give them there the best return on investment.
  I am quite disturbed to see the Current Affair style TV shows directing their viewers to websites after they run a story. This will only effect the advertisers and the quality of FREE TV. Advertisers will not wish to place ads on TV if this practice continues. Why does James Packer know, that we don’t? Why did he sell out of the family Channel 9 business? The quality of writing in US newspapers has hit an all time low. And for the media savvy, we know the rest of the media gain their stories from the daily press. What will this do to balanced journalism if we don’t have competent, well disciplined jurno’s starting the story off correctly in the first place? Huntingdales also run an online shopping site called http://www.streetsmartshopper.com.au where we supply top brand appliances, fridges, washing machines and TV’s below normal retail prices. In the future we would like to run advertising on TV and in the press to gain more awareness. However, it will become harder and harder to gain an extra share of voice without good press and FREE TV.
  Does anyone know what will happen to magazines and newspaper sales?

• 15 Sam // Aug 11, 2008 at 11:02 PM

  i run a small corner shop which has Bill Express. This business is running at a loss. Now this burden of $545 is impossible to organise. I am increasing loans to manage. Is there any organised way to get help? can somebody shed any light for me in this serious problem we are now facing due to the deceitful conduct of the notorious Bill Exp mgmt.

• 16 SHAUN // Aug 12, 2008 at 8:24 AM

  Sam put a stop on the direct debit and put that money away into a different account just incase we ever have to pay it back atleast that way it will not hurt as much if that day ever comes and if it never happens just think of the money that you would have saved

• 17 danni // Aug 15, 2008 at 2:25 PM

  hi mark,
  my name is danielle nelson and a religious reader of you blog. you have helped me with many problems ie bill express, and shown me many different way to advertise in my little lotto shop. Thank you.

  Now i would like your help again, this year because tatts dont have sratchies i have taken the liberty to organize a company to make some x mas trees up for Lucky tix use. to make it cost and time effective i had to order 100,000 trees. Now my question is could you help me promote the fact i have trees for sale? the cost to customers would be the same as if tattersalls did them, $2.50 a tree and that should also cover delivery cost. (still getting quotes).

  If you have any other questions please give me a call any time on 0418 377 338 or drop me a e mail nelson.sd@hotmail.com.

  please let me know either way. hope to talk to you soon Danni Nelson of Warragul lotto and gifts.

• 18 SHAUN // Aug 15, 2008 at 6:04 PM

  Thats a whole lot of trees to get rid of .They are a popular item for xmass i will send an email to get a price over the next few weeks

• 19 michael // Aug 19, 2008 at 5:39 PM

  We signed up with touch 4 weeks ago to sell through a St George terminal. We can log on but that is all. No stock to sell. Emails faxes and phone calls are in vain. Does anybody else have this problem?

• 20 Neil // Aug 19, 2008 at 7:42 PM

  Michael I started with touch on the 16th July I’ve had a couple of hiccups but once you get through to the help desk and they have done an update it works ok.

• 21 helen // Aug 20, 2008 at 11:21 AM

  When we first installed the StGeo eftpos terminal we received an email about joining up with Touch/EPay by filling in the form.
  after that we were told we’d be informed and be given a password.
  Then after waiting about 2 wks, we rang up customer hotline, they said we had been allocated a password and all they need to do was to load the service onto our terminal. it just took 15min, after which we could start selling straightaway.

  The only grievance I have now is with EPay who doesn’t provide us the statement on time to check their direct debits on Tue&Fri, it usually arrives a week later.
  so more work for me to check.
  Touch is better in them providing an email the same night they withdraw on Mon.

• 22 michael // Aug 20, 2008 at 2:51 PM

  Thanks Neil & Helen waited on the help line. Was told we have everything except Optus Vodaphone & 3. Should have the best sellers soon.

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