What if newsagents introduce a cardboard recycle box for customers who return old magazines when they come in to purchase new issues? This would present a good community message and build habit – getting customers to return to us. Of course, there would have to be some rules around what we do with these but they can be easily sorted out.
most customers know what happens with old magazines ,that they get the tops cut off and we get a credit so i think customers would think that we are trying to double dip on our returns and this would turn them off
As a long time publisher and editor, I’d be happy for newsagents to sell (or giveaway) recycled magazines. I wouldn’t be happy to see them turn up in the distributor returns. In fact, I’d be EXTREMLEY worried about this.
Here in New Zealand, there’s a local diary (Kiwi for corner shop) that has frequently tried to sell me magazines with the front cover ripped off. Cheeky.
No agent could get away with returning too much (sold) stock without suffering corresponding cutbacks in their supply, at least for the popular titles. We get quite tight supplies as it is, the thought of trying to convince someone at Network especially that our sales figures are higher than our returns indicate gives me a headache.
A short term grab for some extra credits would quickly turn into months long drama to claw back supplies. Maybe it is easier for retail newsagents, I don’t know. We can have enough trouble with allocations as it is sometimes without throwing bad data in the mix.
On topic, I don’t know that many people would physically want to bring in their old magazines to the store for no additional benefit. We have well established and adopted recycling rubbish home collection in metropolitan South Australia. I could see that elsewhere without home pickup of recycled waste a scheme like this would be quite a positive thing.
sa_paperboy,
I agree that many people wouldn’t want to bring their magazines back in – whether they get something for it or not. The stats show people don’t even return with their “green bags”.
The recycle pitch may work with other products (ink cartridges for example), but when it comes to paper based products I was under the assumption that most places in australia had, as you said, a successful home recycling collection scheme.
From time to time, we run a $2 bin out the front of our shop. Uncollected partworks, slow stationery, etc. Customers love a bargain bin. I’ve often thought this might be the best place for new/slow titles to get noticed. Such titles are too often lost amongst established ones.
Publishers would have the option of having their title sold off cheap, rather than returned, in an attempt to win new readers.
They could nominate a date. “Do not return stock. Hold until Nov15, then sell in bargain bin.” 100% profit for retailer. Priceless promothion for publisher.
Cameron,
What Publisher would encourage the devaluing of their brand?
You label this as “a priceless promotion for the publisher” when in fact it is likely to decrease value in the eyes of the consumer.
This is where “beacon branding” and title displays come into play – by drawing attention to the title in the category.
I agree with Shaun S … this idea of a cardboard recycling unit – while most will use it correctly – their will be some agents out there that would be tempted to try to return these titles for credit.
I like the idea of doing something green with magazines… I’m not convinced on the mechanics of this idea, but we should work on an idea to implement. It doesn’t have to be big and flashy. Maybe we should have a green competition in our stores – in 25 words or less what is your best ‘green’ idea. We could put what we do in our newsagencies up as starting points… Just a thought
Cameron
Unlike Matt, I can see where publishers would like your idea.
New readers may be attracted to look at the magazine and become regular readers.
Publishers would be selective in which mags make it to the bin – possibly not in every area and certainly not every issue