Is it just me or are we being overrun by kitchen and bathroom magazines? Do we need these new titles? Are they growing the category or just cannibalising a static demand?
From a newsagents perspective, we tend to not have a choice in whether we take a new title. The publishers don’t have to factor our costs into their business plan. They are not responsible for our real-estate, labour, shrinkage and other costs to support a new title. In my dream world they are responsible for these costs but dreams don’t come true. Every new title costs us a considerable sum. Depending on the volume, those costs can balloon out to hundreds of dollars for a new title in a year.
The new kitchen and bathroom titles I have seen on newsagent shelves over the last year are expensive and probably not paying their way for most. If you’re a newsagent and reading this, go check your shelves.
Remember, early returning seriously under performing titles is your right as is asking the distributor to stop supply of the titles.
WAY TO MUCH STOCK , we are in the process of getting a house built at the moment and with all this kitchen and bathroom mags out at the moment we have been reading quite a few and still they are not even worth having even when i can have a read for free .
ON THE SUBJECT OF MAGS. I FIND IT SO ANOYING WHEN A MAG TURNS UP AND IT’S GOT DELAYED BILLING. CHANCES ARE IT WILL: *NEVER SELL. *TAKES UP MORE THAN IT’S SHARE OF SPACE ON THE SHELF. DOES ANYONE HAVE THE SAME FEELINGS OR IS IT ONLY US?
Just received another top up of melbourne kitchen and bathrooms (not requested) to add to the number still on the shelf. They went to the early return pile straight away. Yes there are too many kitchen mags but the magazine title taking over our shop is tattoo mags. We early return more than half of them each month. When we request a stop for one title another pops up.
On the theme of magazines, the recent change to weekly returns by NDD has resulted in us having a serious crediit balance owing at the end of May. Do I need to send a friendly reminder that accounts must be paid by the 21st of the following month!! (Just kidding).
Q.Are there too many kitchen and bathroom magazines?
A. Yes
It looks to me like a ploy to soak up retail real-estate and reduce space available for others. It can happen because we do not control access to our channel.