Newsagents are receiving Wellbeing Beauty this morning, many for the third time.
This $19.95 title failed to achieve a reasonable sell through (40% or more) when first distributed in August last year. Newsagents were required to return unsold stock. The exact same issue was distributed again in March this year and again it failed to achieve reasonable sales. And, yes, we were requested to return unsold stock.
This morning, many newsagents discover that Universal Magazines has convinced Network Services to send the title out for a third time! While the publisher will think they are helping newsagents by offering the title with delayed billing, newsagents know better.
But wait, there could be more. Universal has requested a full copy return. They may have plans for a fourth go around. Weighing half a kilo, the freight costs for newsagents in full copy returns is significant.
What a rip off of newsagents this title has been. Shame on NDD and Network Services for their participation in ripping off newsagents. Of course, magazine distributors want to keep their trucks full, that is a key plank of their business model. I bet they carry no risk with this title. No, the risk is left with newsagents.
The behaviour of Network in distributing this title for a third time is proof that newsagents are right to be sceptical every time a Network employee says they have the interests of newsagents at heart. If they did, this title would not have been delivered by them to newsagents today.
This is an excellent example of a sick magazine distribution model which preys on the weak.
Think about this for a moment … how much time and money have we invested in this title already putting it on our shelves, taking it off, returning it and going through all that again?
And the folks at Universal Magazines say that I pick on them. No, they abuse newsagents. What they are doing with this title is a perfect example.
I would not be surprised if newsagents sent back the cover only of Wellbeing Beauty this time around.
Shame on Network Services for allowing newsagents to be abused in this way. Shame on Universal Magazines for wasting newsagent time and money on what is clearly a dud title.
My view is that what Universal and Network are doing with Wellbeing Beauty is unconscionable. However, the toothless ACCC will most likely take a different view.
In 2007 I called for a magazine czar. The associations did nothing. Newsagents did nothing. Unless we take control of our channel this type of behaviour will continue and we will suffer economically. Serves us right. We need to stop Universal and Network and others from this behaviour.
Footnote: I did not receive Wellbeing Beauty in my stores. I suspect this is because Universal did not want me writing about their appalling treatment of newsagents.
What about last Friday’s alleged “Value Packs” from Express. I opened one of the Zoom packs (which incidentally sell for the same price as the regular magazine that almost always includes two back issues) and found a four year old magazine. I’d be lucky to get 50c for that if I tried to sell it on its own, and they expect customers to effectively pay full price for their warehouse clearance!
Please clarify for me…
If i scan this title straight into my returns, will I be denied credit because of delayed billing?
When a situation like this happens, can you refuse delivery ?
Would the logistics of delivery allow that ?
Is each mag issue bundled individually ?
Could it simply be left on the truck ?
I’m not in the newsagency field, so these questions may seem stupid to those who are, sorry.
It was the first magazine (again) to be put in our every growing early return piles.
It’s a very sorry state of affairs when we actually go through each bundle first to work out which titles we’ll return early before we actually price the ones we keep. That’s what it’s now come to.
Wellbeing Beauty is also delayed billing so we cannot send it back until it is billed on 28/2/11
CAMERON if it is a delayed billing title, and you return it through your POS system, you will have a discrepancy with the distributor credits at the end of the month. they make sure you cannot recieve a credit for something you have not been billed for yet.
i have a pile of these out the back that when the billing date rolls around, i then return and put into the system,/
Steph
as we go through the mags each delivery day, we make a pile to go out for sale and a pile to early return straight away.
our store is in nsw and we recived ENDURO a mountain bike mag today. the same mag that was delivered to us back in mid july. there was a sticker put over the top of the one that the last store put on.
straight back
It also has a different supplier code – possibly to make it harder for us to discover their behaviour.
Do not for get to take out their subscription offer
Peter, we too have a early returns pile and it was nearly 3 feet high this with bagged “triple pack specials”. Would like to hear some thoughts on how to actually return these…..as packs or tops????
Cheers
Al
last week i returned 80% of all the friday network delivery. rubbish…all the “value packs” and fulls.
just use a texta and mark a big visible X on the cover of the fulls…….
It is an appalling way to treat your customers. Network have a monopoly on the best mags and they continue to abuse us with re-issues. The wellbeing mag has to stay on the shelf at least until it is billed (February 11) so the only way to remember it is to mark the label with a highlighter pink=jan blue=feb etc so that you don’t miss the return when it becomes viable.
Meanwhile you get a call from their credit dept threatening non-supply if you don’t comply with their payment terms.
It is unconscionable conduct but we have no-one to put our case because the ANF are a toothless tiger which is why I do not pay any fees to them.
I would just like to see one outcome from them regarding this important issue and I might re-consider my membership but I might say I am not holding my breath.
Thank you Mark for all the work you have done for us as an industry over the past years. You have been our most vocal advocate and for that I thank you.
Just return the plastic bag that the triple pack came is, afterall that is what was for sale, not any of the individual titles inside the pack.
Network currently accept returns, and give credits for delayed billing titles even though you have not been charged for them.
We accidently early returned a title last week that was on delayed billing and the return was rejected.
so…….
if one of my staff members happens to early return a delayed billing title before the bill date – my return is rejected, i don’t get my money, oh… and it probably counts as a 100% sellthrough and they’ll send me an increased number the next time…
And then there are the split deliveries – three shipments of the one masterchef junior cookbook – failed to sell a copy – all look identical – but if they’re returned against the wrong arrival date – overclaim rejections.
Precisely how much time do we have to spend trying to get our money back for non-performing split-delivery and delayed-billing titles?
Maybe we only have ourselves to blame for for wanting what is too difficult for our suppliers systems to cope with. It would cost us less just to pay for the title when it is received than it costs us (in time) to claim credits under a delayed billing system. Note In making this comment I am not suggesting that the supply quantities are appropriate only that delayed billing is not worth the hassle
Dear Opportunist,
NO Network does not currently accept returns. Have you tried?????????
It rejects….so be carefull. A couple of boxes of soccer cards and folders add up to a few hundred dollars…
I agree with Ed (#10)
“just use a texta and mark a big visible X on the cover of the fulls…….”
Or “RETURNED ON [DATE]”.
We publishers should not be able to reissue a title without newsagents giving permission. What has happened with this title hurts not just newsagents but all of us.
I can assure you that Network reject
our returns if they are sent back before the onsale date (delayed billing is a curse)
We are like the fish that John West rejects – the good stuff and the good
trading terms go to the supermarkets and we get the rejects. I HAVE NEVER SEEN BAGGED PRODUCT IN COLES/WOOLIES and my shop is bursting at the seams with old issues that just need to go back immediately.
In my opinion the delayed billing is a tactical ploy by Network to ensure that we put the product on our shelves even though we have proof of a no sell through of the magazine like the wellbeing Beauty
mag. today,
I called Network this morning & after quoting my name, age, serial number & other proof of person data before I was able to say “good morning” I was finally able to ask them to stop sending this non-selling title to us. 3 times is quite enough to prove that it doesnt sell! I guess we will wait & see if it turns up yet a 4th time. I also asked the question “Since when has a pack of rubber bands shaped like animals been a magazine?” We received these today & like a whole lot of other delayed billing rubbish they will be stored until their delayed billing date arrives & return them. This is a real drag on our time, which we dont have. Its a true art to keep track of it all & another costly job that we dont want or need.If we CHOSE to sell such giftware type items we would buy them from a supplier that would give us a decent margin. Apparently it is no longer our choice to buy our own giftware/stationery items. Grrrrrr!
are you sure you cannot return them , i know i returned all my calendars that were delayed billing and i received all credits , and i have never had a problem in the past with early returning delayed billing products . are you doing it throught netonline or xchangit ?
Return this title next week and it should go through without a problem. As for topping it, I’ll leave that up to you.
This week tried to early return to huge recycled Weding Magazines could not do this month as delayed billing. Checked with Network. Will send back next month. I was keeping one however all will now go back and I am stilll stuck with them, the cost of handling and freight on returns.
Peter try again early next week. There should be no impediment to early returning at all.
I’ve had no problems early returning delayed billing stuff so far so long as, as Mark has pointed out, you leave it until the week following receipt of the item to do so. Seems to often actually be OK to do so on the Sunday following receipt (when I do my early returns – and what a s**tload I’ll have this Sunday !! )
This is via net online.