We have sold one copy of Football+. When we first received this issue we early returned a couple of copies as we had no room and would never sell them based on our sales data. Network Services or ACP, one of those two certainly, decided to send us more stock of this title yesterday. There is no justification in our sales or returns data for this move. We are early returning this additional stock.
We, like most newsagents, have invested good money in technology and processes to ensure that Network and ACP are fully informed of our sales and returns data, so that they can make informed and fair magazine distribution decisions. The supply of additional stock to us of Football+ yesterday was not an informed or fair move.
Just as the accounts people at Network Services take a zero tolerance approach when it comes to payment of the account, newsagents are right to take a zero tolerance approach to unjustified supply. The problem is that we are the weak party in the transaction. Network can stop supply to force us to act. Newsagents do not have any punitive action option. Early returning is not punitive – we even pay for the privilege.