Checking our sales of the last two issues of New Idea and comparing it with other weeklies I’d say that the decision to publish an issue which was on sale for two weeks paid off. Our sales across the two weeks were on target. This could be because we’re in a shopping centre and therefore see people this time of the year who are not regulars.
I figured it’s worth noting – for others to comment on their experiences and to record that here is an example of a bumper edition by a publisher which did work.
Newspaper publishers could learn something about delivering value for bumper editions from Pacific Magazines.
Didn’t work in Beechworth; customers saw this as just an opportunity to increase the cover price.
The content was very similar to other weeks and there was NO justification to increase the cover price for the 2 week on sale date.
Customers are getting a little tired of publishers who are clearly out to gain extra dollars with NO effort at bettering their offer………..look at The Age; which is by far the BIGGEST RIP OFF for customers with their so called Bumber Edition. Customers were furious about the 2 Friday editions at $2.70. The paper was smaller than a normal Friday edition and there was no reason it should have had a $2.70 price tag.
It was embarrassing having it on the shelf.
Publishers are showing they are out of tune with their customers; we see this in the comments we get at the shop every time they publish a Bumper Edition.
We have given up trying to justify these stupid decisions; we simply agree with the customer that it is wrong.
If publishers are going to bump up the price then justify the content; you are plainly ripping of your readers which are MY customers.
Vaughan
newsXpress Beechworth
Vaughan,
My sentiments exactly!
And also the same reaction from customers. Basically, people have had a gutsfull of The Age with their now cut-down edition of A2, over-priced bumper editions not worth the paper they are printed on and their obvious push to online which may suit part of their readership but they obviously don’t give two hoots for the balance. Our sales of this rag have plummeted and if it wasn’t for school teachers on dirt cheap subs then I wouldn’t have to worry about delivering it.
Whatever happened to the concept of improving the product or the service when sales start to slip rather than the knee jerk reactions which seem to emanate from Fairfax on a too regular basis.
Here in the ACT the price was $3.90 for the bumper edition of the age and as you said Vaughan, it was thinner than a normal Friday. Imagine our customers reaction!! They are not happy to pay $3.90 every Saturday when there are no inserts or magazines, let alone pay this on a Friday.
This was a genuine bumper though – thicker, more content. Not like the diet version of The Age at a high price.
i feel it created a lot of confusion ,people were bringing it back because the doulbled up on it .It was no thicker than normal and with WD publishing the folowing week it made no sence to do a double issue
Shaun not sure what you got. Ours was definitely thicker. Not a single complaint in any of my newsagencies.
i didn’t have a look at the page count but from memory i didn’t think it was any thicker than the wd that it sat beside .
As a note we did not make any more sales out of it than a normal issue
Didn’t receive one extra copy. Ordered extra day one as have sold out each week of December, no stock available. Sold out day 3 of on sale.