I can’t get the foreign language newspapers I want in one of my newsagencies. The distribution newsagent refuses to supply me saying it will hurt his retail shop. Who cares? I don’t care that’s for sure. If the newsagent wants to be a distributor he should distribute and not hoard. Some shoppers don’t like going to the shop run by the distributor. Every day we are asked for Chinese newspapers and every day we have to say sorry.
All Day Distribution is a problem here as they continue to reject our request for a direct account.
I don’t like turning away customers.
It’s got to a point where I think we will have to take the matter further about a newspaper distribution system that hinders consumer access to products.
Hi Mark,
Like many of my state colleagues we are solely a Distribution Newsagency and I agree with what you are saying.
In the situation you have described, for a Distribution Newsagent to have such an attitude is just plain wrong and is a clear case of someone enjoying the ill-gotten gains from a conflict of interest situation.
Perhaps contact with the various publishers of the foreign language newspapers may lead to pressure being applied to Allday Distribution to ensure the product gets to where sales may be optimised, instead of a situation where a local minor distributor is imposing his own brand of restrictions/limitations on the publishers product for his own gains. Why does he do it – because he can, and that’s why the distribution system as it currently stands is wrong.
I think News Ltd is spot on in moving to separate distribution from retail. The faster this is achieved the better. Whilst it may not help you to get a quick outcome, possibly this leading change by a major publisher will have a multiplying effect on others in the Print Media.
I also provide a delivery service to a retail Newsagency that is located in a shopping centre and of course I never even think about not supplying them to their fullest satisfaction. Why – because that’s what I do for a living.
It’s a bit off topic, but frankly I can’t quite imagine how the ‘basket case’ distribution newsagency (Home Deliveries & Retail newspapers) system in the eastern states works from an economic point of view where you have far too many Newsagents throwing too few papers to too small an area. Having said that, I am aware that some combined Newsagencies (Dist & Retail) worked that out some time ago and did something about it.
Regarding the trade restrictions being imposed upon you, I wish you well and would encourage you to ‘go your hardest’ on this unfair situation.
Dennis Robertson
Mark,
Can supply all foreign language news papers and several magazine titles. Ph me if you want 041 096 1115.
Does he distribute you anything else ? Sound like you two do not get along ,maybe that is why he does not want to supply you ?
He supplies our newspapers and does a pretty bad job at that. Getting extra stock of dailies can be problematic. This is what happens when the distributor operates a retail business competing with his customers.
You can survive without him.
Can he survive without the support of businesses like yours ?
You have a concern for your customers, obviously he doesn’t.
You win 🙂
I have been asking our guy for an increase in Queensland Country Life for more than six months. I get 12 on Thursday and have none left (most weeks) on Friday……..not asking anymore…..sick of the “system”.
Alan , I have a sub agent that I supply papers to ,they have a direct account for the Country life . Have you tried this ?
Mark,
If the distribution agent is that bad then in 12 months time there is a good chance that he will lose his distribution contract with HWT, and then all the other publishers also. If his business relies too much on distribution for profitability then he may also lose his retail business. You should be able to resolve any supply arrangements then. I know that doesn’t help for now.
I actually have the opposite problem. One of my shopping centre subagents just went bust for the 2nd time in less than a year, leaving me out of pocket about $6,000 and looking for someone else in the centre to make up the paper sales I have lost, as well as act as a payment point for my home delivery customers.
Dean I hear you. I think we will see more suppliers require deposits.
Thanks Shaun`s, i will check this out.
Al
Mark, we charge all new subagents a bond, unfortunately we did not charge one to store.
The worst part is they did not have the courtesy to tell us they were closing, we heard from customers a day later.
They even took a week’s worth of home delivery payments off us, that was not even their money.
They had another store, so they have done the same thing to another newsagent.
The owner was a respected member of the newsagency community, so it is very poor form.
It should not matter what his newsagent name was and it should not have been deleted from the post just because it was a &@$)(;:/ store . He ripped off another newsagent and just like we will happily name anyone else that does wrong then this should be the case with this .