We early returned all copies we received the launch issue of The Amazing Place, a new travel magazine from Australian publisher Citrus Media. Our travel section is full so it was either cut a title to take on this new title or return this title. After considering sales and other factors we decided to not take this new title.
If only the magazine distributor has respected us and asked if we wanted to take on the new title and bankroll the publisher’s new venture. They will say they don’t have time. Well, they need to find time as newsagents are showing how they will respond to this – they will and do early return.
Publishers and distributors can’t just send new stock like this, not now, not with today’s competitive magazine world that they created. Back when publishers and distributors supported newsagents as the premier magazine channel we would have kept this title. Today, we have to run our magazine department on a more competitive basis.
This is the world magazine publishers and distributors created for us yet it is a world they refuse to accept. They treat us today as if we were still in the 1990s. This sees our competitors given unfair advantage over newsagents only leaving us with the mechanism of the early return to fight back.
Supermarkets are paid for space, they control what they get they don’t have to return unsold stock and I suspect they are protected if a title bombs. Newsagent get none of these advantages so we are left to wield the only weapon we have.
While I am against uneducated early returns, I do support the considered early return, as we have done with the launch issue of The Amazing Place.
So how do you know that all the other agents that early return aren’t doing “an educated” return??
You came here a few weeks ago and said agents were “stupid” but it’s ok for you..
Mary, you are misquoting me again. I suspect you know that. I did not say newsagents were stupid.
This post today is about not having space in a category for a new title. This is a real problem for many newsagents. Newsagents, publishers and distributors need to work on a solution if we are to accommodate new titles.
I think you are referring to severe l previous posts where I have written than newsagents have early returned too much stock, leaving considerably less than their recent average sales.
Both return scenarios are quite different.
Slightly off subject but today (the last delivery day of the month) I received 8 copies of “Australian Move to Mac” vol 5 retail price $14.95.Never received any copies of vol 1 to 4 and I doubt I ever sell more than 2 of any competing tech mags. Also the usb connector taped to the front means this is strictly 1 copy to a pocket and to carry it I have to remove a competing title. If publishers want to know why newsagents early return here’s your answer.
Inside the cover is the publisher details. Email them.
Will do
Ahhh Mark, your last comment may send me on a crusade of email warfare.
Emailed Citrus Media now I should track down the publishers of “Cowboys & Indians”,”Veranda” and “The Knitter Lace Collection” 3 titles I’ve never seen before which G&G in their infinite wisdom choose to send to me today.
Steve, what state are you in?
Mark, Country WA
Steve I have just checked with the publisher. This was allocations from Network. The publisher has not changed the supply model.
In WA, you could make a complaint about magazine over supply to the Small Business Commissioner. http://www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au/small-business-commissioner-fact-sheet/
If you plan on doing this, take your time, get your evidence, remove all emotion from the application and deal with the facts.
Recieved 10 copies of Mustang and Ford from IPS yesterday. IPS have never sent me a title without my approval. So one quick call and it turns out that they have just taken on this title and the sales data came from the publisher to IPS as a regular sale.
I advised IPS this is not so, sold one copy in Jan 2012 and have been on my early return list till Network finally got the message. IPS have now fixed the problem.
So who supplied the data to the publisher?
Typically, a distributor will provide a publisher sales data by outlet. If a publisher switches distributor they can forward this or replace it with their own allocations.
Mark, the point is we only ever recieved 2 copies per issue, so did Network supply the data to the publisher or has the publisher gone bananas. We are a small town of 2800 the only Mustangs around here are the ones that eat grass.
Gregg how did you go about setting it up so that you can approve a magazine before it come in ? I was under the understanding that you get what they want to send and have 3 issues then you have a say in it
shauns Its actually 4 issues because you can’t stop it until returns are finalised for the third issue and with no early returns you would have the 4 issue in the rack before they get that data. However if you ring IPS they are good to deal with and will usually accommodate you.
shauns,this was set up on day one with IPS. When i say approval i check their website weekly and if there is a new publcation i believe we can sell i order it. When i spoke with them yesterday it was confirmed that i was not to recieve any new publications without me ordering it. Mustang got through because IPS where given data saying i sold this mag on a regular basis which is wrong. This is the only reason IPS sent copies.
I know they a easy to deal with on the phone but i would like that full control on the web site . Unless someone can tell me how but you cannot even report shortages online
shauns go into feedback which is a link to customer service and you can report shortages that way. I sent details to them yesterday (after i phoned them) and was email back same day.
Thanks Gregg .
Funny really. IPS sent me three copies and I don’t even have an account with them as I refused to take one up when they changed over !
Anyone else having problems cutting back stock on the network site ? Trying to adjust quantitys but it will only change for 1 issue
Network tend to oversupply to a lesser degree than G&G BUT it is very difficult to adjust supply and even order some titles as they only appear on their complete list and have to be ordered via email. Network have a faster site but G&G’s site, while they do oversupply rampantly, it much more open to setting supply quantities.