It’s been a tough couple of weeks in various parts of Australia weather-wise. No, I’m not talking about Sydney last Friday – at least regular services kept functioning. I am thinking about newsagents in more remote locations where the weather can almost bring regular business to a stop. Here’s an email to a newsagents discussion group just now from Carol at Cooktown newsagency:
No mags, no papers no BTS tops ups . Next delivery probably next week. A bit hard to balance the books this time of year.
Some newsagents are doing it tough outside of retail and channel-specific issues.
happens every year , 2 am this morning the paper truck dumped all papers in the one place then it was up to us to go get them , he had to leave quickly before getting stuck , tomorrow who knows maybe the will fly them in , they normally do but that is more of a pain than having none at all . Also wth home deliverys customers still cannot understand why they have no paper when there is a flood ,maybe i could claim the jetski as a work expense afterall
NO NEWSPAPERS TODAY , no communication at all from the paper companys the high way is open but yet after chasing up all morning because the paper company has no communication skills at all i find out that instead of using the hiway that is only 100ks long they decide to fly them to cairns and truck back 400 ks to us which is flooded anyway . So sick of dealing with them . T2020 is looking good at this stage.
Quite honestly I think they do a pretty good job in very difficult circumstances. I just wish they would put our fairly small bundles on the plane when it is wet even if I have to charge $1 freight. Where are you Shaun 400k by truck from Cairns?
Ingham , 300ish ks . How silly is that 100ks from tsv and they decide to fly to cairns
SHAUNS,
Claim the fishing boat as you have to deliver the papers by fishing rod.
A phone call is all it would have taken , I could have driven to townsville and collected them and been back by now and completed all my home delivers .
Probably should supply them with a corkboard and a map so they know where you are. Just this minute am recieving delivery of magazines that we usually receive Thursday so pretty happy about that. Stationary orders still on route but … oh well. Don’t know if bus will get across river where the trucks can so probably no papers today but they usually arrive about 12 noon anyway.
NB: We are next the TAB so the patrons will have withdrawel crankies today with no race forms guides.
Shaun life could be worse I’m sure. Cheer up. Its just part of the wet we all live with. Don’t fight it. Go with the flow and it will all be back to normal until it rains again.
Yep mags turned up already today ,funny I would have thought they would have sent them to cairns to but then again I think they realised the highway is open . Yep all good carol hey the sun is shining and I can almost go and do the lawn .the crabs will be washed out of the holes the Barras will be on the bite all is good up in sunny north qld
Shaun and Carol, you are the salt of the earth newsagents that we have always known existed. Get through with the deliveries at all costs.
My goodness our industry has never appreciated what you guys do.
We think we’ve got it tough when something is 1/2 hr late (sport papers etc) but we sure don’t endure what you guys have to.
Take a bow (why don’t you move to Adelaide? Much nicer weather.
Care to swap newsagencies June, second thoughts no.
yahoo , papers arrived and my driver is out doing the deliverys .
shauns,
Reminds me of a few years ago when my Sunday papers were 12 hours late ( snow about 200-300km away- no guesses I am not in NQ anymore). I did not want them but the truckie was told to deliver them no matter what time. A customer recognised the truck and stalked it for the last 5km till it got to my shop and waited patiently for a paper.
Got to love the newspaper buyer hey Max ? A breed entirely of thier own….!!!
Max at least he waited patiently. Last week our Saturday papers arrived about 1/2 hours after we had closed. Ian was on his own as staff had gone home and registers had been done. While he was bringing them in customers pushed there way in and wanted to be served. He told them to wait outside while he sorted the papers and could they please try to have the correct money. He was not too popular, So he told them all to go and wait at the subagents and he would deliver them there when he was ready.
Carol,
My customers have finally got used to me locking the doors and turning out the lights when the papers arrive. I also get the customers to wait outside. There are OHS issues when you have bundles of papers lying on the floor and the customers trip over them.