The supply of the Locomotives of the World partwork is another example of how the distribution model does not achieve the sales it could. I know of newsagents who could have sold more stock had the allocation more accurately reflected local interest in trains. I know of others who will return their supply because of no interest.
had newsagents been able to control their supply of the first issues of the Locomotives of the World partwork I have no doubt the publisher would have achieved a better outcome.
Magazine distributors prove time and again that they are not expert at what they do.
No sales at all on this one , i didn’t early return it and i will see how it goes on the shelf
We sold 32 Batman Part 1. Sold 28 Batman Part 2. Received 4 Part 3 – sold out next day. Ordered extras – not available. Lack of expertise.
Distributors get paid to distribute. They probably prefer it this way as it creates extra work by handling returns and fulfilling back orders.
If the model was efficient and they only supplied to those who wanted them, I bet circulation will drop and so will their revenue.
I’ve pretty much given up expecting them to change and just aggressively order extras and early return.
We received 4 copies and sold out in a couple of days and now have back orders. The other newsagents near us who DON”T support part works past the third issue received 24 copies, go figure!!!!!
Network told me that they use sales history to calculate allocations, BS, how do they know what we can sell if they don’t provide realistic and adequate supply to begin with. The madel is broken and needs attention for the sake of the retailers and publishers.
Brendan
ditto
Ours arrived all stuck together in a unsellable condition. We returned them as damaged and ordered more, they arrived all stuck together…. We gave up
I early returned all mine as I didn’t think they would sell, normally like to give things a run to see, but the overload of partworks (all big and bulky) means that im being challenged to find room to display such a low margin product. Last month or so we have had the new crochet, the new knitting, batman cars, Barbie collection, trains, military vehicles, maths books, just a bit too much too soon
I myself am now thinking if I will contiune to offer a putaway service any longer for part works. I see no upside for doing it any longer as all I end up with is a very upset customers.
Just for myself the following have been utter failures in filling the putaway order.
Batman
Locomotive
Pocket watches
The Comic Book One
Chess set
Are most of us still offering putaways?
Are they working for you?
Bretts we only offer putaways for 2 customers per partwork as we have found that this can be sustained for the period of the series anymore than this and somebody always ends up missing out.
Can someone please explain why I should bother with partworks?
Batman Supply
No 1 receive 20 sold 12
No 2 receive 9 sold 7
No3 receive 4 sold out
Tomorrow No 4 receiving 2
Also today I receive a email from Bauer informing me I`m no longer a Emerald club member because my sale have fallen below $70,000. Not having a great day.
Also Wednesday are becoming a very quiet sales day.
With me its Art of Crochet with Gordon and Gotch. We are up to part 10 and G&G still have not increased my allocation despite repeated requests. I have back orders outstanding on nearly every issue
Partworks make us the newsagent look bad while the distributors blame the publisher. Red Bull is a VERY expensive part series as you can’t just stop and have a something still to show (i.e. Bugs or Rocks). We are up to #20 and we have 3 customers who have requested it to be put away, yet every week I get one and have to back order 2, they come in any old order and some of the early ones may NEVER come. Then the customer gets a $1200 car with no front tyre, no rear spoiler and a broken steering wheel……
Art of crotchet I have sold out every issue and still no extras , batman I have been winging on here a couple of weeks about that one and still no standing order ,I have resorted to buying it off another newsagent because back orders are just not the they have no stock
Max,
ditto and it is costing me lost sales and customers. I have for week after week tried to get my standing order upped and the result is I get cut. I will happily bet a house though that they have enough to supply their own subscription customers. Same thing with both Batman part works as well as others in the past including round 1 Art Of Crochet.
Garry, partworks frustrate the hell out of me but the reason I am so frustrated is that they are very important to me. My magazine sales grew by $18k last year and of that $18.8K was part works growth so I and I assume many others, can’t afford to ignore them. The challenge is to make the distributors get it right. No doubt they are losing many $ turnover due to their poor supply model and as newsagents bail from partworks it becomes a spiralling problem perpetuated by the distributors.
cake and decorating , I have always sold 3 now this week standing order of 2
All I can say is … Rocks and Gems… help me
Why don’t the distributors get in touch with all newsagents so they can pre order months in advance, then maybe the distributors might get it right or at least better than it is now, totally frustrating.
Mike part of the challenge is where we sit in the partworks supply chain. Sometimes, we’re a small percentage in an international print run. There is also the thought that we are used solely to promote subscriptions.
Your idea makes absolute sense if publishers and newsagents want to sell more store.
The problem is not new and the lack of genuine effort to solve it feeds into conspiracy theories.
On thursday a pocket watch #1 was meant to turn up FROM APRIL .Thats a 5 month back order , it is friggin rediculous that it would take that long . And guess what it was a lost delivery so NOW on back order again .
Well the other challenge is for all Newsagents to stand together against GG and Network,without the Newsagents they don’t have much of a business getting the Mags etc out to the public that those 2 dominant supermarkets don’t have. Maybe all Newsagents standing tall together can make a difference, lets be strong and fight.
Mike – the biggest asset of the newsagent network is the network. The biggest weakness of the newsagent network is the network.