We usually sell one or two copies of Just Bikes magazine. We are being supplied 40 copies of the latest issue. 40!
Representatives of distributor Gordon & Gotch will say it is a mistake. The thing is – too many mistakes like this are being made. To make matters worse, the process of resolving such mistakes is time consuming and fault prone, costing newsagents plenty.
I suspect magazine publishers don’t know how bad the situation is.
UPDATE: 18/8 – Turns out I am not alone. Something is seriously broken here.
Hi Mark, we have the same situation in Ireland with the regular gross oversupply of many titles.
For Example: I sell on average 8 copies of Truck and Driver, monthly, yet I continually receive 25 to 30 copies each month.
This is despite numerous phone calls and promised amendments to supply. You are 100% correct in that process of resolving the issue is time consuming, costly, fault prone and very often, in my opinion, pointless or at least in dealing with our distributor Menzies.
https://www.i-menzies.com/
I agree with your suspicion that magazine publishers don’t know how bad the situation is.
In my view, neither the publisher or the distributor have any idea of how difficult it is to be an end handler of Magazines before they reach the targeted consumer via our stores!
Can you imagine if we treated our customers in the same manner as our distributors treat us!
Justin Hanley
Hi Justin. Thanks for sharing your experience from Ireland. It is appalling this happens.
I think the publishers and Gotch know how bad it is. They always blame the newsagent for early returns but don’t want to look at why we early return. This problem will never be fixed because they don’t want to fix it.
Ted,
Add the media buying agencies to your list. All are in game of peddling print numbers as readership numbers. It’s a house of cards that will be exposed by the openness of internet advertising, notably pay per click.
Lol..I don’t feel so bad now.
Normally sell 2 National Geographic magazines and for the last two issues have received 7 and 9. It’s a shame to see the excess get topped and go in the bin.
Mark, we have recently been through the tedious process of getting mags back to a half reasonable supply.
Every time a newsagency cuts supply those mags have to be reallocated to another newsagency.
Maybe you have got our supply!!
i understand completely, but until you have to pay the freight for the oversupply then you can’t appreciate the full costs to the business
Mark I had 3 months of this oversupply rubbish, forking out over $60,000 in those three months in magazine bills. I live in a country town of 4000 people, it has crippled us. My partner has left the business and I know this will take me months to recover from. I asked the girls at Woolworths and their supply had not changed for any titles over that time. To say I despise GG is an understatement and I still cant understand how this is legal.
I’m with you Tammy, cannot see how it is legal.
The ANF or whoever they are called now should back a newsagency to challenge this. I for one would help foot the bill.
Tammy , Mark Fletcher posted on this site suggestions as to how to manage magazine magazine returns.
If you follow Mark’s suggestions ,I’m sure you will be able to keep your account at a manageable level
It seems like the basis for a class action actually. If enough of us can prove systematic and continuous unreasonable oversupply and hence unconcionable action I believe they may be liable for damages both financial and physical. The ACCC has done nothing so I don’t believe that to be a viable avenue any more. So we need to hit G&G where it hurts even if it breaks them. The trick is would enough newsagents be willing to be involved (7 is the minimum for a class action but ideally to be effective from a point power projection we would ideally need 100+ ) and to tip in say $5-10K each to get the ball rolling.
It’s interesting as I’m aware of a very large class action brewing against a much much bigger Australian entity than Gotch and there are some very close similarities to how both parties have behaved.
paul;
There has been enough evidence around for many years to support a class action. In my opinion the problem is the divisions in the newsagency channel itself. G&G know this and will always use it to their advantage. All they need to do is placate the big dogs that bark the loudest. History has proven the rest are no threat. As much as I would love to see and support a class action I don,t think it will ever happen
Since the takeover, There are (NDC) magazines that we were selling, under gotch we no longer recieve.
There are others that are oversupplied, others that are undersupplied. It’s a joke.
Also, is anybody else having trouble paying their bill on the GGA website by credit card?
I can log in to the site, but when I select pay by credit card, it the site goes through another log in process (automatic) and brings up an error.
I called GGA about it, and they told me that they would get it reset and it should be good after 4pm.
Surprise surprise, it didn’t improve after that time either.
Maybe someone at GG reads this blog 🙂
About 10 minutes after writing the above comment, I decided to try paying my bill again.
All working now
Just saw my supply allocation for Just 4×4 coming on Monday. There is no mistake – it’s a permanent problem!!
Off beat …. any reactions to “Jones”. A glossy advertorial. Selling or returning ?
Returned them this morning. Long on sale and no sales so far. I don’t think anyone had even picked one up.
Hey guys, I just stumbled onto this blog. I work at JUST AUTO (just bikes, just cars, just 4x4s, just parts, just trucks).
We don’t want to be over supplying magazines (we are just printing them for no reason, costing us $)
If you want to get in contact with me: steve.hunter@justauto.com.au and i can help from my end hopefully! We are all in this together!
Cheers
Steve