Author: Mark Fletcher

My store sold out of The Bulletin this week – the edition featuring overage on the life and death of Kerry Packer so I checked with some colleagues and they had the same story. It’s the best selling issue in years. The coverage in the magazine was excellent. It was interesting to me that some customers were buying the magazine as a keepsake.

Footnote for those outside Australia: Kerry Packer controlled ACP Magazines – publisher of the Bulletin, publisher of many of Australia’s top selling magazines, the Nine TV network and a string of other businesses.

An interesting lesson on censorship and blogging for News Corporation as documented by the New York Times today. While the spinners will pitch the story their way, the facts of what happened seem to speak for themselves. Buying MySpace is different to buying a newspaper or TV station. The name says it all. The teenagers who use MySpace see it as TheirSpace and any tampering will turn them off and alight bushfires across the Net.

This is the government owned PostShop opposite my newsagents at Forest Hill in Victoria today. Closed. It is one of the benefits of government ownership that Australia Post is able to snub landlord requirements and set its won hours for its corporate shops.

On a day like today I suffer because Post draws people and with it closed there is less traffic.

When it really matters is late Thursday and Friday night. I am required to be open until the centre closes. Post closes at 5pm. If I could set my hours to match sales in my shop I’d add at least $500 a week to the bottom line of my business and it would be reasonable that the saving is reflected in our pricing. The rules Post operates under are further proof of the significant benefits of government ownership.

Post needs to decide if its in retail or not. If it serious about retail then anachronisms like the day off today need to stop.

The government has no business owning the PostShop retail network and competing with businesses like mine.

We had a customer yell at us yesterday for putting Creation magazine in our science section. They were angry as hell saying that Creation was full of anti science garbage.

We placed Creation where the magazine distributor has asked us to place it. Also, we do not have a religious magazine area.

Having now looked at the magazine I can understand their concerns. This is not a science magazine even though it;’s dressed up to look like one. Creation is published by Answers in Genesis. From their website: Answers in Genesis is an apologetics (i.e., Christianity-defending) ministry, dedicated to enabling Christians to defend their faith, and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ effectively.

I have no issue with the publication of this magazine. However, they need to use a more appropriate cover so the purpose of the magazine is clearer. They also need to provide better direction as to where the magazine ought be placed on newsagent shelves.

The world has become confused enough with the whole Intelligent Design versus Evolution discussion. I don’t need to add to that on the shelves of my store.

As a result of the raft of recent legislation and global events:

Explode magazine has been removed from sale because of the new anti terrorism laws recently passed.

Capture magazine has been removed from the shelves because of the new anti terrorism laws recently passed.

Time magazine has been removed as a result of the new Industrial Relations laws. There is no time any more.

The Bombers magazine is being removed because of a fear it will incite terrorism.

The Magpies magazine has been struck by bird flu. Indeed all bird magazines are being removed because of fears over bird flu.

The Saints magazine has been removed because of concerns it encourages religious vilification.

The ashes magazine has been removed out of respect for the dead.

PC User has been removed for drug connotations.

New Idea has been removed as a result of the new literacy policy in education. There is no room for creativity.

Who has been removed because of the new terrorism legislation. It’s unsafe to ask such questions.

Take 5 has been nominated the official workplace reform magazine because five minutes lunch is the preferred lunch break time.

Family Circle is being renamed 50 50 circle in response to the new 50/50 split of parenting being forced on the Family Court.

People’s Friend is being renamed persons of interest since the government prefers this to friends.

All 150 shooting, hunting, military, war and weapons magazines are being removed because selling them is sure to land the newsagent in some legal trouble.

All Oprah magazines have been removed because of overexposure.

Dissent is banned because of the new sedition laws.

All Martha Stewart magazines are being removed because the promote unhealthy corporate behavior.

Okay so I made the list up – with apologies to some recent emails going around. Good for a laugh.

While it’s yet to hit here the video iPod is proving disruptive in the US. PodGuide.tv lists over 200 “programs” with some being one off and others ‘published’ daily. The most popular program categories, by content, are News, How To and Adult. There are also plenty of video podcasts of varying quality and on all manner of topics. As podcasting has grown from zero to close to 1 million in just over a year and is now well embraced by traditional media outlets, watch for the video iPod to be equally embraced by mainstream and non mainstream media players. Disruption, what disruption?

The Telegraph in the UK is reporting the Rupert Murdoch’s local operation, News International, could be planning to bypass wholesalers for the distribution of newspapers in some areas. Telegraph commentator Roy Greenslade is calling News’ plans a revolution.

News’ UK plans are interesting in the context of the review of distribution of newspapers being currently undertaken by News Ltd in Australia.

We have just completed a shot fit in our newsagency and below are some photos.

The purpose of this fit was to redefine what we see as a newsagency – to move our store (at least) away from the tradition of the 1960s and 1970s. We’ve gone for a clean corporate feel without making the shopping experience too clinical.

The actual refit covered 40% of the floor space but because of relocation of stock from a customer perspective looks like a 70% change.

We’ve built in an enclosed professional window display and here is our first crack at using it – a strong message for diaries and calendars.

We’ve gone from skirting the card space taking a very strong stand – more than doubling our range and dramatically increasing consumer comfort. Early in the new year we’re installing two easy chairs and a coffee table.

We have also created another magazine promotions area – besides the two major areas. This one is ours in that we will not be using it for supplier driven promotions. We want to promote categories not usually covered which make a statement about our depth of range.

Based on the data I’ve been looking at representing a small group of retail newsagents in Australia I’d suggest that the Internet is not impacting greeting card sales. Sales this year are up on last year. Across the counter comments suggest that people feel there is no substitute to writing the card yourself and posting or handing it to a friend, colleague or family member.

So, while the Internet rips into some magazine categories, newspapers, books, music and many gift lines, the personal touch of the greeting card ensures the category remains solid.

I suspect that this has something to do with the journey of the choice of card purchase and the giving. These are not things to speed up because if you do you’re worries the recipient will sense you think less of them. It also has to do with the bit of ourselves which goes with greeting cards. The Internet will struggle to deliver this personal touch … at least for now.

Card companies have done well to continue to evolve their category and improve the finishing of their product, reinforcing that you need to touch the product to make the right purchase.

Page 244 of the current issue of Unique Cars magazine carries a full page advertisement promoting direct subscription. Here’s the headline for the ad:

SUBSCRIBE TO UNIQUE CARS…
and you’ll never have to race to the newsagent again!

Unique Cars has been a fixture on retail newsagent shelves since it began. Newsagents have been instrumental in building its brand. Newsagents are justifiably by the way they are represented in this advertisement. Some have decided to remove the product from their shelves. Others have written to the publisher.

While it is understandable that publishers pursue direct subscriptions, to do so in a way which offends the biggest channel, the newsagent retail network, is dumb. The publisher of Unique Cars would do well to issue am immediate apology to newsagents and pursue over the counter sales building initiatives with newsagents.

Unique Cars is part of the buying and selling category. It, along with all other titles I the category, is suffering from consumers and advertisers moving online. Indeed, the magazine is part of the carpoint.com.au operation. Maybe the anti newsagent pitch in the advertisement represents the impact of the decay in sales. Regardless, but for a line of copy, newsagent anger could have been avoided.

19/12 UPDATE: Stuart Jones, Circulation Manager, has apologised to newsagents and expressed his own surprise at the wording of the advertisement.