Following up on comments here by publishers that bagged magazines sell better, I have been talking to browsers in my newsagencies, when there is an appropriate opportunity, about what they prefer.

The shoppers I have spoken with fall into four general categories: irregular buyers of a title wanting to make sure this issue has value for them, browsers only, regular buyers of the title, friends shopping for a gift.

Irregular buyers are the ones most frustrated by bagged titles in my experience.  Take the latest issue of Top Gear.  Two shoppers I spoke with were about to dismiss this issue because it was in a sealed package. They like the magazine for its content and didn’t care about freebies which caused it to be packaged this way.  I opened it for them – one bought and the other did not.

I also spoke to a couple of shoppers looking at the latest issue of Donna Hay magazine which is bagged with a gift.  Both said they would not even consider buying this issue if they could not see what recipes were available.

Browsers are frustrated but move onto another title they can browse while passing time.  They prefer in packaged magazines but note that they can always find something to read.

Regular buyers.  I only spoke with a four. They said they’d prefer magazines un-bagged but didn’t really care.  Three said the freebies usually didn’t add value in their view.

Friends didn’t care as they were buying because they had been told to or for a gift.

Newsagencies are, usually, browser friendly places.  I certainly want to encourage browsing of magazines.  Otherwise, we become like other retailers where the magazine category is not a destination but there for building a basket on top of destination purchases. Our channel was build on magazines as a point of difference and browsing is vital to that.

Bagged magazines impact on browsing. In talking with customers, my sense is that bagged magazines cause us to miss sales opportunities.  While publishers say they have data which refutes this, I can only go off what my customers have told me in recent weeks.

I acknowledge that my sample is not representative since those who are happy with bagged magazines will have made their purchase and left before I notice them browsing.

The cover of the latest issue of Delicious magazine is, well, delicious!  It is the best food magazine cover I have seen this year.  It’s everything a food cover should be – aspirational, inspirational and delicious. We have the magazine out on full face display – this is not a cover to be left in traditional newsagency magazine racks.

Of course, you’d need to be a sweet tooth to like it as much as I am gushing here.  While I like to cook and do okay, I think this amazing pavlova is beyond me.

We are promoting That’s Life Reader’s Recipes cookbook at the end of our women’s magazine section.  The last issue was a huge hit with our customers so we are promoting this one in a couple of locations – with That’s Life.  On the weekend we plan to place this title with our newspapers.

This is not a title customers will look for so it makes sense that we chase them for sales.

Inside the latest issue of Australasia Scuba Diver magazine is a free condom.  It is a gift from the publisher, Underwater Threesome, promoting their forum, magazine, online shop, podcasts and TV. I guess they know their marketplace.  Good on them. At least it is not another tote bag!

I can’t recall a condom being given away inside a magazine. However, the folks at Zoo were giving away condoms at the MCG earlier this year.