It's Tuesday: Most customers put their magazines back?
How quaint! Issue #125
We’re well on our way through the downslope of the first quarter. Spring is just around the corner. Out here in the flatlands by the lake we honestly haven’t had all that much of a winter. Oh sure, there were a few weeks of sub freezing weather and a smattering of snow. But February is usually a harsh month with ice covering much of the lake, the land frozen solid. A car wash seems like a good idea until you realize that a few minutes after you leave the wash, the car will be covered in salt and grime.
But let’s talk bookstores and magazines for a moment. This headline in The New York Times caught my attention and I laughed so loudly that I scared the foster dog out of a sound sleep.
So, tell me what you think: “Are people who read magazines without paying “Stealing” their content?”
Well…maybe?
The OP who wrote to the ethicist has me thinking about a few of their comments. First, people still drag magazines back to their tables in Barnes & Noble cafes? Hmm. OK. I survey several B&N stores monthly and most of the people I see sitting in the cafe are usually scrolling on their phones or working on their laptops. But maybe the OPs B&N is one of those unicorn experiences.
The other thing that made me continue to chuckle and disturb the heck out of poor foster dog Kiara (who is recovering from ear surgery) was this line:
“After coffee, most, but not all, put the magazines back in the racks without paying for them.”
People returning magazines to the shelves? Whoa! That is incredible.
On second thought, they’re probably merchandising the magazines back into the wrong spot. So, yeah, no. Leave them on the table for the magazine merchandiser to handle, please.
Not surprisingly, the Ethicists’ response is that if the Barnes & Noble manager didn’t want people to take magazines to the cafe, they could crack down and discourage the behavior. But that’s probably not the case. I’d add that if they really didn’t want people hanging out in their stores, they wouldn’t have comfy chairs in the store and they wouldn’t have a cafe and WiFi.
But me being me, I do have to dispute one thing here. People reading magazines for free in the Barnes and Noble cafe does hurt someone. But it’s not Barnes & Noble, it’s the magazine publisher. B&N doesn’t pay for unsold magazines. Unsold copies are recycled and claimed as credit from the national magazine distributor.
Remember it’s the publisher who pays to edit, design, print and ship that magazine to a wholesaler who charges them a logistics fee to deliver the magazine to the store. If the magazine is not sold, B&N doesn’t pay for it.
So go ahead fine people of this unicorn local Barnes & Noble. Sit in the cafe and read magazines for free. You’re not hurting the retailer. But how about buying a copy or two so the publisher can stay in business?
one__Fare thee well. Vice shuts down
Once upon a time, Vice was considered to be worth $5billion. Last year, the company filed for bankruptcy and was sold to private equity firm Fortress Investment Group. Last week, they were pretty much no more.
Vice was originally a free magazine published in Montreal, Canada. It was purchased from the founders in the late 1990’s and moved to NYC and in many ways was incredibly innovative. The publisher operated different editions in other countries, opening retail stores that sold the fashions advertised in the magazine, purchasing the fashion magazine i-D.
Of course, it all blew up. Defector’s Chris Thompson reported that the Vice staff received an anonymous tip about the closure on the day of the closure, all the while management was working to take down much of the site and remove the employees access.
two__Trouble, but not that kind of trouble in Ireland
Irish Times writer Darragh Geraghty is having a hard time. I’m not talking about what it may be like to be a reporter for an Irish newspaper. I’m talking about a column he wrote earlier this month stating that he’d like to burn some magazines.
To be fair, Darragh isn’t one of those kinds of folks. This tongue in cheek article points to a pretty incredible difference between US based kids magazines and what gets published in Ireland and other parts of Europe.
Over there, kids magazines are often polybagged and loaded up with all sorts of free stuff used to promote sales: toys, treats various free gifts. And, of course, because it’s not an American newsstand, the magazine rack is large, well stocked and located right by the entrance to the store.
So Darragh, I’m sorry for your troubles. I’m sure it’s painful to be in a store where your small children are pestering you for expensive magazines. You could subscribe to some of them, you know. And, yes, this circulation professional would seriously love to live in a world of well stocked, very large, nicely merchandised magazine racks.
#justsayin
three__Paybill Magazine is about to be 140 years old
One of my clients recently celebrated their 95th year of continuous publishing while another hit 55 years. Next year, Playbill, that digest sized magazine you’re handed as you enter the theater is about to turn 140 years old.
That’s a salute to both the resilience of the theater world, but also the the complexity of what Playbill does. They print unique publications for each theater not only on Broadway in New York City, but for major theater markets all over the United States. If I counted correctly, that would be 50+ unique editions alone in the City. Here in Chicago, they print for nine different theaters showing twenty four different shows in 2024.
Plus they have a subscription product for home delivery to theater enthusiasts and a fairly well developed e-commerce store.
four__Did the media biz implode in January? Poynter has some thoughts…
I love checking in periodically with the Poynter Institute. Their work is very matter of fact, on point and their fact checking is excellent.
In this piece from early in the month, Managing Editor Ren LaForme sat down with reporter Angela Fu and analyst Rick Edmonds to talk about all of the incredibly bad news the media business received last month.
Clearly, as the discussion points out, many of the big problems in the media world are the end results of decisions made, sometimes decades ago and are no longer something senior management can cover over. Ultimately, the business of media: reporting, magazines, newspapers, news in general, will need a better business model. This quote early on from Rick Edmonds catches the essence quite well, I think:
— overoptimistic estimates of ad and digital circulation revenue are the heart of the problem. But consider a couple more. For those outlets still with print products, distribution costs are a killer — whether throwing papers in your driveway or shipping magazines through the mail.
Another trend we all know about continues apace — the fragmentation of audiences. Boy, did the short life of The Messenger show the market does not need another broad general news site, however well funded. Established outlets too grope for a product mix that reaches the biggest swath of users.
five__Lagardére in talks to sell Paris Match
This weekly French language fashion and lifestyle magazine is nearing its 100th birthday and has been in continuous publication since 1949 is now in discussion to be sold from its current owner, Lagardére to the Louis Vuitton brand (LVMH).
As with so many weekly publications, its circulation has dipped over the years from a high of 1.8million copies in the late 1950’s to half a million in 2020. The Lagadére publishing arm is mostly involved in the book trade so the transfer of this storied publication to a fashion brand may make some sense.
Your moment of magazine zen…
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