Magazine sales

Press, 18 October 1978, Page 11

Magazine sales

Sir, — For some reason, which is quite obscure to me, no magazines may be sold by bookshops or dairies until a Monday, although delivered on Friday. There is a shortage of good magazines in New Zealand and apart from the “Listener” and one other, we rely on Australian issues for our light reading and “whoppper” crosswords. Why all of these, including the New Zealand ones, have to be held over the week-end I simply cannot understand; particularly in the New Brighton area which means that it is Tuesday before they can be collected. This seems rather like a form of dictatorship on the part of the distributors and it will take a good explanation t j satisfy this particular subscriber. — Yours, etc., (Mrs) M. E. HE WIN SON. October 14, 1978.

[The South Island manager of Gordon and Gotch, Ltd, Mr K. Mealing, replies: “This is a standard practice throughout the country and has been for many years. Our object is to endeavour to put everybody on the same basis. A dairy, for instance. would otherwise have the advantage if it was open during the week-end, whereas a bookshop would be closed. Our aim is to put everyone on the same basis, so that everyone has the same fair go. If everyone starts selling on the one day, the bookshops and the dairies have the same opportunities to sell, without one being at a disadvantage. It is no advantage to us; you can only sell a magazine once. Also, it is impossible to distribute right through the country at the same time. Even in the Christchurch metropolitan area it is impossible to deliver to all at the same time. It would be easier for us to say: ‘Go to it.’ If a dairy did get supplies on a Friday and started selling, we would attempt to persuade them that it was in their best interests to abide by our recommendations. If they did not, we would take action to see that they did not get supplies until the Monday.”]