What happens to all those expensive magazines that grocery stores don't sell!
Question: Just wondered if there's a way to get them cheaper when they are freshly outdated.
Answers: Just wondered if there's a way to get them cheaper when they are freshly outdated.
They are returned to the distributor for a credit.
The distributors send them to recycling.
At least that is what the magazine distributors I know of do...
They send them back to the makers
soory
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I used to work for a bookstore, it's the same with overstock of books. They store ships them back to the manufacturer. There they are most likely recycled.
They send them back to the wholesalers and then they are recycled into next months.
The covers are ripped off and sent back to the publisher. They purposely do that so that the consumer cannot buy them cheaper. They would rather throw them away then give you a deal. Nice.
they get tossed out.
They are returned to the distributor.
Our local dollar store was selling older magazines, since I picked one up and almost bought it until I realized I read it months ago.
/ Ha! They don't need your charity!
That may sound harsh, but they don't need your money, and here is why -
Overprinting a magazine, and destroying the overage makes BIG BUCKS for the company!
Having a large quantity of magazines printed, means more copies in circulation. The circulation number is printed on the inside of each magazine.
This highly important number translates into higher advertising costs due to a greater audience for advertisers.
Advertising dollars more than pay the expense of the magazine, the overage, and destroying the overage.
The magazine has already made a PROFIT before the consumer (you) buys the magazine.
The retailer (the grocery store) takes the full price on the cover (let's say $3.99) that they get from the consumer. The have to pay a percentage back to the wholesaler (who also has to give a cut to the distributor who gives yet another cut to the actual magazine). If the retailer does not return the percentage for each magazine they are given, they have to return the unsold magazine. The covers are removed so that they cannot be purchased after being claimed as a return.
Here is the example:
Regular if there was a discount
Cover Price - $3.99 Sell for $3.00
Magazine - $1.00 $1.00
Distributor - $0.49 $0.49
Wholesaler - $0.50 $0.50
Retailer - $2.00 $1.01 (-$0.99)
Because the retailer has to pay the specific percentage (on the amount of $3.99), it is NOT in the retailers best interest to sell the magazines at a discounted rate. They would get to keep less for themselves. They are better off selling the newest issue at full price than keeping old issues around to sell at a discount. They have to give the unsold copies back ASAP so they don't have to pay for them....
Lastly - it is in no one's best interest to put as many magazines out into the marketplace as possible. The truth is - ONLY the magazines sold count toward the circulation numbers - which are audited - and used to create the advertising space rates. It is upsettingly wasteful and the production cost on unsold copies counts toward the magazine's Return On Investment. Magazines run a ton of analysis to improve what is called the "sell through" percentage - down to the store level.
A store selling 1 of 5 needs to be cut to 3 copies. But a store selling 4 of 5 needs to go up to 7. This requires a shift of 2 copies.
The goal is to never have copies left when the new issue comes out - unfortunately it is hard to predict what will sell and what won't.