Skip Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 No, but a few of the magazines I referred to, such as Bob Bond's "Auto Art" magazine have a way smaller subscription number and it comes bagged every month. I've run across other small run magazines who are doing the same thing, it's not that uncommon, nor is it an unreasonable request for a publisher to ensure their readers get a readable copy each and every month. Instead of poo poo'ing requests and suggestions why not look into what the cost actually is rather than questioning someone's intelligence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 I guess you were reading words that I didn't write.I didn't question your intelligence. I asked if you realize what a bagging machine costs.I'm sure any publisher that bags their magazine passes that cost on to the subscriber. Maybe the MCM publisher doesn't want to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 I guess you were reading words that I didn't write. I didn't question your intelligence. I asked if you realize what a bagging machine costs. I'm sure any publisher that bags their magazine passes that cost on to the subscriber. Maybe the MCM publisher doesn't want to do that. Maybe the publisher should have the mags printed and bagged in China to save on costs, eh? Seems to be the accepted business model these days, and I'm sure the Chinese could wrap the mag in bulletproof Kevlar for less than the cost of a US-made-and-installed plastic bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Well, seeing as how the publisher of MCM is also a commercial printer, i doubt they'd want to outsource it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Johnston Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 I want my magazine to be delivered to my door, in a foam case, with a metal latch, wrapped in bubble wrap. I mean seriously, how hard can that be ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aurfalien Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Any wealthy forum members wanna donate a bag-a-mag machine to Greg@MCM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High octane Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 I buy my issues at my LHS and I get them in great condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 I buy my issues at my LHS and I get them in great condition. Which makes the whole "torn up when it arrives" thing even more weird. I mean, the magazines that are delivered to your LHS also went through the same process as the ones that individual subscribers' magazines go through... right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quick GMC Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 crying about plastic bags now, unbelievable. next thing you know this whiners will be measuring the dimensions with a micrometer to make sure the size is tolerable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quick GMC Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 Instead of poo poo'ing requests and suggestions why not look into what the cost actually is rather than questioning someone's intelligence.Irony right here.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldnslow Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Actually, the magazines at the Hobby Shop come in a box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Which makes the whole "torn up when it arrives" thing even more weird. I mean, the magazines that are delivered to your LHS also went through the same process as the ones that individual subscribers' magazines go through... right? How is it weird? The magazines are being torn up in the mail by their handling equipment, not by the publishing process. I would imagine that the magazines are sent to the hobby shop either in a bundle or container not individually, so that isn't a real valid argument for the same processing. FYI - I wasn't whining about bagging. Merely pointing out that there are methods of protecting the magazines through the mail. Other "small run" magazines are already doing something to protect their product. The local hobby shop which is a half hour away sells out of Model Cars and SAE nearly as soon as they arrive. Barnes and Noble is just around the corner from the LHS, I've never seen a copy of Model Cars there ever. So picking up a copy at either store isn't a real great answer either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 I think the crux of this is.... These two magazines are printed at different printers. The printer who handles Model Cars doesn't own a bagging machine. The printer who prints the slot car magazine has a bagging machine. It's not the difference of 5 cents per magazine, but the cost of acquiring an expensive piece of machinery.Honestly I don't think it really matters. This month my Model Cars Magazine was received in perfect condition without a bag. My Scale Auto Contest Annual arrived in a spiffy bag but the entire corner was dented in... without damaging the bag! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGTRUCK Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Which makes the whole "torn up when it arrives" thing even more weird. I mean, the magazines that are delivered to your LHS also went through the same process as the ones that individual subscribers' magazines go through... right? After they leave the press only subscriber issues go through postal system ,the magazine distributors are handled another way. The company I drive for has an account with a lot of big titles and we pick up post office loads [ subscribers]and take skids direct to post offices and the distribution [ magazine rack] go to the magazine distributors that may only get a bundle or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 After they leave the press only subscriber issues go through postal system ,the magazine distributors are handled another way. Oh, I see. So all of the magazines that wind up at the LHS do not go through the USPS system at all? Not even "part of the way?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGTRUCK Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 I dont know how you go part way through the postal system. I know we send trucks to presses to pick up subscriber copies (mail) and other trucks get wood pallets of magazines that go to distributors like Natiowide or Hudson news or old Charles Levy. One thing I have seen, smaller title magazines have less magazine bundles to a skid, so they stack the shorter skids sometimes 4 high. Subscriber mail goes on plastic skids that have 9 contact points on the item below it , so between moving around and unstacking with a forklift I can see covers getting destroyed when they seperate the skids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Yeah, that's my question. Are magazines that go to stores handled by a completely different process right from the start than the ones that get mailed to individual subscribers? If so, what is that process? A bunch of trucks pick up magazines at the printing plant and they distribute them across the country? Without any "help" from the USPS?I thought maybe that bundles of magazines get mailed to distribution centers in each state, and from there the delivery process is taken over by private distributors. That's what I meant by the USPS helping "part way."If that's not right, then how exactly does that process work? How do the magazines get from the printing press to the hobby shop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGTRUCK Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 (edited) When Charles Levy ( readers are leaders) was in business they had trucks on the street everyday making deliveries to places that sold magazines and remember the little street corner news stands? Big distributors such as Natiowide has their own trucks that pick up semi loads, how it gets to shelves from their centers I dont know. We also have an airfreight division that sends magazine bundles packed in boxes all over the world . Edited October 26, 2015 by BIGTRUCK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batmanreturns Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 I have aug/sept and no photo clinic results, I'm ticked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Colmer Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 (edited) Yeah, that's my question. Are magazines that go to stores handled by a completely different process right from the start than the ones that get mailed to individual subscribers? If so, what is that process? A bunch of trucks pick up magazines at the printing plant and they distribute them across the country? Without any "help" from the USPS?I thought maybe that bundles of magazines get mailed to distribution centers in each state, and from there the delivery process is taken over by private distributors. That's what I meant by the USPS helping "part way."If that's not right, then how exactly does that process work? How do the magazines get from the printing press to the hobby shop?I work in the commercial printing industry. The copies that go directly to subscribers are placed first on pallets then sorted in to mail trays according to zip code. During the sorting, mailing labels are mechanically placed on each piece. The trays are taken to a post office there they are processed through the mailing machines and out to the various local post offices where the carrier eventually delivers them. There is at least twice the machine processing of each copy and a lot of human handling.The copies that go to the hobby shops and stores are usually bundled in a box and that box is delivered to a distributor either via UPS or a truck depending on the size of the load. My guess is SA goes via UPS. The distributor removes them from the box and shelves them. No machine handling after press and far less human handling other that store patrons grabbing a free peek. Edited October 29, 2015 by Scott Colmer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 So the magazines that are going to retailers are distributed by first boxing them up at the point of printing, then these boxes full of magazines are delivered to dozens of distribution points throughout all 50 states, where distributors unbox them, divide them up, and then deliver them to each retail outlet in their area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 This is why I always respond to this recurring topic by saying that it's better for the magazine to dump monthly names and just go with volume and number ID. If they want more info, they could print "whenever." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 There is no definitive process, it no doubt varies by magazine publisher, and by the quantities distributed, from small niche magazines like Model Cars right up to mainstream magazines that distribute millions of copies. There was a news item about Playboy recently and the point that stuck with me was that they sold 5 MILLION copies in their heyday, but around 1 million copies today. That's a lot of magazines. And I'm sure magazines like Time and TV Guide beat that, so distribution methods will be quite different. I can imagine that Time might be shipping a whole pallet to certain zip codes, while I could be the only person in my town that subscribes to Model Cars Magazine, so that issue would travel solo through the mails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Irwin Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 If I come across a damaged magazine in a hobby store I simply reach back for another copy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 I got curious so I Googled it. The US magazines with top circulation. You'd never even think of the top ones! 1AARP The Magazine22,274,0961958AARP 2AARP Bulletin22,244,8201960AARP3Costco Connection8,654,464 Costco Wholesale4Game Informer7,629,9951991GameStop5Better Homes And Gardens7,615,5811922Meredith6Reader's Digest4,536,9121922The Reader's Digest Association7Good Housekeeping4,348,6411885Hearst Magazines8Family Circle4,092,5251932Meredith9National Geographic4,029,8811888National Geographic Society10People3,527,5411974Time Inc.11Woman's Day3,311,8031931Hearst Magazines12Time3,289,3771923Time Inc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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