Absolute BLACKMAIL

[red750]

I just went up to our local newsagency to pick up a copy of todays Herald-Sun which is supposed to contain a lift-out booklet on Melbourne Storm,as my daughter is a devout Storm supporter.

 

The newsagent said, "Sorry, no Herald Suns." Not because he had sold out - because Herald-Sun refused to supply him UNTIL HE HANDS OVER HIS LIST OF DELIVERY CUSTOMERS - so they can pester them into taking out prepaid subscriptions. He refused.

 

I wouldn't buy their rotten rag to wipe my ....

[facthunter]

is that the  truth or did you read it in the Murdoch press? I only buy it for the footy is the usual reply. Glad you've realised Red.  Your newsagent has done the right thing but he will get no justice  They hand out freebies in hotel foyers and doctors surgeries (to keep their circulation numbers up). Nev

[Yenn]

My newsagent folded. There is no newsagent in my nearest two towns. I can get a paper at the supermarket.

I doubt that he was balckmailed as he would never know who his customers were with over the counter sales.

[old man emu]

16 minutes ago, Yenn said:

My newsagent folded.

 

That's a sign of the times. Newsagencies used to be a licence to print money,

[red750]

17 minutes ago, Yenn said:

he would never know who his customers were

Account customers who get home delivery - something they do in the big smoke.

[red750]

For those who live up Schipps Creek Road, out Woop Woop way, metro newsagents have machines that roll the papers in cling-wrap, and delivery drivers fling them onto the lawn or verandah of account customers. It used to be school boys on bikes at 5.30 am, and I have stepped in to assist my sons on occasion, many years ago.

[pmccarthy]

2 hours ago, Yenn said:

My newsagent folded. 

When I was young they got the paper boys to do the folding.

[Dax]

34 minutes ago, pmccarthy said:

When I was young they got the paper boys to do the folding.

Or you wouldn't get them in your bags, once place I delivered papers from used to make us put rubber bands round all the papers. This used to take a long time but it was in a posh area and got more than kids on other rounds, you had to earn that prestige round. I got one of those because was always first at the shop and was happy to deliver mistakes, whilst the other kids were in a hurry to get him have breakfast and get to school. Don't think he ever worked out. didn't have home and never went to school.

 

Haven't bought a  newspaper for well over a decade, unless it was a local one when we were on the road. Our local rag is still going, well over 100 years old they say and the original building it was done still stands and it was only about a decade ago, that they moved out of the building and into the big world of newspapers. Now O read about ten news sites around the world, by the time you get through them, you have a pretty fair idea pf what's going on. What still amazes me is the massive difference in interpretation and claims covering the exact same subject, I steer clear of news limited and the other media conglomerates, mostly read independent news outlets and semi government ones in free countries.

 

I agree, newsagents have gone from gold mines, to cemeteries.

[red750]

Even junk mail has gone to the wall. Our local paper stopped printing over 12 months ago and went online. My daughter delivered the paper while it was going, and also catalogues, a a second job. It dropped to just Aldi catalogues and the monthly council newsletter, but a few weeks ago even they stopped. The company controlling it all lost too much money and went out of business.

 

At least the newsagency still has magazines, stationery, greeting cards and the like.

[pmccarthy]

It is strange that there are more glossy specialist magazines than ever, on every topic you care to pursue. Why are they not redundant now we have on line material?

[Marty_d]

5 hours ago, red750 said:

Even junk mail has gone to the wall.

Good!!  Biggest waste of paper ever.  Glossy brochures stuffed in letterboxes and going straight to the bin.

 

2 hours ago, pmccarthy said:

It is strange that there are more glossy specialist magazines than ever, on every topic you care to pursue. Why are they not redundant now we have on line material?

Same reason that paper books are still hugely popular despite Kindles/tablets/phones.  People like holding a physical object and flipping pages.  

[Jerry_Atrick]

2 hours ago, Marty_d said:

People like holding a physical object and flipping pages.  

Absolutely right.. Over here, I used to subscribe to Flyer Magazine over Pilot, but they went digital. Something about reading a magazine or book makes it so much better. Even though to save costs, Pilot's paper quality is a lot lower, I now subscribe to them.

 

[nomadpete]

We are still geting some junk mail (things change comfortably slowly when you live this far from the madding world).

But we manage to cope. Our Post Office leaves an old tea chest right near the post boxes, so it only takes a flick of the wrist to delete the residual glossy trash.

 

The most criminal aspect of junk mail (and magazines) is the fact that glossy printed paper is not recyclable and even worse, it won't burn so I can't even use it as a fire starter.

 

[Fliteright]

All my junk mail gloosy or otherwise goes into my wood fire, in fact I burn just about anything that burnable!

I still like paper bills (old school) & the providers keep hassling me to go digital!

The digital world whilst very handy for some things has killed other traditional methods:-(

[Jerry_Atrick]

I hope you don't burn those a/c you fly 😉