Will magazines disappear in the lifetime of the Baby Boomers? If I had to make an educated guess, I’d say no, not entirely…but at the same time, if they did, it would not surprise me. And it would certainly be just deserts for the insultingly deceptive and dishonest marketing that is rampant in the industry today. I’ve railed against it before, but in some ways, this one takes the cake.
Want a free sample of this magazine? Ordinarily, sure…I like old cars…altho I wonder if a mag with a newsstand price of $9.95 isn’t a bit too chi-chi for the likes of me. But let’s see just what’s being proffered here. First off, you aren’t actually requesting a free issue…you are requesting a 6-issue subscription, which you can then cancel after the first issue and owe nothing. At least you don’t have to give them your credit card info like you do to get “free” offers on-line. But that “with no obligation” is patently false: you’re obligated to tell them you don’t want your subscription to continue, otherwise it will, and you’ll be billed.
But suppose you do like the magazine, and decide to let the subscription stand. You owe them $29.95, which they say is 50% off the cover or newsstand price, which is given as $9.95 per issue. Well, 6 x 9.95 = 59.70, divided by 2 is 29.85…OK, they’re overcharging you a dime, but what’s a dime these days, right? So it all seems to check.
But hold on!! What happened to your “free” issue? You can’t pay for that and still have it be free…so that’s actually 5 issues for $29.95…or $5.99 an issue…a savings off the cover price of $3.96…which is a 39.8% savings, not a 50% savings. So they lied to you…either that, or what the deal really amounts to is: you get a free issue, then if you decide to subscribe at 50% off, you have to pay for your free issue for the privilege. And pardon me, but that takes snarky marketing to a new low…almost makes you envy the illiterate…
B*A*K*E*R*S D*O*Z*E*N
(1) Polish saying: That which is guarded by all, soon disappears…
(2) Voltaire: Anything too stupid to be said, can always be sung…
(3) At age 60, I’m still waiting to smell something that smells better than
pancakes hot off the griddle…um, hold the strawberry, no offense…
(4) As Gramps used to say: When it comes to a smoke, I don’t honestly mind
tobaccos carelessly selected, and blended with absolutely no skill whatsoever…
(5) » » » Every evening, we are one day more the poorer… « « «
(6) On the Eve of the Epiphany in Italy, La Befana is the ugly old woman
who brings gifts to children for “Little Christmas”…or coal if they’re naughty.
(7) George Santayana: Fun is a good thing,
but only when it doesn’t spoil something better…
(8) A nice thing about deadlines is the whooshing sound
they make as they fly by…also, the refreshing breeze…
(9) Thank goodness the errors of youth are behind me…
like buying conditioner when I thought I was buying shampoo…
(10) The Denver Broncos are the 10th 8-8 team to make
the NFL playoffs…that many?…’fraid so…but last year’s
NFC West Champion Seahawks still hold the “record” at 7-9…
(11) Galileo: The Bible teaches us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go.
(12) If you wanna feel old…and who doesn’t?…RFK’s grandson Joseph P.
Kennedy III is running for Barney Frank’s old seat in Congress…he’s 31…
(13) …but if nothing else, it’s nice to see an old-fashioned word like
“scion” in the news again…it means a descendent, not a car, sorry…
POUTINE-ON-A-STICK
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