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2000 AD Where are you in Smiths?

Started by COMMANDO FORCES, 06 December, 2012, 04:42:21 PM

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COMMANDO FORCES

Every week this happens but this week I've had to do it twice, what you ask? Well, on a Wednesday when I collect my Thrills from my local comic shop, I always pop up to Smiths to rearrange their stock, as it's hidden on the shelves!

This week the prog wasn't sent to the comic shop and I would normally wait until next week. The problem is, I'm doing the next podcast about 1812 and the IDW issue and so I've had to pop along to Smiths to buy another copy. I'm way too good to
Tharg. Anyway, imagine my shock as I see the drokkers have hidden the Prog and Meg AGAIN!!!

How on earth are the thrills supposed to be seen if they are bloody well hidden and in a place only people of small stature can see ::)

Here are the before and after pics, can you see where they are >:(

BEFORE


AFTER


CrazyFoxMachine

W-wait. The mighty Burdis doesn't subscribe?!

COMMANDO FORCES

I can't risk it being damaged, even a slight bend would drive me into a warp spasm! Here's a secret though, I used to collect them from the printers in Bicester many moons ago and read the issue a couple of days before the subbies got theirs!

SmallBlueThing

My local WHSmiths- so long now a safe pair of hands in the sale and display of the the prog- has really dropped the ball recently. I had to hunt- HUNT- for it these last few weeks, and its been hidden behind crappy SFX mags or tatty 'superhero film'/'horror'/'walking dead' knock-off publications and umpteen 'dr who'-related pieces of tat. When asked, the twelve year old shop assistant informed me 'it has to go somewhere and there's not enough room for everything, so some magazines have to sit behind others'. I therefore obviously moved them to the front. Next day, they were back at the back. Make of that what you will.

SBT
.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: SmallBlueThing on 06 December, 2012, 04:56:27 PM
'it has to go somewhere and there's not enough room for everything, so some magazines have to sit behind others'.

Translation: the bigger the backhander you pay WHS for retail position, the less likely your title is to be 'displayed' in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying "Beware of The Leopard".

You'd think taking 50% of the cover price would be enough of an incentive for WHS to sell your product, but you effectively have to rent the shelf space from them, too.

Cheers

Jim
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

James Stacey

Yep, as far as Im aware you have to pay WHS for the plum position at the front. Which is why they will get moved back.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: James Stacey on 06 December, 2012, 05:08:00 PM
Yep, as far as Im aware you have to pay WHS for the plum position at the front. Which is why they will get moved back.

You have to pay them to get onto the shelves at all. Once you've ponied up the cash (and I was told to budget a minimum £25K per year a few years back) then your position is determined by the size of your contribution to the WHS coffers.

Cheers

Jim
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

COMMANDO FORCES

Then Thargs Street Team need to be on watch every day!

sheldipez

Quote from: COMMANDO FORCES on 06 December, 2012, 04:42:21 PM

AFTER[/color]


Haha that's great!
Unless someone says they send out the prog/meg in tough card envelopes then I wouldn't susbcribe either.

Spikes

Quote from: COMMANDO FORCES on 06 December, 2012, 04:55:22 PM
I can't risk it being damaged, even a slight bend would drive me into a warp spasm!

Testify!


Anyway after seeing your marvellous 'Before' and 'After' photos CF, i must admitt i attempted summat similar a while ago (i was gonna post them in the "You know your a 2000ad fan when... thread - or whatever its called), but bottled it after only doing the 'Before' photo. There may have been Women shoppers near by and i didnt want to seem like a weirdo photographing shelves..  ;)

But Senior Judge Burdis shows us that self belief is everything!


Frank

Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 06 December, 2012, 05:10:55 PM
Quote from: James Stacey on 06 December, 2012, 05:08:00 PM
Yep, as far as Im aware you have to pay WHS for the plum position at the front. Which is why they will get moved back.

You have to pay them to get onto the shelves at all. Once you've ponied up the cash (and I was told to budget a minimum £25K per year a few years back) then your position is determined by the size of your contribution to the WHS coffers.

Nice racket.

TordelBack

Oddly enough after a big store redesign my local has finally started stocking them right at the front on the bottom shelf, between Total Film and White Dwarf (probably sick of my 'rescuing' them from behind the guitar magazines in a dingy corner).  Very pretty they look too, really stand out. 

Bat King

My local WHS hides 2000AD & Megazine behind the 'Customer Service' desk.

Really bad 'Customer Service' as I often can't get the the bloomin place to ask as Managers stand there discussing stuff they probably shouldn't discuss on shop floor or some numpty wants a book WHS don't stock but a book shop, which they clearly aren't, does.

OK so I use it as a Comic Shop, which it isn't, but I can't get 2000AD in FP or TM most the time...

I should resubscribe - more cash to Rebellion that way for one thing and less to WHS - but point is without juves seeing Progs how do we get more readers...
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http://judgetutorsemple.wordpress.com/

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The Adventurer

You really shouldn't reorganize magazine racks like that. A lot of the time the position of things are set by the vendors. And it just puts extra work on the employees to put things back after you.... fix things.

Really its Rebellions job to negotiate with their distributors to make sure the Prog and Meg are more visible on magazine racks.

THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

Dark Jimbo

Quote from: The Adventurer on 06 December, 2012, 11:03:30 PM
You really shouldn't reorganize magazine racks like that. A lot of the time the position of things are set by the vendors. And it just puts extra work on the employees to put things back after you.... fix things.

Really its Rebellions job to negotiate with their distributors to make sure the Prog and Meg are more visible on magazine racks.

Your application to join Tharg's Street Team has been declined, Earthlet.
@jamesfeistdraws