It’s been about a week now since the paper doubled its newsstand price to $2. At the time, a USA Today press release said:
“We anticipate this price increase will bring a minimal drop in print sales, as we continue to evolve how we distribute USA TODAY.”
By “evolving” they apparently mean eliminating vending machines, in the hope that people anxious to buy a $2 newspaper will rush to one of the retail outlets they allege are expanding, wherever those are supposed to be. The machines at my workplace are empty (they were removed altogether from another hospital where I sometimes rotate), and it’s doubtful they will be replaced or retrofitted. Who’s going to carry 8 quarters to stuff into the machine - or do they expect us to, um, securely pay via credit card?). “Minimal drop in print sales” my ass.
I was in the habit of buying a USA Today almost daily from one of the machines at work (I know the news section is pretty crappy, but they have a good sports section, occasionally decent op-ed articles and the statewide news roundup can be entertaining). What I am not going to do is drive out of my way several miles to a supermarket or wherever else it’s selling, for the privilege of getting an incredibly overpriced skinny newspaper. And seeing that a lot of USA Today sales are at airports, are more people going to forgo the convenience of vending machines to stand on line at retail outlets for a $2 paper?
It would be different if the content was so fabulous that I was tempted to become a regular online reader. But if I have to go online to read sports on a small screen, I’m going to a dedicated sports site.
Goodbye, USA Today (with the possible exception of occasional weekend edition purchases). You were half-decent while it lasted.
My husband likes the sports and crossword puzzle, but refuses to pay $2 for it. I looked at subscribing to it, but the web site tells me there is no carrier delivery where I live (although our friend two blocks away gets his delivered) and have offered mail delivery.
I tried mail delivery with a special rate last year and found that at least one or two papers a week didn’t come to the house the next day. So a typical week would be paper Monday, none Tuesday, none Wednesday, three Thursday, and so on. Not exactly what I want in a newspaprt.
So maybe you can pay your friend two blocks away to order a second subscription (or you can have a second subscription delivered to their house with their permission) and you can pick it up there?
It’s got to be a typo for hectography, an obsolete printing process. The joke being if they are going to go back to single color ink like the newspapers from 100 years ago, they might as well use an old timey printing process, too.
Most of the McDonalds around here sell USA Today at the counter. But I’ve never seen anyone actually buy one. And I’m sure as heck not going to make a special trip to Mickey D’s for it.
Anybody want to start placing bets on when they’ll fold?
It does seem to reflect what is going on.
)