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Joined: Jun 08, 2006 Posts: 273 Location: Here there and everywhere
Whats going on with NORML mags lately?!?! Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 3:53 pm
Is it just me or did you guys miss out a issue?
I havent been able to find the Winter edition...I think
Palmerston Norths "Lotsapots" seemed to think there wasnt enough (some thing) I cant remember... "Easygrow" Manakau are probably geting annoyed with me asking every few days ...........
Whats the story guys?
Its allmost time for spring 08
Joined: Feb 28, 2003 Posts: 212 Location: Auckland, Aotearoa
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 12:32 pm
Yes there has been a slight delay, but rest assured it will be worth the wait!
There have been plenty of changes happening with the Norml News. Not only a new look, thicker cover and 20% more pages, but also ... wait for it ... a $5 COVER PRICE!
Everyone that expects the magazine for free, or complains when the nice unpaid volunteers take a bit too long to put it together, can now show their appreciation by buying it.
Norml News Spring 2008 will go on sale at Whitcoull's and other major retailers from Monday 15th September and NORML will get back $2.80 from every issue sold!
But don't panic, from tomorrow regular readers will still be able to get it for free from the usual places. We are still printing 40,000 copies, and 35,000 of these will still be given out free or for a donation.
Actually, I've let existing stores make their own decision on pricing - I've strongly recommended they keep it free since it doesn't cost them any money and they can use it to attract customers to their stores and reward their regular customers. Some stores may decide to ask for a payment, but remember, if they are a "like minded" store they got it for free, so I think if you ask nicely they'll still give it to you, and half of any money paid will be going back to Norml.
Please let me know of any stores that ask for payment, so I can check to see if they are passing it on to NORML. You can post that here. If we find nothing comes back our way, we may re-think the number of free copies we send them.
So why are we doing this? Norml News has stayed much the same for ten years. When Nandor was editor in the early 90's, it was sold for $3 per copy, and NORML memberships boomed as people realised they could get it cheaper if they joined. When I relaunched Norml News in 1999 I made it free (paid for by the advertisers) but NORML memberships plummeted as people thought there was little benefit to them in joining. So one thing is that I hope this will lead to more people joining NORML and keeping their memberships current and paid up. Given the number of people in NZ that smoke pot, NORML has a truly pathetic (and worrying) lack of members. At the moment, people join out of principle but with a free magazine there is little financial incentive (although we really appreciate the wonderful people who do join!).
The other thing is that I want to avoid just preaching to the converted. Once or twice is fine, but after dozens of issues it gets a bit boring. By getting into mainstream retail outlets like Whitcoull's, we are opening up the magazine to a whole bunch of people who have never heard of it, let alone read it. We will have a much wider readership, with more impact, more effectiveness at raising awareness and getting prohibition repealed, better value for advertisers, and we'll also generate some income from the magazine so it can grow and one day we might get to actually pay the people who work so hard to put it together!
In future the income stream from retail sales will let us make Norml News even bigger and better. I want to add more pages, use thicker paper, and include more international content and grow tips as well as cover wider drug-related stuff like more beautiful pot photography, music reviews, games, fiction, humour etc as well as news and interviews.
Existing or regular readers can, of course, still go to their regular store to pick up a free copy (or make a donation for it if they want).
It's onwards and upwards for Norml News - I hope you stay with us for the ride!
Chris
p.s. actually one of the best things people can do is to buy a copy from Whitcoull's during the week of 15 -22 September 2008. It's important because the first week of sales is used to measure whether they should reorder and/or give it a more prominent display. And remember, NORML will get $2.80 of this, so you can feel good about that.
p.p.s. I'm always interested in people's feedback... please leave it here or email me at news AT norml DOT org DOT nz _________________ "when injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty!"
Chris, that's really good news. I'll definitely be spreading the word/buying my own copies from now on. I'd be very happy to pay the $5 as opposed to the $6.40 it's currently costing me on bus fares to collect the latest editions from the Hemp Store. In fact, i'd be very happy to pay $5 full stop. I have been unsure about offering/leaving donations at the hemp store before yet I have wanted to do this with every issue I pick up.
Thank you for keeping it free for so long though- although it doesn't help funds appear to keep NORML running, being able to pick up the mag for free in the past has been well appreciated and the information contained has been extremely useful on several levels.
On the topic, is there any way I could get old copies? My boyfriends flatmates found my collection and cut them all up for the pretty pictures and now i'm down to the last two or three issues. I work in holistic health care and my magazines were getting a lot of read throughs in my clinic at home. Of course I will be building my supply back up with new ones but it was really nice to have a little pile of NORML mags next to the shiny gossip pages.
Sounds like a good idea, Chris.
I like the way that you seem to have covered all the bases: A $5 charge for those that consider anything that's free to be inferior, free issues for those that won't pay and donations from the in-betweeners. How can that fail?
Reminds me of when Watties bought Oak. They gave the same tinned mushrooms different labels and sold them at different prices because they knew that 90% of people would buy the cheapest whereas 10% would buy the more expensive brand.
Anyway, I was thinking about how the music magazine Rip It Up was free for many, many years before the decision was made to charge for it. Not sure how much a Rip It Up costs these days but they're still publishing it.
Joined: Feb 28, 2003 Posts: 212 Location: Auckland, Aotearoa
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 4:29 pm
dollhouse - all the back issues we have left are available at The Hempstore, so I guess you will have to go back this time... there is a NORML donation jar on the counter, rest assured if you put some coin in there it will go to NORML. Or you can order back issues from the membership form in the magazine - they're $1 each including postage.
tony - yes there are plenty of that one left, at the store.
ross - actually IMD approached us to take it on, and they sold it to Whitcoull's. Apparently their buyer was in a good mood that day. Now we are trying to get it into supermarkets and gas stations etc. That's why going in and asking for it in these sort of stores could really help.
potshots - I'm particularly looking forward to being able to pay contributors. And with more pages, I won't have to be so ruthless in editing down articles
Chris _________________ "when injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty!"
Joined: Jun 08, 2006 Posts: 273 Location: Here there and everywhere
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 6:28 pm
THATS AWESOME!!!
No longer will I strugle to find my fix!
Sorry to sound like a bludgeing ungreatfull twit
I have no issue paying for it, this works out well as im a little on the paranoid side some times haha hence lack of delivery. Stoked I can pay my way a little more lowkey.. On the plus side again more $ to help fund the cause
Joined: Jun 08, 2006 Posts: 273 Location: Here there and everywhere
Top Notch Work Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 8:30 pm
I made the long journey into Auckland city today to the "Hemp Store" for my first visit.. I was not disappointed!
First of all Congrats on the new look mag! . A real step up well worth the $5 great job guys.
After passing on a little donation I managed to get a few back issues .
Also grabed 2 "Old school" Norml mags , Only just glanced through them but had a laugh at that little "Expo" on a much younger Helen Clark
Took me awhile to find the place , but definately recomend it to everyone. The dude behind the counter seem to be a real good sort
A++
Worth the all up 3hr trip there and back through traffic Even if I only browzed for ten mins hahaha
Joined: Dec 01, 2003 Posts: 2996 Location: Christchurch, NZ
Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 10:25 am
chris just posted this in the other NORML mag thread :
don't listen to the rumours Paula...
Whitcoulls head office *has approved it* for the chain but individual stores still get to decide whether they will take it and how many.
So yes, ask for it, and if they don't have it, tell them you will go somewhere else to get it. If they get a few people doing that, they will stock it. When it comes to book stores, I think they don't really care what they sell as long as it sells.
And yes, Tony, if everyone bought a copy that would help immensely... possibly the single most important thing they could do over the next couple of weeks... and remember $2.83 of the cover price comes back to Norml so that's got to be a good thing. How about buying one copy for every free one people have read over the years? (that should get a few sales!)
Joined: Dec 01, 2003 Posts: 2996 Location: Christchurch, NZ
Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 11:03 am
I'm off to Eastgate Whitcoulls in a minute, with copies of the last few mags, to tell them how many I distribute locally LOL.
I suggest interested people with a wee bit of time on their hands ring their local Whitcoulls and ask whether they stock it. Ask to speak to whoever is in charge of magazines. Theres someone in each store who takes responsibility.
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great job guys.
.
Even if I only browzed for ten mins hahaha
