Shooting Times - price increase or scam?

A

AUTiger73

New member
Purchased November 2000 edition of Shooting Times magazine and noted that original price and scanner code has been "over stamped" with an adhesive label with new scanner code and price. The original price of $ 3.99 can be seen through the new price label. The new price is $ 4.99. Yes, I know it only a dollar increase BUT overstamping the original price ... ?

Being the curious sort, I invested a few minutes calling Books-A-Million (retail)corporate office. In short, Books-A-Million denies altering the price and referred me to Anderson News Distributors / Media Solutions at 1-800-476-5872. A Media Solutions rep also denied they altered the price and implied that Shooting Times publisher Primedia Inc., had changed the price after printing the magazine cover. A number of calls to Shooting Times eventually resulted in a referral to 1-800-827-0374 and the instruction to dial "0" for Customer Service. Eventually I talked with Mike Breckling of Primedia. He and others associated with the publisher were unaware of a price. Mr. Breckling said he would look into it.

Maybe we have a mystery here? Maybe there is an ANTI-GUN CONSPIRACY here? Maybe we just have a price increase? Who knows?

But, if Shooting Times did not raise their price as of the November 2000 issue, then I suspect someone is trying to discourage people from purchasing Shooting Times magazine? If that is the case, WHY? Maybe the distributor, Anderson News/ Media Solutions is raising the price and donating that extra dollar to HCI. Nothing would surprise me as pro-gun people are taking hits from every direction.

Anybody else notice "over stamped" price increase on Shooting Times?
 
AUTiger73,

Roll Tide buddy !!!! :-o

Sorry I couldn't resist ;-)

madison46


ps. YES we are not a good football team this year. Want to trade HC's??

Like I said, I couldn't resist.......
 
No, I hadn't noticed the price increase, since I read ST infrequently these days. Just hasn't been the same since Skeeter Skelton died...

All magazine publishers will give you the same story on the high price of their publications these days. The price of paper has gone up dramatically in the past few years.. Yes, the price of everything has gone up, but not that much! Greedy, greedy, greedy.
 
In the past couple years I've cut way down on the gun and sporting mags.

They are starting to become so hyped up and full of ads that they are a waste of money.

How many times can you read about, "Is the 44 Magnum Still King?" and "Do Remfedchester bullets Really Expand?"

I only get Handloader now and a State Hunting and Fishing Magazine.

With the advent of the Internet, it's much easier to stay informed now on the latest stuff anyway.

Just my 2 cents.
 
madison46: Did you say LOW TIDE ???
It appears that it doesn't matter if the Alabama coach chases his secretary or even if he catches her !!! And don't worry about harassment lawsuits, JUST WIN FOOT BALL GAMES or else ...
Now repeat after me, WAR EAGLE ! Go Auburn!
Back to business...
__________

parabellum: Yes, Shooting Times ain't the same without Skeeter Skelton, and Bart just didn't measure up. However, Jim Wilson can spin some good tales. But the gun articles are generally the same crass commercialism found in other gun magazines. I've been reading Shooting Times over 30 years and sort of hate to give it up.

contender: Handloader Magazine (Wolf Pub.) is certainly an excellent magazine, and their Rifle Magazine is worth while ... enjoyed Wolf's recent pub on Lever Action Rifles too.
_____________

Just checked out PRIMEDIA's website and found they put out a bunch of "warm & fuzzy" magazines. Strangely they list a link to Shotgun News but NOTHING on Shooting Times. All of this makes you wonder if Shooting Times is about to fold up.

There is something sinister about this belated price increase on Shooting Times. Very chinzy to simply tape over the original price with a higher price.

[This message has been edited by AUTiger73 (edited October 04, 2000).]
 
This is interesting because I recently received a renewal notice from Guns Magazine. IIRC they offered a special renewal rate at $19 for one year, but offered a 3 year subscription at the reduced rate of $45. I read the notice and was puzzled because it made mention of a paper shortage and that in the future subscription and rack rates would likely increase. It also stated that I should act promptly to lock in the special price. I acted promptly and threw it away.
It sounded like a scam to me. I think that gun and knife rags are losing alot of business to internet forums, and are trying to generate more subscriptions.
 
I receive several gun-mags/rags and a few of them have subscriptions that run until 2010 or so (so I over subscribed a little) and i still get notices that my subscriptions are about to expire.

------------------
"If there be treachery, let there be jihad."
Ne Conjuge Nobiscum
 
I also checked publisher information column inside the November issue of Shooting Times.
Both subscription rates and news stand copy price are in the fine print. This clearly shows that per copy price is $ 3.99. As I stated earlier, the UPC price on the outside was over stamped with a label indicating
$ 4.99.

I'm still wonder about exactly where that extra dollar is going. There have been stories about Anderson News Distributors political activism ...
 
Representatives of PRIMEDIA that I talked to denied any knowledge of a price increase. Likewise, the distributor also denies any knowledge of a price increase. The retailer, Books-A-Million denies any knowledge of a price increase. Summing it up, the publisher, distributor, and retailer all deny causing a price increase! It is the method used to implement that price increase that is very suspicious. But with the passing of time, the truth will eventually surface.

Seems like we gun owners are getting the shaft from all directions.



[This message has been edited by AUTiger73 (edited October 05, 2000).]
 
Update: The mystery deepens!

Local Wal Mart Super Center normally sells Shooting Times magazine in the sporting goods section of their store. They will not be receiving the latest copy of Shooting Times due to "...a problem with the distributor." All other gun magazines and the a related publication, Shotgun News, were received on schedule.

There is more information developing ...
 
Well, I've findly gotten to the bottom of this. The distributor increased the price because Shooting Times magazine does not meet their news-stand circulation requirements. To the extent that the distributor would refuse circulation of Shooting Times, the publisher is apparently a party to the situation. It was the only way they could keep Shooting Times on the news-stand. So the conclusion is that the distributor actually "over stamped" the magazine with the $ 4.99 price.

Interestingly, Wal Mart refused to accept delivery of Shooting Times at the higher price. Apparently they purchase only at the pre-agreed price which was $ 3.99.

A similar situation occurred with Backwoods Home Magazine earlier in the year. The editor, Dave Duffy, handled it differently. He told the news distributor to "stick-it" and they are direct marketing their magazine in many states.

The distributor, Anderson News, has a virtual monopoly in over 20 states from Alabama, to California, to Virginia, et.al.
 
Interesting. Yeah, I saw a copy of ST with the overstamped price. There is no way I'm paying that much money for a copy of ST. And like I said before, that mag just hasn't been the same since Skeeter left.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top