I just received a scary yellow envelope in the mail, with big black words emblazoned across the top: PLEASE USE STAMPS INSIDE AND OPEN AT ONCE!
Fear not – it’s just from New York Magazine.
When I joined MediaBistro four years ago, every year I’d get sent a free copy of Wired each month. Three years ago that was switched to New York Magazine. No idea why. I understand that MediaBistro is based out of NY but plenty of us live beyond the Big Apple. Oh well. And so, every week I received New York Magazine for an entire year. I never caught up reading them, though. Too many. I have newspapers and other magazines to read too. What’s the point of learning the great shops, restaurants, theatre in New York if I’m rarely there… and I’m certainly not there every week!
Still, two years ago, MediaBistro finally had the foresight to allow you to “opt out” and actually receive a $10 cash back for refusing the mag. I took the moolah and thought I’d sent New York Mag back to the Tri-State area. Ha! No such luck. I have continued to receive the magazine for the past two years — despite pushing the opt out button every year. And I continue to receive the “last chance” letters from NY Magazine.
I understand that newspaper and magazine subscriptions are falling, failing and flailing, but do they really need to keep me on their circulation list that badly? I’ve been cajoled, prodded and begged into renewing my membership for the last two years and I haven’t caved once. Today, I’m finally being guilt tripped. An excerpt from NY Mag letter:
URGENT: THIS IS ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY YOUR LAST CHANCE TO GUARANTEE NO BREAK IN SERVICE
Dear About To Be Former NEW YORK Subscriber,
…We’re worried. You see, you only have a few more issues left on your subscription — unless we hear from you now.
Don’t you want to know the meals, bars, gyms, deals, spas, shops, bargains, and galleries…?
Um, in New York? Nope! That’s why I have Los Angeles Magazine.
And the final line…
P.S. Sadly, we won’t be able to replace the issues you’ll miss if you wait to reply.
And this is signed by a very attentive KEN SHELDON.
Poor Kenny, I feel bad for him. However, I’m taking bets. Whoever can tell me how long it takes before my subscription runs out FOR REAL, HONEST, wins a jar of jelly beans.
In my other life I scrapbooked. I continued to receive scrapbooking magazines until about a year ago. Had not been part of the party since 2002.
I get Prevention magazine and never ordered or paid for it. Prevention has called and I told them this, and yet it arrives. I’m too busy with my backlog of intentionally ordered New Yorkers. Prevention goes into recycling.
I wonder what financial shape mags would be in now if they didn’t do this?
Clearly terrible shape. I’m still wading through my NY mags! When I worked at the Jerusalem Post we all had to be “subscribed” and get the paper delivered to our doorsteps -even though we spent the whole day in the newspapers offices (which is where they printed from too) surrounded by a million copies of the paper. All to up their circulation numbers. Hysterical!