QUOTE: Originally posted by Old Timer Mine arrived 10-7, but then I live in the only one of the contiguous 48 states that USPS serves by wagon train. Old Timer
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
"We have met the enemy and he is us." Pogo Possum "We have met the anemone... and he is Russ." Bucky Katt "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." Niels Bohr, Nobel laureate in physics
Quentin
QUOTE: Originally posted by M.W. Hemphill Now, tell me why a publisher should force any or all of its customers into a high-cost delivery system which the marketplace says most customers don't want. It's back to "want" vs. "need."
QUOTE: Originally posted by M.W. Hemphill Talbanese: You're describing a business decision made by the purveyor of a product, not a law of business. Presumably each business owner or manager is intelligent enough to choose the proper balance between product and price to achieve the optimum profit. The market judges the results, and presumably the business owner or manager is smart enough to see when the market is giving him the signal that product/price ratio is out of whack. If you'd like to know specifically why Trains doesn't follow the same practice as your firm, perhaps it's because they have a different product and a different market, and different costs. Note the difference between first-class and second-class in the subscription price of a magazine, and consider what the profit margin would be if some or all of the magazines were mailed at first-class rates at second-class subscription prices. Beyond that, you'd have to ask them. I don't work there.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
QUOTE: Originally posted by M.W. Hemphill Here's some info you might not know about magazines and mailing. Most magazines are mailed in a very narrow window from the printer -- one to three days, tops. Very large-circulation magazines such as National Geographic and People are printed regionally to obtain lower mailing costs, better delivery consistency, and to be able to sell regional advertising, but most magazines come from one press. The base rate for the typical magazine subscription is via second-class mail, a class that is extremely low-cost because it is handled on a space-available basis and has low service guarantees. The post office moves first-class mail first, then if there's any space left in the truck, or time in the day, it sorts and moves the second-class and lesser-class mail. Because mailing volume is not flat -- it varies widely by day of the week, time of the the month, and time of year -- some days the second-class mail arriving at the post office moves expeditiously and other days it will gather dust for a week while the resources are devoted to meeting the first-class guarantee. Because mail moves on multiple sorts, each step of the process introduces a new opportunity for delay or missed connection. It is not unusual for a second-class mailing to be wildly inconsistent at a given address, especially if that address is at the end of a delivery chain that is badly stressed by growth, insufficient capacity, or poor management at one or more steps of the way. Every delivery chain is different right down to the level of the mail carrier's route. If you get your magazine unusually early, all the cards lined up for you that month. If you get it late, you didn't. If you're having unusually bad delivery, complain to your local post office. But I wouldn't bother complaining to the publisher, because you didn't pay for anything but inconsistent, space-available service. There is, according to some sources, a significant subsidy of second-class by first-class mail. Regardless, the recipient cannot expect first-class service for a second-class price! At present, first-class delivery for Trains is an extra $30 per year, which nearly doubles the cost of the product just to obtain consistent delivery dates. This is a fun thread for me to look at, because it represents so genuinely the exact situtation between railroads and their customers. Rail customers love the low rates, but they hate the poor service, especially the not-knowing when the shipment will arrive. Well, consistency and dependability cost money -- money for the railroad to buy plant and people that will sit around doing nothing on the slack days, and spring into action on the busy days. That is by far the easiest way to obtain consistency, but it is very expensive. What customers want is good service at low rates. I can't blame them, I want that too, but if they really need it, they might have to pay for it. Scheduled service, as it's now practiced by railroads, acknowledges that on many days trains will be run with less-than-full tonnage, and yards and crews will often not be worked to their fullest potential output. The customer is paying for that suboptimization of the transportation machine in order to obtain best optimization of his total logistics chain. The big change, which so far has received almost zero due notice, is NOT that the railroads changed, but that rail customers changed. The relative importance of logistics costs has increased, because many rail customers are squeezing out every possible cost in order to remain in the game. Rising costs of labor, real estate, and inventory (more high-value goods are being sold) has given rail customers more incentive to pay extra for the transportation in order to reduce the cost of other aspects of the logistics chain that are increased by the false economy of a low freight rate. In essence, at the request of the customer, railroads raised their rates in order to offer better service. It comes down to "want" vs. "need." Everyone, including me, wants a lot of things. But everyone, including me, doesn't need most things. If I need a magazine (or a boxcar of plywood) delivered on a predictable schedule, I expect to pay extra. Some good USPS history and description of operations is here: http://www.lookd.com/postal/operations.html
QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar ....Now 15 days later than some folks received their copy, I now have mine...! Just skimmed through and my comment is: Beautiful black and white photos of Steinheimer was worth the wait...What is it about photos in unnatural colors that make such beautiful copies just for a change...Of course in Mr. Steinheimer's case, we know what a professonal he is with talent in picking sceenes and composition.
QUOTE: Originally posted by garr The mail lady must have read enough. Trains arrived 10/6 in GA. Quentin/Mookie - I like finding nice restaurants and greasy spoons, alike, beside the railroad tracks. If you are ever in the Metro Atlanta area check out Doug's in Emerson, Trackside in Kennesaw, and Caper's in Kennesaw also. All are along the very busy CSX Atlanta to Chattanooga/Knoxville main. Very common to get a 5-Train meal. Jay
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