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Getting the Sunday Inserts: How to buy in bulk?
October 16, 2009 at
06:56 AM
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Well, I've just been on the phone with the local paper's circulation department, letting them know that this weekend I'm looking at purchasing 2 dozen papers and want to know if I can get an ongoing subscription discount if I have something like a dozen or so papers delivered every Sunday. After putting me on hold and talking with his manager, I was completely stonewalled - there are no discounts available, I'm SOL, and no they won't put me in touch with my local carrier to discuss one on one.
Annoying.
It seems to me that paying $1.50 per paper (PLUS TAX!!) is just silly when all I want is the inserts. It seems to me that the newspaper business is hurting enough that I should be able to get bulk discounts, but I've been smacked down.
For those of you who are buying 20, 30, 40 papers at a time, you're not really paying full price for these things, are you? I do realize that $1.50 is a small price to pay when you're using Qs worth hundreds, but still - paying full price for an in bulk item just seems silly.
Any tips for the newbs here on how to get a good price on these things? Where can I look for a source of either just the inserts (on Sunday - no mailing off for them), or for cheaper papers in bulk?
Annoying.
It seems to me that paying $1.50 per paper (PLUS TAX!!) is just silly when all I want is the inserts. It seems to me that the newspaper business is hurting enough that I should be able to get bulk discounts, but I've been smacked down.
For those of you who are buying 20, 30, 40 papers at a time, you're not really paying full price for these things, are you? I do realize that $1.50 is a small price to pay when you're using Qs worth hundreds, but still - paying full price for an in bulk item just seems silly.
Any tips for the newbs here on how to get a good price on these things? Where can I look for a source of either just the inserts (on Sunday - no mailing off for them), or for cheaper papers in bulk?
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Last Edited by AlanChiras
October 17, 2009
at
03:59 AM
The Miami Hearld has what is called the Early Sunday edition on Saturday for 50 cents with ALL the Sunday inserts!! It's great. Check to see if your paper does the same.
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Annoying.
It seems to me that paying $1.50 per paper (PLUS TAX!!) is just silly when all I want is the inserts. It seems to me that the newspaper business is hurting enough that I should be able to get bulk discounts, but I've been smacked down.
For those of you who are buying 20, 30, 40 papers at a time, you're not really paying full price for these things, are you? I do realize that $1.50 is a small price to pay when you're using Qs worth hundreds, but still - paying full price for an in bulk item just seems silly.
Any tips for the newbs here on how to get a good price on these things? Where can I look for a source of either just the inserts (on Sunday - no mailing off for them), or for cheaper papers in bulk?
That's actually why it's traditionally not been common for the free papers to have coupon inserts -- the advertisers in the inserts wanted to reach multiple people rather than reach one person multiple times. I don't know why the thinking has changed, but I don't think it's been effective. All of the local papers that have inserts in them are gone on Sundays, but they languish in the dispensers every other day of the week.
$19.99 for 52 weeks of sunday-only delivery.
figure 4 weeks are no inserts, that means $20 for 48 papers. less than 50 cents each.
I use this to see what coupons come out that weekend, and then I base my additional purchases on this knowledge. I go to dollar tree and get the sunday paper for $1.
99cent only stores also sell the newspaper, but they're almost always out of stock by noon.
typical sunday for me is 8 copies of the paper. if there's a $4 gillette fusion Q or a 50 cent california milk Q, I get at least 12 copies.
typically I spend about $40 per month on newspapers
The email reply was pretty much-oh well sorry but if they are SHORT of inserts then the subscribers get them first...? I emailed her back how nice but no newspaper delivery in my area..no reply. Then one day I get an email from her with a lot of emails on the distribution list apparently she had added me (by mistake) to her email distribution list of her carriers!
So I have all of the carrier's emails but have not worked up the nerve to email them.
Not sure what I am scared of as long as I don't give any personal info out it should be ok.
Anyone have any suggestions what I would write? I could title the email TOP DOLLAR FOR INSERTS
I also have purchased on Ebay but a lot of times the inserts I find are not as good as my local paper.
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My college gets the New York Times, the Daily News and the local paper every day of the week - even Sundays. All the inserts are included. They are free and located throughout the school for the taking. There are hundreds of copies and obviously since Sunday is a slow day on campus, there are a lot of them for the taking and the left overs are recycled Mondays.
May be worth a look.
if I bought the entire paper it would be $15.00 funny this paper during the week is 0.75 but on Sundays it is 0.50
I also have ALL family and friends save their coupons for me, even if they are couponers I ask them to save what they don't use.
What I did was I left a note late on a Saturday night in one of those newspaper dispenser boxes, with my name and number on it. The gentleman (who delivered the Sunday paper) called me back and we struck a deal! I have the opportunity to get 150, but that is too overwhelming for me!
I don't live too close to one anymore, but when I lived near Panera Bread, that would be an excellant place to sit for a couple of hours on a sunday morning. most people read paper and take papers but leave the inserts!
That's crazy AND wasteful!
My college gets the New York Times, the Daily News and the local paper every day of the week - even Sundays. All the inserts are included. They are free and located throughout the school for the taking. There are hundreds of copies and obviously since Sunday is a slow day on campus, there are a lot of them for the taking and the left overs are recycled Mondays.
May be worth a look.
Now I just go out late on Sundays at stores and superstuff my paper with more inserts. They only need to return the covers of the unsold copies to get credit back and they chuck the rest. 4 different papers here with inserts so there's usually something left. I wouldn't recommend this strategy unless the store you are going to actually doesn't care about it.
For the past month, I go out to the nearby bodega and dig through their recycling. They usually bundle the papers up on Sunday or Monday nights by the curb. I go just before the midnight recycling truck comes around to get them. Unfortunately, I don't own a car so I'm just their in the middle of the block digging in their recycling under the street lamp. It's a little embarrassing but I'm getting over it, especially now that I don't have a job. I feel like that's a pretty legit excuse if I see someone I know. Lol.
I can usually get somewhere between 20-40 of each circular each week now.
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(I am assuming that the above papers are the 4 papers you are refering to, bc I am also in the NY-LI area.)
As you mentioned, this shouldn't be done unless you are sure the store doesn't care or need the inserts since the vendors don't always get credit if the inserts aren't returned. Often times though, if you go to a gas station late on Sunday, they will gladly let you pick through the papers to get extra inserts, if you ask.
Also another idea for people that live in larger cities... There is usually one papers that has all the inserts every week (and is usually the highest priced) Although the smaller (and cheaper) papers only have one/two insert(s) you might be better off just getting the paper that contains only the inserts you want/need.
I.E. Newsday sells here for $2.00 and will have all the inserts (it had SS and RP yesterday) but this week I only really wanted extras of the SS. So, I just purchased the smaller paper that had SS only - the NY Post - for $1.25.
Another suggestion - ALWAYS check the paper before you buy it to make sure it has the inserts. Many people throughout the day take the inserts and stick them in their paper and just buy the one. Then you get stuck with none in yours. I learned this the hard way, so now I check each and every paper I buy to make sure they have the inserts.