Am I the only person who, on finding a catalogue stapled into my copy of AP, bends the staples, removes the catalogue to the bin, then restores the staples to hold the magazine together?

I have no objection to AP including the catalogues, just to having them stapled into the magazine. From my perspective, this an excellent way to stop my browsing your catalogue.

 

I can't ever remember seeing a catalogue stapled into the centre of AP ...

 

You are not alone. I feel the same way.

 

I too had a problem with this when my AP arrived today. Slip-in is OK, but stapled, No Thanks.

 

To be quite honest, in terms of burning issues at the forefront of my mind, it really hadn't registered. The catalogue was removed and staples re-bent without any problem. The catalogue was a welcome plus point as Park Cameras are my 'supplier of choice' (and have been for some years). It provided an immediate, but brief, distraction although it will no doubt be a valuable reference for a while to come!

I will sleep soundly in my bed tonight, undisturbed by my staple reforming exertions.

 

First thing I did with the AP that came through the door today. The catalogue hasn't got as far as the bin yet though.

 

It is all a ploy to make us buy more sticking plasters. It is almost impossible to bend those staples back again so that they don't become a major hazard.
When I buy a magazine from WH Smith I invaraible empty it of all loose flyers. Why should my recycling bin be filled with someone else's rubbish. I resent having them stapled in so that I cant remove them in store, even more resentful when they arrive like that in the mail.

 

You are lucky. My subscription AP is late again. Last week's didn't arrive till Thursday. I am not complaining yet; the last time I did that, I ended up eventually with 2 copies.

 

I was about to use the biblical expression "kick against the pricks", but I figured it might be easily misconstrued!

I actually take out any such supplements and keep them, until the next one. This gives me an easily available price reference should I fancy any new toys - er, I mean buy some indispensable photographic equipment.

 

I did not get staple stabbed this time. so no worries.
There must be a better way for a temporary fix though.

I quite like a catalogue once a year, with most useful stuff shown in one place.
the old wallace heaton blue book was brilliant and had about everything in it. not been anything like it since.

 

In my experience, for all magazines, the method of attachment of any additional content, gift etc. is fraught with danger.

Bags. Complaints follow that the customer cannot sample the content.
My grouch is that, due to the bag, I cannot sample the six pack of chocolate muffins!

Bags. They are ripped open at point of sale and the contents removed.
Probably by someone searching for the muffins.

The delightfully titled...
Snot Glue. The tacky sticky stuff that is used to attach DVDs etc on occasion.
A personal favourite

The greatest attachment device I have seen was the use of a foam block. Sticky on both sides - the sort which the inexperienced DIYer might use to attach a bathroom mirror.

It was used within a quarterly high-end, premium priced. perfect bound magazine. It was impossible to remove without tearing the publication, and gift to shreds, they may as well have used No More Nails!

Other adhesives are available

 

Yeah. So why can't we just have the magazine?

Advertising junk, loose in the mag, is fine as I can give the thing a good shake before buying the thing & leave the garbage for the store to clear up.

 

I've no idea!

However throughout my life, career it's always been the same. Across genre, product, magazine, publisher, manufacturer etc. etc

Were it not so I would not have my highly prized and collectable selection of Hulk, Thing, Iron Man and Spider Man iron-on t-shirt transfers*, plus a couple of signed Bruce Lee photographs


I'll neglect mention of my Look-In poster collection.

*For balance I believe that I also once owned Victor von Doom and Otto Gunther Octavius

 

What a week for physics....first particles go faster than light...now sadness becomes infinate!

Graeme

 

I too removed the insert and also leave any loose inserts from mags I buy in the newsagent. I also never buy any magazines in polly wrappers even ones I would normally get as it usually means they have something to hide, often a 'free' catalogue which I don't want but are paying for.

 

My copy has arrived today and so now can see what the problem isn't. I am certainly annoyed by stapled in inserts in some magazines where the insert is a different format. The Park insert is exactly the same format as AP and seems to have been guillotined with the magazine. It isn't a problem and is even worth reading.
I notice that the cover of the insert is a different weight of paper to the other pages. When I suggested, some time again, that some pages of the magazine should be on a different quality of paper to equal that of BJP, an AP staffer suggested that such an arrangement was impossible. I suggest again that some pages could be printed on different paper. The technology clearly exists in AP's print room. I suggest that sponsorship of the expenses of such printing might be met by a manufacturer or retailer wanting to stress their high quality.
For those of you who are wondering what I am talking about I suggested that the best images from readers and other contributers should be printed on posher paper, and also part of the insert could include upmarket advertising from the sponsor of the cost. I guess that I have not expressed that very well but hope that I am clear enough to be understood.

 

Because advertising pays a very significant part of the cost of producing the magazine. If I had to pay the full cost of AP without advertisements then I suspect that I would not subscribe.

 

If advertising takes over from editorial content as it has in some magazines, I will definitely not subscribe.

 

I beg to differ. The 'free' catalogue is not only free, it is also helping to cover the cost of producing the magazine.

 

It is NOT "free". There is a cost in terms of consumables, transport and disposal. Adverts embedded in the magazine do help reduce the cover price, advertising inserts are just a nuisance & don't get read anyway. I can register not to receive unsolicited advertising material through my letterbox (and have done so) but I have no choice to receive garbage, sorry "free catalogues", stapled into the mag or enclosed in a poly bag (another hideous resource waste) if I subscribe to a magazine & the mag decides to accept advertising in this format.

Make a habit of this and there is no way that I'll subscribe. And every time you do it, you lose a sale - I don't buy magazines sealed into a poly bag, and I do shake out loose inserts before buying.