Shop Notes - Best Price

[Rance]

Folks,

I'd like to get a subscription to SN. They advertise on their site 2yrs $28 + free gift. I'm looking for 3yrs & no gift. Anyone got any insider info. on the best bang for the buck on SN? Thanks.

Rance

[sweensdv]

At one time, I also looked for deals on a Shop Notes subscription. What I discovered was that there basically aren't any. Unlike other magazines Shop Notes is a, "here's our price and that's what it is", deal. Because they have no real advertisements in the magazine, I'm assuming they make most of their money off of subscriptions.

[LCHIEN]

in addition to dave (Sweesdv) comments, I also think that Shopnotes and its sister publications are published by August Home Publications. THey don't use the normal subscription channels where they pay others to sign up subscribers so you end up seeing those with a lot of other publications in these magazine services. August takes care of their own subscriptions so they control the price much more carefully.

[Al R.]

At one time, I also looked for deals on a Shop Notes subscription. What I discovered was that there basically aren't any. Unlike other magazines Shop Notes is a, "here's our price and that's what it is", deal. Because they have no real advertisements in the magazine, I'm assuming they make most of their money off of subscriptions.

Maybe, but sometimes they just do not care to give any specials; or when they give one it is just nothing important or worthy in comparison with the type of products and prices they have.

It happens to me with LV-Veritas. I have bought from them several planes and I have never received any discount or special. They had lost the opportunity to get money that I have spent in Woodcraft or Rockler because the constant specials they have offered me.

[LCHIEN]

....It happens to me with LV-Veritas. I have bought from them several planes and I have never received any discount or special. They had lost the opportunity to get money that I have spent in Woodcraft or Rockler because the constant specials they have offered me.

I'm not defending anyone but there is this problem with discounts:

Say an item sells for retail price of $1.00
It costs them $.60 to make, the rest of the .40 markup goes for marketing and oeprating expenses and profit. Say .30 is for sales, shipping dept, customer service, overhead costs and .10 is for profit.

If they give a 20% discount, then it costs you $.80 and its more attractive.

OTOH, it still costs them $0.60 to make and so their take is reduced to $.20 or HALF of what it was before it went on sale. Now they still have marketing and salaries and overhead expenses of $.30 so their profit goes to minus $.10 per unit sold.

So discounting like mad is not always a good idea even if it drives sales.
1. you have to make a lot more sales to make up lost profits
2. sometimes in bad times you just want to keep everyone employed and give up profits
3. sometimes its better to make a profit on smaller sales than no profit or a loss on more sales.

if sales are not real elastic, meaning a lower prices drives a lot more sales, then it may not pay off to have sales prices, unless you have too much inventory and its costing money for inventory taxes or interest.

[Al R.]

I agree and understand that but if you have a customer that has been buying from you on regular basis for a time; buying many items, some single small ones priced over 240 dollars, can’t you give them a special or discount at some point? Not even a 10 dollars discount because of being a good customer? No way.

I have never heard any company saying they are happy because they are making a lot of money, or enough money, they always have a “justified” response; however they keep growing and many on the top living a very good (sometime lavish) life (which is good for them); however I think that in a modern-increasingly-globalized world of business better off do not lose your potential customer because (as myself) I will try to find always the best deal, because I have no other choice.

Some religious organizations are getting ill with the same type of business administration (falling from Lord’s advice); always asking but…there is no=never leftover; however you see the head dressing a $2-4000 worth costume. Only I “heard” (read) different when one time in the middle of the wilderness Moses asked the people of Israel to give “money” (gold) for the building of the Tabernacle. When there was enough, he told his brother Aaron: “tell people not to bring any more because there is enough already”.

In today’s days I have no heard any of those leaders or companies saying: “there is enough already”.

Always there is a justification.

(I’m not talking about business people struggling to move a small business ahead, or sincere ministries).

[wardprobst]

Folks,

I'd like to get a subscription to SN. They advertise on their site 2yrs $28 + free gift. I'm looking for 3yrs & no gift. Anyone got any insider info. on the best bang for the buck on SN? Thanks.

Rance

I don't know if it's the best but I recently subscribed for two years with a gift magazine which was very nice at $28. They then sent me an offer for an additional year for $14.
DP

[chopnhack]

I'm with Wardprobst, I got the same deal. Ward, did you receive your free gift yet? I just received my second issue, but not the free gift. To be honest I dont even remember what it was I think $42 for a 3 year subscription is a fair deal. I would be a great deal if they would include those "new stand only" issues....I think that is bull, if you have a subscription, then you should get what they print, no?

[just started]

I got the same deal also and took the 3 years. The 'free gift' with mine was a mag-sized book - The Complete Small Shop - which came with the first issue in a plastic bag mailer.

[SCBob]

I subscribed to Shopnotes 8-weeks ago and recieved this message: "The December 2009 issue will be shipped to the address listed below in 3-5 weeks.".
My name and address was right in the message.

Have not got it yet.

[charliex]

Shop Notes and Wood Smith are both worth every penny. I can read the whole magazine without 83.985463% of the pages being advertising. In the other mags even the tool reviews look strangely like adds. They may give pros & cons and pick an editor's choice but they still smell a little like adverts. They have to be careful not to offend an advertiser or even a potential advertiser.

[Photojosh]

I subscribed to Shopnotes 8-weeks ago and recieved this message: "The December 2009 issue will be shipped to the address listed below in 3-5 weeks.".
My name and address was right in the message.

Have not got it yet.

Well I bet posting a complaint on this forum is the best way to get that problem solved. Don't call Shopnotes up and explain the problem or anything. That absolutely won't help.

[radhak]

Shop Notes and Wood Smith are both worth every penny. I can read the whole magazine without 83.985463% of the pages being advertising. In the other mags even the tool reviews look strangely like adds. They may give pros & cons and pick an editor's choice but they still smell a little like adverts. They have to be careful not to offend an advertiser or even a potential advertiser.

I agree - I like both of these, and always wish there was more of the magazine to read each time I'm done.

But I find a couple of things funny with them (and I guess it's how August run their business) :
first, no article has a by-line. You just don't know who's writing it, though many have the personal pronoun ("I like it when..."). They have a pretty large editorial team, and it'd be nice to know who's piece one is reading. I emailed them once about it, but got no response.
The other is, they never do comparative tool reviews. At least not to the extent of saying, this tool does not work because..., or that tool is better because... And when they do a review, it's always praise and very little that could be construed as a criticism. For a publication not dependent on adverts, they seem extremely wary of the manufacturers. Makes me wonder...

On the other hand, while Wood is heavily advertisement-supported, their reviews are definitely worth reading. At least they do report faults and issues, even if (like you said) they might mince some words...

[wardprobst]

I'm with Wardprobst, I got the same deal. Ward, did you receive your free gift yet? I just received my second issue, but not the free gift. To be honest I dont even remember what it was I think $42 for a 3 year subscription is a fair deal. I would be a great deal if they would include those "new stand only" issues....I think that is bull, if you have a subscription, then you should get what they print, no?

Yes, it came with the first magazine, it was the Complete Small Shop which was a good shop issue.
DP

[cgallery]

I agree and understand that but if you have a customer that has been buying from you on regular basis for a time; buying many items, some single small ones priced over 240 dollars, can’t you give them a special or discount at some point? Not even a 10 dollars discount because of being a good customer? No way.

All retail/mail order businesses are going to set profit targets and then strive to hit them.

Some will go with VP (Value Pricing), where they inflate their prices and then offer routine promotions in order to hit those targets.

Others will use a EDLP (Every Day Low Pricing) model, with few promotions.

More and more outfits (especially those w/ B&M retail) go with VP, as consumers respond favorably.

But you can't mix the two. If you want LV to offer a discount on those planes, they're going to have to inflate the price before offering the discount. Otherwise they won't hit their profit targets.

And in the end, you're going to pay about the same price regardless of the model used by the seller. There are certainly isolated instances where one model will offer substantially better pricing than the other, but sometimes the winner is EDLP.

For example, Rockler's list price for a five-pack of t-bolts (1") is $4.69. LV charges $4 for a 10-pack. Even with a $15 off a $50 order from Rockler (30%, the best I've seen Rockler offer), you're paying 64% more for the Rockler bolts.

And if you go to Rockler to pickup some t-bolts using a 20% coupon, and then add a couple of other things that aren't discount, well, now they've really got you.

So the moral of the story is, be careful what you wish for. VP (Value Pricing) models offer value to the seller sometimes more than the buyer.