A pathetic little sign of the economic desperation that remains in the publishing world came to me in the mailbox today. A notice from the National Geographic Society asked me to renew my subscription to its magazine, which I haven’t received for a few years now.
The notice asserted that while the annual price of the magazine at the newsstand is $71.88, I could save a huge amount of money, because the National Geographic Society is willing to mail the magazines to me at a “preferred account” rate of just twelve dollars, plus an asterisk.
The asterisk: $3.95 shipping and handling.
It’s the asterisk that broke the sale for me. It’s an insult to my intelligence, an attempt to play petty psychological games with my desire to save money in difficult economic times.
National Geographic could have charged $4.00 shipping and handling, but tried to buy the impression of a lower cost with just a nickel’s benefit to me. I’m not doing as well as I’d like to, economically, but I can still spare a nickel, thanks.
National Geographic could have simply listed a rate, with no asterisk, of $16.00. Would I recoil at the prospect of paying $16.00, but swoon at the promise of just $12.00?
I’m sure that the National Geographic Society is working on the basis of solid quantitative studies that have shown that sales increase with this sort of gimmick. The trouble for me is that I look to a magazine for much more than just a good deal. If I bother to pick up a magazine, it’s because I want enlightening information. I don’t think I’m likely to get enlightening information from a magazine that thinks I’m irrational enough to be persuaded with nickle-and-dime sales techniques.
Shove off, National Geographic Society. Sale for some other shore.
This was a gag post, right? Cause, at first it struck me as real and I thought, “Gee, what an asshole…” But, naw…..good gag…..
i happen to like the WORK that Natl. Geog. does, but i don’t “do” many magazines (i go to the museum when i can). Print media of all kinds is having trouble now, not to mention state governments and our bankrupt Fed. (gotta bail out those rich folk, but don’t ask for “welfare” or too many more extensions of your unemployment benefits that you may have contributed to for years . . .).
Neener, neener!
I just got MY National Geographic subscription notice in the mail today, and there’s no shipping and handling charge anywhere on the order form. Just the $12.
I guess they like me better than they like you. You aren’t National enough, Rowan. Or maybe it’s that you aren’t Geographic enough.
Either way, the ghost of E.G. Marshall smiles upon me. Neener!
I saw nothing of shipping and handling on the order form. I sent the $12. They just sent me a bill for $3.95 for shipping and handling. If I send that, I reckon they’ll dun me another $3 for ink. I asked for the $12 back.
Suck it up little campers; times are tough and you will have to pay a little something for something. Nobody rides for free. The tease is there wherever you go-have YOU tried to sell ANYTHING in the past 18 months? New millenia folks.
…what I’m going to do with mine. Write a $3.95 check and forget about it or waste a bunch of time griping about it (in the delusion that I could even influence the publisher), or do nothing (which I’ve mastered the art of), in hopes that the issues will magically keeping coming.
Just found your post by googling “national geographic subscription shipping and handling charge”
Same thing…$12.00 bait-and-switch.
Make that 12.44 because of the freaking stamp.
I’ll let my subscription lapse—again— next year because I’m pissed, not because I think that $3.95 is too much to ask. Or $15.95.
So they had to send me an invoice. I have to mail it back. You would think that out of customer good will, they would have just rolled the price into the one charge of $15.95. Now the have a customer (sorry, MEMBER) with sour grapes.