Strike two

The Teamsters's strike at ProLogix is beginning to bite. Overheard near a small grocery store newsstand in Cambridge: "The magazines haven't come in, we won't see them 'til Friday, if then. They're on strike, you know." Oh, dear.

Since most magazines can't change their publication schedules and since 75% of a magazine's sales come in the first two weeks after its issue's on-sale date, this is not a small problem. We expect reports of disastrous sell-through rates with magazines arriving late, huge returns or issues never reaching the stands at all. The ripple effect, on subscriptions, on readership, on ad sales is hard to estimate but distressing to contemplate.

(See the item below on the ProLogix strike)