| From: | Rich Holtzschue |
| Date: | 13 Oct 99 at 19:01:00 |
| Subject: | Communication, ain't we got fun? was; Re: Cover CD |
From: Rich Holtzschue <Rich.Holtzschue@f2020.n147.z1.fidonet.org>
Greets-
In a message dated 12 Oct 99 02:53:26, Neil Bothwick wrote:
NB> From: "Neil Bothwick" <neil@wire.net.uk>
NB>> Rich Holtzschue said,
NB>> RH> Question is, would it save enuff in breakage to
NB>> RH> cover the diff in cd case price?
NB>> No.
NB> RH> I take it you know how much breakage occurred this last
NB> RH> mailing?
NB> No, because there were no jewel cases to break. ...
nnNNNNGGGG! Why do I always have this prob? :^) I KNOW there are no
jewel cases to break. Do you ever get any CDs broken? I saw one mag cover CD
that got crunched once. It looked like the corner of something hit the CD.
Essentially, the CD protected the mag as the mag had not a mark on it. It
wasn't immediately obvious that the CD was damage either until it was removed
from the mag so the opposite side could be seen. The printed side had no
apparent damage. The opposite side had a star pattern of cracks ruffly half way
from the edge. It was damaged sufficiently to keep it from working right. A
Strongarm case would have protected it and, if the case had broke, Allsop would
have replaced it.
NB> ... However, The vast
NB> majority of magazines are sold via newsagents, so any increased
NB> expenditure on cases there would be pointless, there's no postman to
NB> break them. ...
Just freight handlers and delivery/distribution ppl. ;^) Yah, I
understand. Since they are bulk packed in boxes then they have some added
protection. Plus there would be less individual handling and thus opportunity
for damage.
NB> ... I also suspect the majority of people who did receive a
NB> magazine with a cracked jewel case wouldn't bother to demand a
NB> replacement. ...
Yah, there are a large percentage of those that wouldn't. Quite a few
ppl are basically lazy. However, if it was a Strongarm case it would
be worth the effort.
NB> ... More important is the potential damage to the magazine from
NB> the case.
Hmm, really? Hadn't thought of that. The relatively sharp corners on
the case would present more chances of damage to the mag cover.
NB>> RH> Or, alternatively, would ppl be willing to
NB>> RH> pay more for the mag?
NB>> I'd rather spend any extra revenue on the contents of the CD, rather
NB>> than its wrapper.
NB> RH> Might get a debate from some ppl on this. Since this is a
NB> RH> subjective preference I'm sure there will be some that might go for
NB> RH> it. Since the mag could buy them in bulk they would be somewhat
NB> RH> cheaper than if you ran out and bought a single on your own.
NB> The cost of the case is minimal. ...
Regular jewel cases maybe. Even they aren't all that cheap if you just
buy them one at a time. IIRC, a 3 pack is anywhere from 3 to 5 US bux 'round
here. Now it I go to the local computer flea market on the 4th Sat of each
month then I can buy them in bulk. This would save me mucho mulla as they would
range from 30 to 50 US cents each. Now if I could buy them in lots of 1K I
suspect they would be cheaper yet.
I really don't think that regular jewel cases would be cost effective
tho in this case (no pun intended). As stated here (by you?) they break
entirely too easy. I am constantly replacing jewel cases and have a stack of
jewel case parts for just this purpose. I'm slowly replacing them with the
Strongarm cases so I don't ever have to mess with'em again.
NB> ... The real cost of jewel cases is in
NB> increased distribution costs, due to the increased bulk, and damaged
NB> magazines.
True, there would be more weight so greater shipping charges. If you
receive enuff returned CDs tho this could be a cost effective fix. That's why I
asked 'bout the number of returns you got. I hadn't considered most of them
going out in bulk shipping. This would help keep the total damaged numbers down
significantly.
I would think that, right now, your ratio of number sent bulk to sent
individually is rather high. Since the mag just started it will be awhile b4
subbed numbers even approach bulk numbers. If subbed numbers are ever equal to
or are greater than bulk then you might see a significant increase in damaged
CDs.
NB> RH> I suspect that at least one mag did a study on this. ...
I would think that CU did. Their cover CD came in a case. I don't
recall seeing much in the way of damaged CDs, cases, or damage to mags due to
the cases. There were 1 or 2 that I had to replace jewel case parts on. Not
bad for the number of mags I got. But then I didn't see any that were sent
postal. Most of the ones I bought/saw were from bulk shipping (book stores).
I suspect I would've had 0 to repair if they had been Strongarm cases.
NB> RH> ... Among
NB> RH> the possible cfgations would have been putting the CD inside the
NB> RH> mag for additional protection.
NB> That's normal practice for postal subscriptions with jewel cased CDs.
Really? Didn't know this. CU never reassorted to this. Off hand, I
don't recall any mag doing this.
Actually, I was talking about the CD sans jewel case. Putting the CD
w/o case inside the mag would provide additional protection for the CD (and
wouldn't be nearly as thick). I have heard it claimed that scratching the
printed side of a CD was more likely to damage it than a scratch on the
unprinted side. It was stated that the aluminum substrate that carried the info
was actually closer to the printed side.
NB> This protects the case, not the CD. Maltreatment sufficient to break the
NB> CD would probably shred the magazine anyway.
Actually, I'm not too impressed with the standard jewel case. I
wouldn't be surprised if some were crushed in bulk shipping just from the weight
of the mags. I don't recall any crushed cases from any mag I bought, be it
clone or Amiga, so they must be better protected (or stronger) than I thought.
I wonder if anyone knows the number of busted CDs that CU or AF ever
had to deal with? Has me real curious.
Hmm... didn't I ask about where in the States I can get AA in this
post? Oh, well. Maybe it was in another msg. Still yet to see one here
anywhere.
_rich_ AmigaLine BBS sysop member Team *AMIGA*
Note: The light at the end of the tunnel is a pc monitor displaying
the BSOD! (Blue Screen Of Death)
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