Damage to October NSS NEWS, anyone?

[Dave Bunnell]

Part of the reason I went to a heavier cover stock and paper for the News a couple years ago was so that it could hold up better in the mail. I definitely noticed fewer of the issues I got being damaged after this.

Still, it happens, and probably nothing short of bagging them or putting them in an envelope would afford more protection. I suspect the cost of that would be more than we'd want to pay, even with the office spending some each month to replace them.

As for tabs, we had one issue with an insert where the mailer, without being asked, stuck one of those tabs to close it. I saw far more complaints about that than almost anything to do with an issue since I've been editor...equaled perhaps by the time they stuck the mailing label on the front cover because they didn't want to put it over an ad on the back.

Dave

[Ernie Coffman]

Dave, as an editor you do an outstanding job on the NSS NEWS. No question about that. What the problem seems to be, for a number of us is the squishing of the magazine after it gets down to Texas where it is sent out from.

My question is simply: How come it seems to be the same people getting this squishing, tearing, etc. of the NSS NEWS?

[Dave Bunnell]

Ernie,

I suspect its the same people (you and Mike) because you both have a post office enroute that has someone incompetent at using the machinery.

It's really hard for me to know because I have nothing to do with the mailing at all...except all the change of addresses I receive (again, postal incompetence as it clearly states to send these to the office) and I have to wait in line, pay postage due, and then send the info to the office.

All I can suggest is that we could ask the office if they wanted to institute something where a member could pay extra to get their issue mailed in an envelope...which I know would result in higher postal costs.

BTW, you can't send a magazine library rate if it contains advertising.

Dave

[Teresa]

Ernie,

I suspect its the same people (you and Mike) because you both have a post office enroute that has someone incompetent at using the machinery.

Dave

It's much more likely that the machinery is old, worn, or otherwise impaired. Once a piece of mail gets headed for a bulk mail masher, it is virtually untouched by human hands until it arrives sacked at the other end (that is, unless the machine has eaten the cover, and it needs to be forcibly removed from the process.) The only places where a human touches it is a)dumping it on the conveyor, b) perhaps flipping it when it passes in front of the human sorter (if it isn't in a bulk presort or bar coded to be sent straight to a sectional center P.O. like a large city) and c) when it gets taken off the end to be sent in sacks or bins to the final destination.

They really don't have monkeys in a room shredding mail. Really, they don't. On the other hand, they do have some fast and furious sorting and mail casing standards. And some real goofballs-- my dad was off 6 weeks for a hernia operation at one time, and when he returned, his temp replacement had dumped a month's worth of mail down a sewer in a secluded cul-de-sac. He even showed the postal inspectors where he put it... yes, the fellow got fired. No, he didn't get arrested (which he should have--but he was so dumb, he even dumped people's Social Security checks down there, and stole nothing. Any idea what *those* magazines looked like? )

Another possibility (again, costly) would be to send the News in a white or brown kraft stapled wrapper. (Smithsonian Mag and a few others do this) The wrapper is the outside cover; most people usually tear it off. It is cheaper than an envelope or bag, and tends to take the abuse, rather than the 'real' cover.

Maybe the NSS could contract with the photographers to sell cover art prints and split the profits. Then, people could have their pictures and hang them, too.

[Mike Cato]

Luckily I work in Huntsville and it doesn't take much effort to cruise by the NSS office during lunch to swap one out.

Plus I get a few minutes to socialize with the friendly and competent staff.

AND occasionally I get a chance to do a brain pick on Torode.

[Dave Bunnell]

I talked to Stephanie at the office about this, and she contacted the mailer. She also said they only get one or two requests a month for replacement issues, which are sent off in envelopes. I'm sure replacing a couple a month is vastly cheaper than putting them all in envelopes.

This was his reply:

there is really not much that can be done. Even if you were to have the words Non Machinable
printed on the mail piece they would still run it through
their equipment. He said that the best thing to do would be
to complain directly to the Post Office that is damaging them.
Since your mailer goes through several post offices it would
be next to impossible to determine which one the damage is
happening at. It might help if the cover on the mailer was
printed on a heavier paper (This could possibly increase your
postage costs.)

As I mentioned above, I increased the thickness of the cover stock a couple years ago, and its already thicker than on most magazines. We don't want to take a postage hit by making it unusually thick.

Dave