Extra, Extra: Ignore Change And Become Irrelevant

A while back I stopped at the store on the way home from work to grab some beer. (Which will come as a surprise to absolutely no one.) There was a table out front with a nice man sitting at it. He had a clip board and some pens on the table, and a big sign propped up behind him that read, “Sign up to receive the newspaper for FREE for 60 days, and get $10 in FREE groceries.” What!?!

I am certainly aware that the media landscape has (and is) going through monumental changes, but really??! They can’t even give newspaper subscriptions away anymore? I don’t mean to pick on the newspaper, but if you have to entice me with free groceries to even agree to accept your product for free, it might be time to take a hard look at the model.

I am certainly not an expert on their business, but it seems if the newspaper industry is going to survive, they would do well to focus more on the news…and less on the paper.

Now, I love a good deal, but I gave the nice man at the table a nod and walked by in astonishment. Not even the $10 in free groceries got me to bite. And this is coming from a guy that pays a yearly membership fee for the “right” to spend even more money shopping at Sam's Club.

Wait a minute, on second thought…can I use the $10 on beer?

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