We receive about one damaged bulletin per year. Ripped cover - usually the
back.
This is strange because we get mail order catalogs almost daily with no
damage.
The main difference seems to be the heavier stock paper used on the AIS
Bulletin cover. This is counter intuitive?????
My problem, as editor, was to find competitive bidders for the shrink wrap.
Sounds like Kelly has somebody that is reasonable.
With shrink wrap, it could be that we could use lighter cover stock which
would affect paper cost plus less shipping weight.
So the question is- is it worth 10 cent per bulletin to get an intact copy?
I make a motion to go for shrink wrap.
Terry Aitken,
Tired turkey
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-aisdiscuss@aisboard.org [mailto:owner-aisdiscuss@aisboard.org]
On Behalf Of Harold Griffie
Sent: Tuesday, June 04, 2013 7:54 AM
To: aisdiscuss@aisboard.org
Subject: Re: [AISdiscuss] Bulletin Damage
I am in agreement with Kelly. I have received damaged copies in the past and
never complained to anyone in AIS. I have not recently received a damaged
copy, but I know how frustrating it can be. We owe our members a quality
product and I don't see any improvement in the Postal Service handling of
the Bulletin. I think we have to go to a shrink-wrapped product. I don't
like spending extra money, but it is necessary in this case.
Hal Griffie
________________________________
From: John Jones <jijones@usjoneses.com>
To:
aisdiscuss@aisboard.org
Sent: Tuesday, June 4, 2013 12:44 AM
Subject: Re:
[AISdiscuss] Bulletin Damage
For a cost that appears to be less that $2000
per year, we should go back to polybagging the bulletin ( for non-foreign
members)
Thanks
John
__________________
John and Joanne Jones
Registrar-Recorders, American Iris Society
aisregistrar@irises.org
John
Jones, Chairman, Electronic Services Committee
aiselectronicsvcs@irises.org
35572 Linda Drive
Fremont, CA 94536
On Jun 3, 2013, at 7:34 PM, Kelly D.
Norris wrote:
I agree entirely with what Anner writes below. The solutions
offered,
however well-intended, don't scale with the process of producing
~3,500
copies of a magazine on a digital, short-run press. Rest assured
that at
least from the several members I've heard from (and I've heard ears
full),
they've contacted the USPS, attempted to come at some local solution
without
avail. Bless the postal system, but it isn't perfect or entirely
known for
excellent customer service.
Which brings me to a refrain in
support of what Anner writes below (and a
belief I've long held)....the
issue of delivering a quality, quarterly
magazine is integral to our
membership pitch. Without an intact, readable
product which most members
view as their primary investment in AIS, we don't
have much of a chance at
cultivating loyalty and rapport with the many
thousands of people that most
of us will never meet.
As for the request for data, here it is
(unchanged since the last time I
quoted it prior to the fall 2012 board
meeting):
Polybagging (domestic only, since internationals are already in
envelopes):
$470.10/issue (~$0.15/copy or 6% of total cost/issue)
Envelopes: $713.04/issue (~$0.23/copy)
Note that polybagging is cheaper
than envelopes and offers the obvious
benefit of getting to see the cover in
the mail instead of having it
disguised in brown wrapping. Bear in mind
this key point--our recent
conversion to digital proofing (after working
very carefully with the press
representative over the years to finesse color
accuracy) offers a potential
source of savings. EPSON proofing has been a
~$480 expense per issue, a
holdover tradition from our previous vendor where
essentially every page (in
4-part press forms) is checked by the editor's
own eyes. This was something
Terry took very seriously and something I felt
similarly about. I opted to
maintain that ala carte service as part of our
contract with Sundance from
the beginning to ensure a color-accurate product
for our membership. Recent
advances in Sundance's proofing services and my
access to fully calibrated
monitors have allowed us to transition to full
digital proofing with the
April/May issue (we beta-tested it in
January/February).
I rue the day I ever offered as an option the
removal of the polybag when we
transitioned to Sundance Press. I had no
idea it would have such a blinding
effect on delivering a truly satisfying
customer experience for members we
already can't seem to keep in good
supply.
--kdn
Horticulturally,
Kelly D. Norris
Horticulture
Manager, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden
(www.dmbotanicalgarden.com)
Unabashedly passionate plantsman (www.kellydnorris.com)
-----Original
Message-----
From: owner-aisdiscuss@aisboard.org
[mailto:owner-aisdiscuss@aisboard.org]
On Behalf Of John Jones
Sent:
Monday, June 03, 2013 8:40 PM
To: aisdiscuss@aisboard.org
Subject:
[AISdiscuss] Bulletin Damage
Anner Whitehead sends:
Greetings.
In response to Mr. Killingsworth's request for information concerning those
members who received battered copies of Irises, please know that I used to
be one.
I received copies damaged to a greater or lesser degree from the
time the
wrap was removed -- without exception-- until I abandoned the print
journal
altogether, and renewed only as an AIS electronic member. I would
probably
have held two memberships had this not been so egregious a problem,
but,
while patient supportive of the traditional printed word, I have my
limits.
Know, too, that this household subscribes to several magazines,
some of
similar dimensions to Irises, and with slick covers, and none
consistently
arrives battered.
It seems to me that if the Sections can
somehow manage to send their
journals with adequate protection, then so can
the AIS.
In fact, I think that if you continue to solicit monetary dues
on the
promise that the member shall receive this organ, you have a duty to
make a
reasonable effort to get it to the membership in "merchantable"
condition.
I think some of the ideas proposed here for addressing the
problem are
farcically over-elaborated and unlikely to effect amelioration
of the
situation in our lifetimes.
Incidentally, I'm enjoying my
electronic membership. Read a fine article
about CedricSir Morris the other
day over breakfast. I'd wanted to read it
for years. That Cedric, he was a
real humdinger! Thanks for the Bulletin
files!
Cordially,
Anner M.
Whitehead
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