By Many people have noticed that free copies of The Aberdeen Insider aren’t hitting the stands Thursday mornings as they long have.
That’s unlikely to change, even though we know some folks aren’t pleased about it.
There are a couple of reasons for the change. The biggest is so subscribers can get their papers before or at least at the same time as folks who pick up free copies.
That’s an issue that we’ve heard about from the beginning, though the level of discouragement has grown. It was an especially popular topic for subscribers who visited our booth at the Brown County Fair.
What those people say makes sense when you think about it.
“Why am I paying to get my paper a day later than those who grab free editions?”
It’s a valid concern.
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We’ve already made one significant improvement. By getting the papers to the post office earlier, most subscribers in and near Aberdeen now regularly get their papers in the mail on Thursday. It’s not perfect. A holiday or even human error can cause a delay. But it’s a big step in the right direction.
The remainder of the papers — the free samples, if you will — will be delivered to businesses around town Friday mornings going forward.
They’ll still be free, just 24 hours later than in the past.
Another reason for the change is that with more subscribers, there are fewer copies to place around town. So some places are getting fewer copies, and we’ve scaled back the number of stops we make while delivering.
As the number of subscribers grows, there are obviously fewer leftovers.
Lastly, sadly, some people have abused the privilege of the free newspapers. They grab six, perhaps 10, a dozen, 20 or even more. One person admitted to taking nearly 35 each week. Entire stacks sometimes disappear within a couple of minutes because a few folks grab large quantities of papers. This frequently happens right in front of others waiting their turn to grab one.
Sometimes their hearts are in the right place. They deliver them to nursing homes or senior housing. But it’s still problematic.
Unfortunately, each week there are a handful of people who are flat-out rude when the papers are being delivered around town. Rude to the point where they all but push others over while grabbing the latest issue.
All of those are reasons we now distribute free copies on Fridays.
Fortunately, many people understand the decision and have subscribed in recent weeks. Others have told us they’ve always felt the extra papers should be sold. Doing that, though, comes with its own set of problems.
This wasn’t the plan when we started, probably largely because we didn’t know what we were doing or what to expect. We were shooting from the hip.
We knew we wanted to start a community newspaper. Beyond that, there were many mysteries.
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We started by printing 4,000 copies a week. Now, the folks at Midstates Group churn out an extra 1,000 copies each week. Who knew?
In all fairness, we also bear some of the responsibility. We have for the past year and a half set out free newspapers all around town every Thursday morning. Delaying that by a day is bound to cause some acrimony. Many of us don’t much appreciate change.
But for all of the reasons mentioned above, now is the right time to update how we deliver the free editions.
The best way to ensure a print edition of The Aberdeen Insider, naturally, is to subscribe. We would be pleased to help you do that. You can call the office at 605-226-3481 or stop by and visit us at 423 S. Main St. We’re just south of the Capitol Theatre in the same building as Lily’s Floral Design and Gifts.
If you’re internet savvy, you can also subscribe at aberdeeninsider.com. Just click on the blue button at the top of the screen on the right.
For those who decide not to, know that complimentary copies will still be distributed around town. But that’s now going to happen on Friday mornings, and there are getting to be fewer spare issues.
Our first obligation has to be to the people who back our mission of providing local journalism crafted by local reporters who live here in town.
In fact, everything we do at the Insider is local. From writing to editing, from layout to printing, from distribution to answering the phone, from designing ads to operating the website. Heck, even the mistakes are local. It’s all done at a building in downtown Aberdeen.
We believe that’s a philosophy worthy of your support.
Those who have been with us from the start have our heartfelt appreciation. And we are thrilled by those who are new subscribers. Yes, we’re here to serve the entire community. But without those who support us, none of it is possible.