Good Woodworking Free Gift

[Mike.C]

As free gifts go, the metal ruler on the front of this months Good Woodworking is not too shabby at all. Nice one Nick.

Cheers

Mike

 

[mailee]

Is it out already? My local shop hasn't got them in yet!

 

[DaveL]

Mine came in the post today.

Did not look bad but it was in metric, took it out of the sleeve to find the scale is imperial on the other side. =D> :roll:

As Mike says Nice One.

 

[Losos]

Mine probably won't arrive for about a week, still it's nice to know people like it. I also found the three brushes handy as well. Thanks Nick.

BTW some mags, I won't say which ones, do not give their European readers any free gifts :x

I'm undecided about the benefits (To the publisher) of free gifts, but for myself, if they are good quality & appropriate, I see no reason to knock them.

GW seems to be getting better every month, last issue hit the spot for me with nearly every article of interest.

 

[prawnking]

how do u subscribe to good woodworker if they dont stock it in your local shops?

 

[Chris Knight]

I must be weird, I don't want these "free gifts" - I'd rather they spent the money on making the magazine better.

 

[DaveL]

Chris,

This is the first one that I have found useful, I use steel rules for most of my measurements.

I must admit that I did not get to use the foam brushes, Iona showed off when I did not take her out and stole them and chewed them beyond use. :roll:

 

[Bean]

Iona showed off when I did not take her out and stole them and chewed them beyond use.

Shame that Dave you would have liked them :wink:

 

[Scott]

I must be weird, I don't want these "free gifts" - I'd rather they spent the money on making the magazine better.

Me too but they seem to be a bit of a tradition in the magazine business. They're usually just cheap tat (IMHO) so I suppose it's refreshing to hear that one is actually worth having for a change!

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Chris

I must be weird, I don't want these "free gifts" - I'd rather they spent the money on making the magazine better.

I couldn't agree more.

Say, for example, that each rule cost 10p if you multiply that up by the subscribers you reach 1,500 GBP. Does that equate to ten pages of projects?

If it was only 5p, we could be talking five pages of projects.

I know which I'd prefer.

Cheers
Neil

PS I thought GWW was much better this month.

 

[Terry Smart]

Generally speaking, the magazine doesn't pay for the freebies that are included; as far as I know, they are supplied by manufacturers and distributed as another form of advertising.
The magazine benefits from an assumed increase in value of that issue, some readers like getting something for nothing and the suppliers apparently benefit by increased brand awareness.

The contra arguement is then that if the manufacturers didn't have to supply these freebies they wouldn't need such a large advertising budget and could then bring down the prices of the goods they sell, but that's one for another day!

 

[Steve Maskery]

... you reach 1,500 GBP. Does that equate to ten pages of projects?

Somebody is getting paid better than I am if it does!

PS I thought GWW was much better this month.

S

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Terry

Thanks for your input. IIRC, the only writing I saw on the ruler was Good Woodworking. It was this that prompted my post as I had assumed that they were funding the insert.

Cheers
Neil

 

[Chris Knight]

Terry,
Like Neil, I assumed GW were paying as theirs was the only name I saw. Ditto the brushes we received earlier - they say Good Woodworking on the handles. The packaging carries a name HMA Creative on the back but it seemed simply to be the name of the company from whom GW bought them.

I guess they may well be deals involving no cash transfers that result in these things, although paraphrasing what you say Terry -TANSTAAFL!

 

[Steve Maskery]

how do u subscribe to good woodworking if they dont stock it in your local shops?

Call 0870 837 4722. They have a special offer on at the mo too, 3 issues for £1, although I don't know if there are any conditions attached.

You can also do it online here.


HTH
Steve

Modedit to tidy up url.

 

[paulm]

Having criticised the last issue of GW and recent editions generally thought it only fair to say that the current edition seems a lot better with more and more substantive projects than recently, and the freebie is pretty useful also.

More of the same please Nick, Steve et all !

Cheers, Paul.

 

[Losos]

It was one of the weekly gardening mags which gave it's UK readers free seeds etc. but not anyone across the channel SWMBO was a bit teed off by this so we cancelled our sub :!:

I must admit that some freebies are just tat, and I've chucked more than a few in the bin in the past, but let's give Nick & Co. their due, recently the items have been OK - Not top of the range but OK - and if it really is the suppliers who cover the cost who can object. If you really don't want freebies just remove them from the cover and bin them

 

[Mike.C]

Having spoken to Nick, it appears that the rulers cost GWW a couple of pence each.

Chris,

I must be weird, I don't want these "free gifts" - I'd rather they spent the money on making the magazine better.

I think the main reason for the free gift is to grab the eyes of new readers to its place on the newsagents shelf, and IMHO if this works its got to be money well spent.

Cheers

Mike

 

[Alf]

My main gripe about free gifts is invariably the mag ends up sealed in a placky bag so you can't take a gander before you buy. Too many times I've been caught out by misleading covers, so I simply won't buy them if they're in a bag now. F&C lost a sale that way just yesterday, all for a handful of biscuits. :roll:

Now lessee, a couple of pence multiplied by - how many readers does GWW claim...? Could add up to quite a bit, I'd have thought.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Having spoken to Nick, it appears that the rulers cost GWW a couple of pence each.

Chris,

I must be weird, I don't want these "free gifts" - I'd rather they spent the money on making the magazine better.

I think the main reason for the free gift is to grab the eyes of new readers to its place on the newsagents shelf, and IMHO if this works its got to be money well spent.

Cheers

Mike

Just a personal opinion, but I'd much prefer to have the money used to pay for additional projects in the magazine.

Cheers
Neil