I said "no" to subscribing to the newspaper

[CreekDog]

I was surprised they even called. (The San Francisco Chronicle --but I would've said the same to the San Jose Mercury News --the better paper here)

I told them I don't get information by "reading" the paper anymore and haven't for years.

I'm a happy user of their website for what limited local and regional coverage it offers.

In response they offered just the Sunday paper --which is EVEN less useful since it's mostly a stack of paper ads that I also have no use for.

And I'm not going to pay for a paper to recycle it without reading every time I get it. I already have to do that for the San Francisco Examiner (which my countless requests for it to stop have been ignored --it's free).

And I'm not going to subscribe to save an industry (which my subscription will not do anyway). And why start with a paper that just can't decide between Fiorina and Boxer?

Newspapers?

:shrug:

[lpbk2713]

1. If you use coupons at your local grocery store ...

the Sunday edition will usually pay for itself.

[CreekDog]

3. If I buy store brands

heck, i don't use coupons at all...i don't even look at those sections. :hi:

YMMV.

[ejpoeta]

9. just buying store brands doesn't always cut it. sometimes you can get some good deals

and the brand name is cheaper. i know what you are saying... it is a hassle. but it's worth it if you can save money.

[CreekDog]

13. i don't buy much, often what saves me the most money is buying at the smallest store

because i buy only what i need.

ironic eh?

[ejpoeta]

18. if i have to go to the store too much i hurt myself. can't seem to get out of there

with just what i went in there for. i try to be smart. usually go to aldi's first. get macaroni, soup, cereal, mushrooms there. spend about $40. then i go over to walmart. i WANT to be able to sit down and plan ahead and use coupons like I see some can do amazingly well. i am lucky to be able to make a list. i feel so disorganized. sometimes i can see a great deal at tops and they have double up to $1 on coupons and i can do great with that. generally i try to keep a basic supply for what i make most of the time. i try to buy chicken and ground beef on special either marked down or on sale or in bulk and then separate and throw in the freezer. i won't buy steak marked down because it looks green to me. or i can buy prefrozen chicken.

[rox63]

11. Yep, the coupons make it well worth buying the Sunday paper

The Sunday Boston Globe costs $3.50. And I saved $10 with the coupons the last time I went grocery shopping.

[GoCubsGo]

22. That's only if all the inserts make it into the paper

My local paper is notorious for not including all the coupons and sale ads that are supposed to be in it that week. Some weeks, the comics, magazine and/or TV guide are missing, too. The paper is bad enough as it is without that. Their editorial column consists of a "Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down" list, rather than an actual essay. And, the editorial cartoons are mostly rightwing crap from the likes of Mike Lester. Sometimes, they even run Billo the Clown. As for actual news, it's pretty much useless.

I was also getting The State, until they jacked the price up a full buck a couple of weeks ago. The coupons are slightly different, but it's getting to where even the coupons don't make up for it. But, they DO have actual news...

[rox63]

23. I actually buy both the Boston Globe and my local rag on Sundays

The coupons are generally the same, and I give the second set to a friend who is living on SSDI. That way, she gets the coups w/o having to buy the paper. And the local rag (RW though it is) does report on local news stories that I don't get in the Boston paper.

[spanone]

2. i cancelled years ago. much more up to date news on internet.

[tularetom]

4. I read the local paper for one reason

to see if anybody I know got divorced, arrested, fired or croaked.

OK two reasons - to read Doonesbury, Dilbert and Non Sequitur.

OK three - to do the sudoku and crossword puzzle.

And I know - 2 and 3 I can do on line.

But I can also use the paper to start a fire when we're barbecuing.

[brewens]

5. I'd like to be able to justify continuing getting my local paper.

It's one of the last independent daily papers left. I just don't get to it often enough and toss it in the recycle sack without reading it.
It's a shame. We even have a liberal editorial page although they give conservatives a fair say as well. It has a great letters section and they don't print anonymous letters. They also make an effort to confirm the ID of anyone new writing anything controversial.

[TZ]

6. I understand that some newspapers

make really good kitty litter...I would say the Washington Times would do well there....:rofl:

[CreekDog]

7. it won't work as bird cage liner

they won't dignify it by pooping there.

[GoCubsGo]

21. I would NEVER use the Moonie Times as kitty litter

God knows what crud my poor kitties might catch from it.

[ejpoeta]

8. i get the sunday paper. i was going in and buying one in town every sunday

because i want the coupons. and i save money and don't have to go into town. if we read the paper daily i would probably have gotten that. but we got a free trial for two weeks and only looked at the first one. there is no point.

it is true that print media seems to be going the way of the dodo bird. but there is something about holding something in your hands and feeling the coolness of the paper and smelling it's smells. i have thought of getting a kindle or ereader but am not sure if i could read that way as opposed to having that book in my hands. i know it isn't exactly the same, but it's like being caught between two worlds. part of me wants that tangible thing and part of me wants to use less paper.

[Raine]

10. I don't subscribe to a newspaper anymore

they just stacked up because I never seemed to around to reading them anymore. I feel sort of bad when I think of how important they once were in getting the news but just for nostalgia it just wasn't worth continuing it for me.

[bigwillq]

12. I still read several newspapers a day

and I also get news on-line. I actually enjoying reading a paper. I like holding it in my hands and being able to carry it with me. It often takes me the whole day to read it.

I happen to work for a newspaper but, even if I didn't, I would still probably read one every day.

[DCKit]

14. I tell the WaPo they have no credibility and can live without the only decent...

and truthful parts they publish - the comics.

[blueamy66]

15. Love the newspaper....

I have fond memories of my Dad and I on the back patio, reading the Sunday paper.

Of course I love the coupons as well.

And my fiance couldn't survive without the sports page...

[SoCalDem]

16. If we could subscribe here to Sunday-only, I would, but when we had a regular subscription

they went straight from the driveway to the trash..unread.. Our paper sucks, and when they changed the size & print, it made it almost unbearable to read..My husband does like the Sunday paper, so he goes out & buys one every sunday.. They will not allow Sunday only delivery, so I say no thanks when they call.

[Brickbat]

17. I didn't subscribe to the newspaper when I was working at it. I do get the Sunday NYT, but that's

it. Everything else is online.

[Statistical]

19. It doesn't really matter if you did or not the concept of a newspaper is dead.

This doesn't mean there won't be "newservices" but newspaper is dead.

Think about it logically the newspaper evolved out of very specific set of circumstances:
a) people wanted news
b) customization or personalization was impossible (or cost prohibitive)
c) newspaper format is very cheap

Thus a + b + c = newspaper. The newspaper having a rapid production time and low cost per word was able to provide a huge amount of information. Each person read the portion they were interested in. Nobody reads every article of a newspaper front to back every single word every day for a year.

Well A is still true. However the internet (and eventually ereader type devices) will make B false. While newspaper is still low cost delivery mechanism the internet makes digital content an even lower cost mechanism.

Eventually every paper newspaper will die off (or become very niche).

Likely in the future though you could get a newspaper (say New York Times) delivered to a 5th gen Kindle like device and it would be smart enough to customize it for you. Re-organize the content based on your reading patterns. So there will always be "news services" and even printed news services but the traditional newspaper is dead. Maybe more correctly would be to say it has a chronic terminal condition.

[LWolf]

20. I like newspapers.

I don't subscribe to my local paper because they are virulently anti-teacher and anti-union. I get my news online. I do get other papers when I'm in town, though, because I like reading the paper.

[rox63]

24. When I travel to other areas, I like to get a copy of the local newspaper while I'm there

Just to get a flavor of what life is like around there.