HOLY COW!!!! Sac Bee price increase
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1
February 19, 2012 11:23:07 AM PST
I received the annual invoice for my Sacramento Bee subscription last week. I had been expecting it, since I always pay in March. So it sat, unopened, for a couple of days until I was putting other bills into my bank's bill pay site. That loud THUD sound many of you heard the other night was that of my jaw dropping and hitting the floor: $163.80 for weekends only! Now, I just knew that I hadn't paid that much last year, so I looked up my 2011 payment: $78.
So I've been thinking about it for a couple of days. Then, I picked up my Bee this morning. Why would I pay that much to read articles written by someone in Minneapolis? Why would I pay that much for columns that I'd read days before in the Washington Post? Why do I care what someone in Miami thinks about a movie? Why should I read a downsized Parade Magazine that mostly directs me to their website? I think I've posted before about how I enjoy thumbing through the pages of a newspaper, turning the pages as I leisurely sip my morning cup of tea. It has been a part of my weekend routine for most of my life. And I will miss it.
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2
February 19, 2012 11:37:07 AM PST
Oh my! Thanks for posting! We pay every six months (automatic withdraw) and paid $104.00 last September for 7 days a week. I'll cut down to 2 days a week if it's a substantial increase! Not worth it!
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3
February 19, 2012 1:46:05 PM PST
It's Catch 22 for the Sac Bee--- they're faced with shrinking circulation so they cut back on reporting and increase subscription rates. We enjoyed a morning cup of java and flipping through the paper for many, many years..., until we cancelled our subscription around 4 years ago because of the paper's lack of content, now we've adjusted to getting our news via PC and iPhone. Still get 2nd hand Sac Bee newsprint from a neighbor, but only to line our bird's cage-- that's about all it's good for. Be prepared to be hounded by Sac Bee telemarketers begging you to re-subscribe.
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4
February 20, 2012 2:08:54 PM PST
I cancelled my Bee subscription as well. Between the pwas geaper shrinking and the ads increasing, I didn't feel I was getting my moneys worth. And, as another poster stated, the Bee's telemarketing will hound you to death!! I have an app that blocks call, and everytime I block one Sac Bee number, they call me from a different number with a new area code, it is beyond annoying.
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5
February 20, 2012 6:17:29 PM PST
I found this year though that if you called in, you received a better price. I only subscribe to Business Journal and recieve everything else online and the subscription price was exactly what I would pay at the stands x how many weeks. When I called in I asked what the incentive was to pre pay what I would be paying at the stand every week anyways, they came down I think 25% or more, made it worth it BUT I tend to agree, most print media is outdated if you use all of the news media outlets online out there anyways. Your seeing a dying industry trying to remain valid.
Bruce
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6
February 20, 2012 6:35:36 PM PST
It's really sad, too. When one thinks of the history of the McClatchy family here in the valley. At one time, they had newspaper, radio and television under their control. And now, they're barely hanging onto their print media. I think part of their financial problems began when they bought Knight Ridder a few years back. Things just haven't been the same since. Seems like both quantity and quality have gone downhill since then.
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7
February 20, 2012 6:47:10 PM PST
I know, the Bee disappoints. I get especially bugged on Monday when there aren't 2 pages of Viewpoints/Letters. I am always crabby about that Monday morning.
But......I love, love, love my coffee and paper hour in the morning - get the coffee going, feed the cat, feed the dog, get the paper, pour a cup of coffee and settle in........it's such a treat.
I am retired, but when I was still working, I would set the clock an hour early just to have that delicious coffee-paper hour to relish.
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8
February 20, 2012 7:22:01 PM PST
I have to say, their attempts to get me to resubscribe were simply ridiculous! I once received 9 calls in a 10 day span!! I had to call and speak to supervisors twice before I finally told them if they didn't stop, I was calling Call3 and complaining about the harassment!
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9
February 20, 2012 7:41:22 PM PST
The bee is okay. Just okay. What I hate about it, is those people they hire to go door to door to pressure you into buying it.
Some of them won't take no for an answer. I complained once to the SacBee about their behavior and was told they don't work for the SacBee. I see they don't work for you, they just sell your subscriptions. After that I canceled.
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10
February 21, 2012 12:56:47 AM PST
That amount of increase is insane. I have been a full time subscriber forever. To say the paper has declined bigtime, is an understatement. For those that don't subscribe, if you view online you only get just a snapshot of what is contained. A few times a week, there are newsworthy articles, however, one has to ask is that enough to warrant the outlandish subscription rates - I'm like the rest of you, there is something about that morning coffee with paper. Whenever there are changes (for the worst) the editor puts her spin on the whys, etc. She is talking to the hand - save it! I could almost envision your SHOCK when you compared the billings. Thanks for sharing - who would have thunk it would reach this level?
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11
February 21, 2012 8:26:13 AM PST
We canceled as well, after over 20 years.
Many of the features I liked the Bee for were gone or diminished. I found that I would only read things like the letters to the editor and sometimes do things like the crosswords.
When I looked at the cost, looked at how the content had fallen, and considered how many trees it took to publish a newspaper, I decided to cancel.
To be honest, I feel relieved not having to haul the paper out to the recycle can all the time now.
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12
February 21, 2012 8:37:55 AM PST
We also cancelled and now just get the weekend, it was VERY costly for 7 days as well...
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13
February 21, 2012 9:33:06 AM PST
I switched to just weekends a couple of years ago when the prices shot up. Though it's outrageously expensive for what we get, at least I get the Friday Ticket section so I know what's going on in the entertainment world around here, and I get the TV Guide. I think I'm paying about $158-ish.
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14
February 21, 2012 10:55:42 AM PST
I get The Sac Bee free on Sundays with my subscription to the Elk Grove Citizen. You should see if they are still offering that deal. It's a lot cheaper.
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15
February 21, 2012 1:22:15 PM PST
I know that my Sunday Plus subscription is coming up soon so I'll see what that has jumped up to. I'm disappointed in the Bee's new policy of mailing out the grocery ads on Tuesday in the MVP mailer. They told me those are only sent to non-subscribers now. I can see the need to cut back on production but I don't feel it is fair to consider Sunday-only subscribers a regular subscriber and otherwise not eligible to receive grocery ads. I've now started looking those up on my phone which is fine unless there is a coupon offer from Safeway or Sprouts.
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16
February 21, 2012 10:03:42 PM PST
we trade our airline miles for the bee and the wall street journal. saves all that cash.
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17
February 22, 2012 10:11:01 AM PST
I keep track of all the savings I get from the Bee-coupons, special offers in the newspaper during the week,etc... So I really get it for free. Yes, I do subscribe to the EG Citizen too-so I get two Sunday papers, but that means double coupons! I realize I have cut back on coupons now that a few kids have flown the nest, but like others, I really enjoy opening the paper in the morning while I have my coffee.
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18
February 22, 2012 9:41:42 PM PST
I cancelled years ago when most of their front page stories started becoming opinionated stories (may have changed, don't read sacbee.com website). I use Google News to get most of my news. I also didn't like Ailene Voisin's sports columns. She would try to make any sports story depressing or controversial. On the plus side, my wife is happy that I don't have stacks of newspapers to recycle every week. But I admit it was nice to have something to read on the train ride to work.
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19
February 23, 2012 4:30:57 PM PST
I cancelled my subscription as well, due to the price increase. Dollar Tree on Sunday mornings: $1.00. I can get my coupons and Sunday paper for $4.00/mo. I did purchase the President's Day paper for the coupons, and was shocked at the number of color ads in the paper. I don't recall so many color ads?
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20
February 23, 2012 4:44:42 PM PST
We have a 7-day subscription, but place a "vacation stop" on the paper Monday through Saturday, so it is only delivered on Sundays. We elect to extend our subscription each time we do that. It's been about two years since we had to pay to renew our 6-month subscription.
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