Sometime last year we bought some games in a GameStop store and got a free subscription to GameInformer. It's running out now and with the magazine came a card (actually, the "card" was wrapped all around it) telling "just $10 for 10 issues!". Not so bad. Except that's "in store only". If I renew by mail it's $20. I don't want to go to the store and I don't want to pay more than the "best price", so to the trash it goes. (update: Hilarious, the price online is $15. I understand all magazines have pricing like this, but they generally don't push it quite so hard in your face. Do the store pay them the extra $5 for getting you to go to the store?).
See also Camels and Ruber Duckies (aka Spolsky on software pricing)
I don't understand the game store push to get you to read their magazine. I was confused by EBX's press to sell GMR magazine. It was especially odd because of the way the offer is presented. "Buy a subscription to our magazine today! You get an issue each month! Oh, and a card for 10% off used games."
Huh? Why not sell me the card, which is worth a lot, and say you're throwing in a magazine subscription. I'd buy the card, but when you lead the pitch with spam that I need to pay someone to haul away... not so much.
I wonder if they just makes oodles of money on the ads.
Well, you already revealed your likely harvest significant value from a subscription both by your existing subscription and by your presense in the store so it's no wonder their first bid would be very high.
It appears that if you start here and reveal how exceptionally thrifty you are by applying coupons and signing up for discount shopping services you can get it down to around 10$.
This too is all a game. Why isn't there a "sports shopping" magazine? What a great demographics - cheapskates!
Seven bucks: http://xrl.us/eueb