Local Convenient Stores Sell Out of Newspapers?

Today something very ironic happened in my area and I am wondering if this happened or affected any of you? My mother called me when I was on my way to her house for our Thanksgiving “dinner,” and she asked me if I wouldn’t mind picking her up either a Hartford Courant or a New Haven Register. She and my little sister were unsuccessful in purchasing one around 11:00 a.m. after the town powder puff game. “Don’t go crazy,” she said. “If you can, you can.”

Well, much to my surprise, I too had no luck in purchasing a copy of either at the Yalesville Corner Shoppe. I was amazed to see that USA Today and the Boston Herald were the only papers left. A man and I both entered the convenient store to inquire about this, and the man at the counter said that they were all out. I was shocked! The other man was as well. I then called my mom who told me that where she went they were sold out, too.

I then drove up the street to a Citgo gas station. Under a pile of USA Todays I found the mother load. Both The Courant and The Register! About six copies each. I chose The Register, because that is “closer to home.” I went up to the cash register to pay and before the cashier rang me up, he said, “You know that is not today’s paper. It was Tuesdays.” Of course, only this would happen to me, I thought.

I could not believe it! I was shocked to learn that he had sold out of both papers as well.

The only paper that was in stock for Connecticut was The Connecticut Post. For 75 cents, I did not care that this was not the one that my mother wanted, as I figured that she was interested in the ads. So, even if she was unhappy, I found myself thinking, “Gee it costs way more than 75 cents to print this paper and put all of these fliers in it. I got a bargain.”

That’s when it dawned on me! Here we are, in an economic crisis and in a newspaper whirlpool downward. People want to read on the internet, but, yet I had the first hand experience of finding out that the newspapers were actually sold out! (This may be one of the last times that local convenient stores sell out of the papers.) I was blown away. Sold out!

Why do you think that they were sold out? Was it the ad factor? If so, is this the key to newspaper success? Was anyone else unsuccessful in locating a newspaper?

I think that this is something worth mentioning. I looked hard to find links relating to this topic, but there are none. There might be some tomorrow morning; I will check back. This Thanksgiving, I can honestly say that I am thankful for the newspapers’ survival of one more holiday.