Squadron Sale Flyer?

Don, they are re-doing the flyer and there hasn't been a flyer for a couple of months. They say that they are going to have it back next month.

Jim 

I have been getting plenty of e-mails from them to make up for the lack of a flyer.  Seems like they are having a different "special" every few days.

They say that the flyer will be a different format and easier to read with better pics. If anyone has the January 2014 flyer, all the details are in there on page 2. Sounds like it's going to be a lot better.

Jim 

As stated, the January flyer says that it will be the last until April. I still have years worth of the old style flyers as well as the annual catalogs. They are great sources of information, especially when someone posts about a "new" kit and you can find it in an old Squadron flyer from 10 years ago.

I get the emails, but the number of sale offers is small, and have never hit my interest.  Even if the price was not a great deal, sometimes seeing a kit that I was unfamiliar with has caused me to order it.

This brings up another matter.  Not only squadron, but many of their competitors,  have web sites that are not great for browsing. If you are looking for a specific kit, they are fine, but browsing sure isn't that great.

Minigamer1953

Just received an advertisement for the "new" flyer. There is now a $10 subscription fee, going up to $15 at the end of April. I'm not certain how I feel about being asked to subscribe and pay for it, after receiving it gratis for making orders since that late 70's.

Just got the same email. "Back by popular demand!" Somehow I don't recall demanding to pay for them.

Oh well, I can understand the cost of printing and mail and you have to have a return on the money spent for them or you suffer a loss. I hope they don't hurt themselves in the long run. More than a few times I made a purchase simply because I saw it in the flyer.

Jim

Paying for their sales flyer, I think not!  Out of stock issues have caused me to shop elsewhere.

I stopped getting it when they wanted $ 10.00,sure its nice to thumb thru the pages and look at the pictures,but i'm not going to pay for advertising.After all you can acess all their products on the site.Very few things are free anymore.I have no hard feelings against them,I just don't need their catalog

Ten bucks for sales flyers?   Why in the heck would you pay for info you get in emails all the time? And I just had to go with another vendor cause the two items I need were put of stock which seems to be very common with Squadron. 

Squadron has opened a real "can of worms" here and may soon regret it.

I understand the cost issue.

Perhaps a better idea would be to discontinue the mailings altogether and be a web store only.

You guys forget that the original Squadron flyers were by subscription and cost $5 for a year's worth (you got the full color catalog and the 12 monthly updates). I know I paid for the subscription many years ago (1988 or so), but once I started ordering, they came like clockwork from Germany throughout the states I've lived in.

But besides, if they offer it as a pdf download for free, I doubt I'll worry about a paper copy.

I will try it for a year.  I have seen publications that started out as ad and classifieds that gradually added more and more editorial content and became good magazines.  The message I got from Squadron implies there will be editorial content in the flyer, so I'll give it a try and see how good it is by end of a year.  

Not a nickel out of me, either!

Keep in mind that the e-mail also said that the April issue will be free to all who currently get the flyer.  Wait and judge after you get it and look it over.  Fortunately, I live close enough to make it to DFW every couple of years for IPMS NCT's Scalefest, which features an open house at Squadron's warehouse.   Fantastic prices on open house specials, hundreds of deals on dented boxes, and great hospitality!  You get to wander the aisles and shop like you were at Wally-world but with people to help you and guide you to find the tiny photoetch sheet in their vast warehouse.  I don't recall any other of the mail order houses having something like that!