Cooking Light price increase

[p. j.]

Has anyone noticed the current newsstand price for C.L.?
It seems to have creeped up to $5. Definitely not worth it!
I just subscribed for the first time. Good thing because I sure wouldn't pay $5 for it. Bon Appetit is $4 and it's a much classier magazine. Not that I use that many of their recipes but it's fun to read and daydream. I think B.A. and C.L. are from the same source aren't they?
My opinion is that C.L.'s recipe ingredient lists are way too long with too many unusual ingredients. I don't mind bopping into Whole Foods or a Gourmet market now and then but I don't like running around to different ethnic markets for ingredients that I might only use once.

[Cafe Latte]

I love CL and don't mind paying for it. I just checked Jan/Feb 2003 and it was also $4.99. I think because it is a double issue, the price is higher. After that the per issue price is $4.50. I subscribe so I don't usually notice what the price on the cover says.

[aggie94]

I don't think BA and CL are published by the same source. While I agree that BA is a "classier" magazine, I get much more use out of my CL. BA's recipes, at least in my house, are for entertaining or special occasions. There are very few recipes that I could bring myself to make on a regular basis. CL, on the other hand, has many more recipes for everyday cooking. That, for me, justifies any additional cost (although I hadn't noticed that either, since I also subscribe). I've never thought their recipes call for a lot of exotic ingredients, either - most of their ingredients I can find at a regular old Safeway.

[Ms. Chevious]

Egad. I get it for free and barely think its worth it! :o

[SandyM]

Originally posted by Ms. Chevious
Egad. I get it for free and barely think its worth it! :o

Okay, I'll bite.

Then why do you get it, or hang out here? It's just a question that begs to be asked, since you rarely, if ever, have anything good to say about CL.

Just curious. :cool:

[KristinK]

I hadn't noticed any price increase either. Like Cafe Latte said, I think it's for the double issue.

Quite frankly, I've grown tired of the complaints. If you don't enjoy the magazine, don't start complaining. Just stop paying ... and wasting paper.

:cool:

[Linda in MO]

Originally posted by KristinK
Quite frankly, I've grown tired of the complaints. If you don't enjoy the magazine, don't start complaining. Just stop paying ... and wasting paper.

Whew! Kristin and Sandy, thanks for saying what I've been wanting to say for a long time. I can stop biting my tongue now! :cool:

[tbb113]

I think it depends on how you complain. If you are just complaining that you don't like the magazine...then I think you are right (and I know that I'm guilty of this sometimes myself :o ) However, if you are complaining with reasons behind your complaints, then I think its okay. I keep hoping that CL staff actually reads these posts and are taking the comments and suggestions back to staff meetings for discussion. Hopefully, they can change the things that many of us are disliking and retain us ALL as loyal readers.

Tyra

[aggie94]

Originally posted by tbb113
Hopefully, they can change the things that many of us are disliking and retain us ALL as loyal readers.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to please EVERYONE. There are also many of us who LOVE CL and don't see any need for change. If I wanted change, I'd find another magazine. :)

[CompassRose]

Only there isn't one, at least as far as my addictive magazine-buying has managed to unearth. CL is the "closest thing". And though I do moan and girn, I still keep buying it... even if I don't think they get things "right" for me, it's enough of a starting point... Honestly the biggest serving of my CL complaining is reserved for their subscriber "service" (hah!) and complete lack of any kind of timeliness or schedule. And the useless advertorial in the first half of the mag, which is obviously nothing more than pandering to their corporate sugar daddies.

If I liked pain more, I suppose I could start my own magazine!

[funnybone]

Originally posted by aggie94


Unfortunately, it is impossible to please EVERYONE. There are also many of us who LOVE CL and don't see any need for change. If I wanted change, I'd find another magazine. :)

I agree with Eva. As many times as one person will rave about a recipe, there will be another person turning their nose up at it. It's impossible to please everyone all the time.

Frankly, I am glad that I don't want to make every recipe in CL. With a husband that travels, and kids who won't eat everything, I don't get to make all the ones I really want to as it is.

[valchemist]

you can dislike the magazine and still like the CL BB, though. I know a ton of people here don't subscribe and rarely if ever buy the magazine. and there also a lot of people here who regularly complain about CL. PJ and Ms Chevious aren't alone. I have heard specific complaints from them that were well-founded.

I really think this BB is a great place whether you like CL or not.

Val

p.s I love CL, myself.

[greysangel]

I really like CL ...I think I just grumbled a little more the past couple of months with lack of recipe enthusiasm :o

I do agree with Tyra in that there is a difference between constructive complaining/criticism/suggestions and just plain CL stinks. :D

JeAnne

[Curleytop]

If your only complaint is about the price, why don't you subscribe!
It is much cheaper that way. CL is the only magazine that I get!
I have been enjoying it for years!
Also, if price is the issue, you can always take it out of the library, or better yet, bring your computer, and copy what you like at the library.

[Jill123]

I have to admit to some complaining re: CL, but I've always tried to relate it to how CL can better serve us, the loyal readers.

I guess I just assumed that CL editors or writers visit the BB at least every once in a while and may read our posts in order to make it a better magazine.

While I know that you can't please everyone all the time, I disagree that if there were changes to be made, we should all find a different magazine. I think everything can be improved in some small ways, at least, to make for a better experience for everyone. I understand those who may complain because a specific issue didn't have very many vegetarian recipes, even though I'm not and never will be a vegetarian. And I have no problem with people complaining that they have to call to get the "preferred discount" on their subscriptions, even though they've subscribed for years. They have just as much right as I do to have a magazine that suits their needs.

I think (and hope) that CL would rather hear those concerns upfront and decide whether or not to integrate our ideas, rather than lose us without knowing why we left.

[p. j.]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Curleytop
[B]If your only complaint is about the price, why don't you subscribe!
It is much cheaper that way.

I guess I really opened a can of worms with this one. I wish I would get this much response to other posts I've made.
Actually, I did just subscribe. It's not that I hate the magazine, I just don't happen to think I love it $5 worth, however I won't be paying that now that I'm a subscriber. ;) Should have done it a long time ago. I always buy it in fear of missing something wonderful, and I'll admit it's the cover picture that get's me everytime. Some issues are definitely better than others. I use quite a few of their recipes but do find the ingredient list way too long, generally speaking. After many years of cooking, I like to simplify, simplify, simplify, which I do with most recipes by taking shortcuts and cutting out ingredients I don't find particularly necessary.
I do love this bulletin board whether or not I'm all that impressed with C.L. I love reading other 'foodies' comments and suggestions and it makes me feel good to know I'm not the only food obsessed person around.
pj

[Gail K.]

I love CL and especially their web site and this wonderful BB! I started reading it a couple of years ago and am completely addicted (magazine subscription, annual books, recipe searches on the website and am even part of a small CL supper club that meets approximately once per month ).
I don't believe that any cook would be interested in preparing 100% of the recipes from any source. Even my favorite cookbooks contain recipes that don't interest me; however, would probably delight someone else. As a matter of fact, after being completely inspired by a recent thread regarding the number of new recipes that people attempted last year, I decided to try more new recipes and keep track of them. I already made seven new CL recipes since Jan 2nd and have enjoyed most of them very much (including Korean-Style Pork Tenderloin, Chicken Tagine with Lemon and Olives, Red Beans-and-Rice Soup with Shrimp and tonight's Pecan-Crusted Tilapia).
Thank you all for making this a great place to visit. Have a nice weekend!
:)
- Gail

[helene]

Anyone of your know the price for Canadians?

My subscription finished in December and I may start buying out off the shelve, since it is out 2 weeks before I receive my copy.

[LaurenP]

Someone on the BB a month or so ago posted Magazinevalues.com to get mags at cheaper prices. This is worth looking at, to save.

This BB has always been a very kind and friendly site, the year or so that I'v been around anyway. I'd like to see it stay this way. We can air our opinions and keep our tone pleasant at the same time. Lets go on from here.

[ClaraB]

Originally posted by helene
Anyone of your know the price for Canadians?

My subscription finished in December and I may start buying out off the shelve, since it is out 2 weeks before I receive my copy. Helene, the January issue is $6.50CDN :eek: - I remember when I started buying them (in NB!), they were only $3.50. Quite a price increase...

[Wendy w]

Originally posted by CompassRose
Honestly the biggest serving of my CL complaining is reserved for their subscriber "service" (hah!) and complete lack of any kind of timeliness or schedule. And the useless advertorial in the first half of the mag, which is obviously nothing more than pandering to their corporate sugar daddies.


Bingo! Otherwise, I really like it.

[rosen]

Not going to enter the fray... just going to give you some facts to think about. I work in a magazine printing plant & deal w/ pricing all day long.

Fact: All magazines are going up in price, reducing page count, & often are becoming bi-monthly or going to 10 issues a year.
Fact: Paper prices have momentarily leveled after skyrocking earlier in the year. Hence the lower page count or the switch to a lesser quality paper. Advertisers are not buying space because their polls are showing that you do not base your purchases on their print ads... plus space costs have risen along w/ everything else.
Fact: Postal increases have crippled a lot of magazines. You would not believe the costs associated w/ getting your mazazine to your door or to your newstand.

All this leads me to say that I gladly pay more each year for the mags I love... because I want them to stay in business!!

[Grace]

I agree with rosen. And if you subscribe, you can get it for basically a dollar a month. I mean really, what else in the world can you get for a dollar a month??? Each issue has roughly 80 recipes in it. The new cookbook I bought - Eating the RealAge Way only has 80 recipes in it. And it cost like $15.00 or something. 80 new recipes month in and month out for a dollar? I can't imagine anyone complaining about that.....:confused: :rolleyes:

[helene]

Originally posted by Grace
I agree with rosen. And if you subscribe, you can get it for basically a dollar a month. I mean really, what else in the world can you get for a dollar a month??? Each issue has roughly 80 recipes in it. The new cookbook I bought - Eating the RealAge Way only has 80 recipes in it. And it cost like $15.00 or something. 80 new recipes month in and month out for a dollar? I can't imagine anyone complaining about that.....:confused: :rolleyes:

Lucky you, for sure if I was living in the states, I would renew my subs.

Now let's do the math, $6.50 plus taxes = $7.48 x 11 months = $82.25.

When I look at it I can invest in couple good cooking books.

Who, in the states, would pay $82.25 a year food cooking light?

[ClaraB]

Helene, that is very expensive (most issues are $6.00, it's only the J/F issue that's $6.50, but still...). I just checked, and you can subscribe for $33USD, which comes out to about $42CDN with the strong Canadian dollar right now. You do save a lot of money that way, but you still have to like CL an awful lot to pay that much for it, when there are a number of great Canadian magazines with good recipes that are a lot cheaper.

[Beth]

Originally posted by helene
Who, in the states, would pay $82.25 a year food cooking light?

I suspect the same is true then for other magazines as well, not just Cooking Light.

As it is, most of the magazines I subscribe to have a cover price that would make them $50-60 or more a year ($3.99-4.99 plus tax if bought at the newstand or grocery store). I probably wouldn't subscribe to any of them at that price, and certainly not the number I do.

I do subsrcibe to a number of magazines. There is a mutual benefit to each one. I get a much better price and I don't have to remember to look for them in the stores before they are gone. I don't know which day they will arrive each month, and once in several blue moons, I might miss one. They get replaced if I call. True, they seem to be appearing after the ones in the newstands more and more while one of the benefits of a subscription used to be getting your copy first. My life is busy enough that I'm not being put on hold by getting it later (and if there'e something I HAVE to have NOW, there will be someone who will post the recipe on the BB and usually be talking about it before I even see it on the stands).

And there's a lot of advertising -- some that is consistent with the reasons I buy the magazine and that occassionally leads me to look for something or buy something, but mostly, a lot of pages to flip through at the beginnning of the magazine. But there are a lot of commercials on the TV programs my family watches, most of them that I couldn't care less about, and on the radio I listen to in the car. It's always been that way. The non-commercial items are very few, exopensive and not usually that successful. Even public TV and radio have to carry self-promotions and ads for fundraising. A lot of them.

That's how we pay for our media content. The production, printing or broadcasting, are far from free. Delivery costs more, and we have had many years to develop finer and finer tastes in our media. Because most of it is profitable, we have been given more and more choices over the past few decades, with a lot of specialization. Do you have any idea how few choices there were just one generation ago -- when your parents were your age?

Freedom doesn't come without responsibility, and choices don't come without prices. If you don't like them, seek the courage to change the things you can, the patience to accept those you cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference. ;) Life's too short to spend it complaining. Buy what you like and rid your life of the clutter you don't.

[CompassRose]

$42 Canadian??? Where's that? It certainly wasn't that when I subscribed. There was very little savings, if any, over buying it over the counter, PLUS the added frustration of watching the current ish cruise into stores, and knowing it would be at least another week or two before mine arrived in the mail.

There's always that extra "Canadian and foreign orders add shipping and handling" charge... :(

[helene]

Originally posted by CompassRose
$42 Canadian??? Where's that? It certainly wasn't that when I subscribed. There was very little savings, if any, over buying it over the counter, PLUS the added frustration of watching the current ish cruise into stores, and knowing it would be at least another week or two before mine arrived in the mail.

There's always that extra "Canadian and foreign orders add shipping and handling" charge... :(

You are right, it does not come to $42 canadian, even with the low exchange rate.

So, I will not renew and I subscribed to all of these mags and it was $87 cdn:

-Canadian Living, $25
-Chatelaine, $20
-Femme, $15
-Homemakers, $10
-Capital Santé, $17

Will still visit the BB, because I love it.

[Beth]

Helene, I was thinking about my earlier post while I was away. I wanted to make sure you and our other Canadian friends don't think I'm taking issue with the fact that CL or any other magazine is so expensive for you. I have gotten my last several years of CL either free or for $10-12 a year. I think it's a bargain, and I wish you could enjoy the same deals. I'm glad you can enjoy the boards.

Maybe someday they will go to a paperless magazine where you can subscribe and download without waiting for the mail or having to pay more for forgeign delivery. My fear is the price will be horrendous or the pop-ups a nightmare. Kudos to the person who makes that all work out!

[ClaraB]

Originally posted by CompassRose
$42 Canadian??? Where's that? It certainly wasn't that when I subscribed. There was very little savings, if any, over buying it over the counter, PLUS the added frustration of watching the current ish cruise into stores, and knowing it would be at least another week or two before mine arrived in the mail.

There's always that extra "Canadian and foreign orders add shipping and handling" charge... :( CL online has an $18 USD subscription offer, which says that Canadians add $15 USD for s/h. That brings the total to $33 USD, which comes out to $42.31 CDN at $.78 exchange rate. I think my math is right... :o

[helene]

Hi,

the way we calcule it is:

$33 x 1.40 = $46.20 if you subscribe

and $87 if you buy at the store. Our sale tax is 15%.

Too bad, I will not renew this time.

[ClaraB]

Helene, the Canadian dollar is actually pretty strong right now - 1 Canadian doolar is worth 78 cents US, or 1 US dollar is worth about $1.28 Canadian, so you'd actually get a bit better deal than your calculation. It's still fairly pricey (especially compared to what Americans pay!), but it's about half of what you'd pay at the newsstand. Of course, there's that wonderful CL delivery (non)service to deal with...:rolleyes: