Testy weird whatever

If nothing else, this recession can make some people testy and the news media a little weird. Or the other way around — people a little weird and the media testy.

On my usual end-of-the-month rounds delivering the latest issue of Discover Mid-America, I’ve noticed that the question “How’s business?” doesn’t get much of a response lately. Sure, no one gushes incoherently about how great business is — something that hasn’t happened since the late 1990s — and on the flip side, I haven’t found anyone slumped over a computer keyboard, crying uncontrollably over an email they just received from their accountant.

Still, I’ve noticed some things that indicate people are touchy in this economic downturn — and maybe rightly so.

Some of our advertisers have taken to writing terse notes on their billing statements about our way of doing things. They’re not directed to anyone in particular in the office but since I open all the company’s mail and run the place — at least in theory — I take that the comments are directed at me.

Some advertisers don’t like our late fee policy. I don’t particularly like late fee policies either, and I’ve let loose some similar feelings about late fees to the corporate vendors we use — the delivery service, Internet provider, phone service, the company we lease our copier from and probably a few other large concerns we do business with. With those folks there’s no wiggle room, with me (us) there is … because we’re a small business, too.

Some notes remind me that the Discover statements still have the old business address. For that, I apologize and continue to urge people to use the return envelope included with the statement. To fix the software problem will take a few thousand and it being a recession … well, I think you may understand.

Something I don’t understand is why some folks don’t take advantage of the free publicity we can offer. Recently, we’ve had an antique dealer turn down a request to be in a story and one shop show little interest in being in another story dealing with a category of antiques sold by them. After all, we’re not the New York Times digging into someone’s tax records; no, we’re just a small publication trying to promote your business. Whatever. Maybe they’re immune to the economic condition most the rest of us are dealing with.

Then there’s the call from a regional TV station. A long-time advertiser and large antique mall recently closed its doors and the TV newsperson wanted to interview me about the reasons why. Before I could really say anything, the newsperson said, “It’s the economy, right? That’s why they closed.”

I begged off and passed the call over to one of our ad reps. The newsperson didn’t like his response, either. After the TV guy hung up we both thought it was strange that the closing of an antique mall would be considered TV broadcast news.

I don’t know how long this recession will last. But we plan to hang in there, testy comments and weirdness or not.

Bruce Rodgers can be contacted at publisher@discoverypub.com.

Bruce Rodgers can be contacted at publisher@discoverypub.com.

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