Originally Posted by bearisgray

Possible reasons for encasing magazines in plastic:

1) So they don't get looking shopworn from people looking through them without buying them (I admit - I am "one of those people" - especially for the gossip magazines near the checkout counters)

2) So none of the inserts get lost

3) To discourage people from flipping through them to see if there really is something of interest in them

4) Maybe there is something "naughty" in them like there is in the skin magazines?