Some of us guys also drool over the quilt magazines :-) ROFL.....

I love the way you think....I'll be doing this in the future. I'm so tired of getting magazines home and being disappointed with the contents :)

I confess that I do that, too. Just as a service to other customer you understand!

When I first started quilting a few years ago I bought nearly all the quilting magazines on a monthly basis, not anymore. I now find them a bit boring, most of the quilts they feature seem to be more or less the same and the last half of the magazines are filled with the same adverts month after month.
I find that by coming on here I can learn so much more from you ladies and get more inspired by looking at other peoples quilts then I ever could from magazines.
About the plastic cover issue, why can't they have one copy of the magazine unwrapped but with a sticker on the front page stating DISPLAY COPY ONLY, then at least you could see the contents before buying?

Haha. I second that statement...

Well I have never opened one before but think I will! LOL Why not...(Unless it has a cd with it and could get lost..Then I wouldn't...)But otherwise you have the right to see what you are buying!

I pick up the mag and look at the cover then look at the price and quickly stick it back on the shelf. I go home, sign on here, hit search, find what I was looking for and it's free.

I sent them a contact us email....

I agree putting magazines in a plastic bag is a pain. I want
to see what I'm getting.
I subscribe to Fons & Porter, the last issue had a catalog for "Woman Within" in the middle. What's up with that?? What
does that have to do with quilting?
After my subscription expires I won't renew.

That works for me too -- coming here and asking how to do something instead of buying the magazine:lol: :lol:

I think we should all email Fons and Porter and tell them we will not buy plastic wrapped magazines, maybe they will take a hint. Pretty covers don't tellus a thing and the gadgets they often send along we can do without, we want directions and help, not more plastic.
Sounds like we all agree. I am going to email them and why don't some of the rest of you. I am sure their web site will give us a place to comment.
Other magazines come without plastic and in good shape.
Carol J.

I won't buy them if I can't leaf through them.

I called Fons & Porter about my subscription and asked why they put things in the magazines for sale and put the whole works in plastic, and the lady told me that they do that so people will want the CD/DVD or whatever and buy it and then take a subscription to the magazine. (wow! is that a run-on sentence or what!!?) anyway, I said well, those of us with subscriptions would like to have the CD/DVD deal as well. She sent me a DVD of whatever-I haven't watched it yet. Now I noticed that Fons & Porter is again in plastic, also Better Homes & Garden American Patchwork & Quilting as well.

And yes, it makes me mad because I have bought a magazine only to get it home, take off the plastic and find out that there isn't anything in there I want to make, so it is a waste of money.

AND, whatever little gift they put in the plastic wasn't worth the price of the magazine.

Sorry, doesn't bother me. I prefer my magazines intact and protected. As far as the cost, well, with the price of most patterns running $8-9, I figure one good pattern in a magazine makes that issue pay for itself.

Dont we as customers have the right to inspect the merchandise before we buy it. I just got home from shopping without a F&P magazine because it was in plastic.
Lets all e-mail them with our concerns.

I feel that the magazines are way overpriced to begin with. For an average $7 and up, I'd rather go to the used book store and buy a book! I feel that I am getting more for my money that way.

I kind of see it like this:
I don't like not being able to see previews and to show my discontent I pass right by those in plastic.
I absolutely refuse to buy them, although I believe that if wrapping them in plastic is what they want to do, they can.
I am sure they have their reasons, and so do I :shock: :wink:

I did email them today and told them even if they think they are protecting the magazine and include gifts, we would rather check the inside and see if we really want to buy one. Let's see what they say about it.
I don't need any more CD's either with written directions.
Carol J.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who finds this frustrating. I haven't been thrown out of a store but I was 'given heck' by a cheeky young saleman when he spied me trying to open some plastic for a sneak peek. So, no sale and no return customer.
Our local quilt shop sells used magazines..sometimes I just wait until a Fons and Porter appears on their shelf!

My LQS has a box of magazines that are, "Bring one -- take one". Very nice for all of us to be able to trade magazines back and forth without spending any money. :D

It annoys me too. And it seems to annoy alot of other people too. But someone is buying them, otherwise they might rethink the wrapping.

Agree, it is annoying. THey are pretty expensive.

oh what a great idea!

I am disappointed they give the goodies in the stands and not to their subcribers!

I usually won't buy them if they are in plastic and this week I "gave in" and bought Better Homes and Gardens October issue and there was nothing in there that interested me at all!! It was very frustrating and just confirmed for me that I won't buy anymore in plastic!

We all suffer because of the inconsiderate people. Actually, we could call them thieves. They have been know to tear out a pattern and put the magazine back in the rack. The honest people always pay because of the dishonest. I know this to be a fact as a store clerk told me this happens so often on a lot of the better magazines. It irrates me also.

I don't like the clothes ads in Fons and Porter. I subscribe but do not plan to renew.

Try your local library, mine have 2 subscriptions, they also keep the current year and the last 2 years. They also have copy machines if anything should tickle my fancy. I've also been lucky enough to go on the right day in Jan. when they purge the oldest year. I also am lucky that my local Wal-mart offers 6-8 magazines-only 2 or 3 in plastic. I've found that I have read the patterns, even taking pics with my cell then once I get home I get out the graph paper and begin to draw what I remember of the pattern-and it's only a 10 minute drive if I need a refresher look. But then I go for the simple designs-nothing too complicated, not my style. If it really has many ideas I like I will buy it-but I avoid the ones in plastic-last on I bought on a whim has nothing I thought to try.

If I can't see inside, I don't buy.

If I can't see inside, I don't buy.

I would not buy a magazine if I couldn't see what was inside. I bet they loose a lot of sales for that.

Yea anything that I can't see before I buy it makes me think long before I buy it.

I agree with most of you. I used to buy about 4 or 5 magazines a month. I don't anymore because of the plastic. I wouldn't buy anything without seeing it first & that includes magazines. I don't have a problem buying them if there is something inside I want. As to the people that tear pages out I think that is terrible. Seems like the stores could arrest you for that because that is just plain stealing. I am emailing some of the magazines also to put in my 2 cents for what it's worth.

I agree totally with you, I am new at it too! Marlene

I will not purchase any magazine wrapped in plastic. I also am dropping my subscriptions to most of the quilting mags because they have had such dismal patterns. I have a good library of my own and belong to a guild with an extensive library so I don't need their expensive magazines that are now full of advertising and stuff for sale rather than new quilt patterns.

Is it a Fons and Porter mag that you are looking for?? If I don't have it I am sure someone on here will have it. I have all my back Fons and Porter mags. MNM

I also fret about the plastic. In this economy, you would think they would forget about the plastic. It justs makes the magazine more expensive to make.

Probably and may be for sure. I hate buying a quilting mag that is NOT in a plastic bag. You can tell that they have been looked through (dog ears) and indeed ripped out pages.