My daughter asked me to pick up some newspapers to commemorate today. The last time that I bought a newspaper to keep was on the date of her birth. I have to say things have changed a lot between then and now. For example, newsstands do not exist and are a thing of the past.
Newsstands a dying animal because:
- Declining print readership: The rise of digital news sources and the internet has drastically reduced the number of people who buy physical newspapers and magazines.
- Reduced Profit Margins: Fewer people purchasing newspapers and magazines directly from newsstands means dwindling profits, forcing many newsstand operators to rely on selling snacks, candy, and other items for survival.
- Shifting advertising revenue: Advertisers are increasingly focusing their spending on digital platforms, further impacting the revenue stream that once supported publishers and, indirectly, newsstands.
- Competition from online sources: Online news sites, social media, and news aggregators provide free or low-cost access to news, further diminishing the need for physical newsstands.
In the past, there were over 1,500 newsstands in New York City but now there are just a few hundred and they no longer sell newspapers. In the NYC subway, newsstands have been replaced with vending machines.
This lack of newsstands created a problem for me. Where to get a physical newspaper. For the limited friends that still read a physical newspaper, receive them at their homes by a newspaper delivery service. Unfortunately, this will not work for me.
Off I went on my odyssey to find a newspaper. First stop was the local train station but as we already realized there a no more newsstands at the train stations. Next stop was the convenience store followed by the card store. No luck at either of them. It seems that newspapers do not make enough money for them.
Then I had a divine inspiration. If I am looking for an old and out of date media, I should focus on who sells old and out of date media. Barnes and Noble immediately jumped into my head. Their whole business is based upon selling print books. They have a café for their readers. Newspapers would fit right into this concept. When I arrived, I could feel the decades turning back to a simpler time. They had a whole section dedicated to magazines. Right behind the magazine racks was the café with all of the croissants out in plain view. But I was going to be disappointed. No newspapers there. When I asked the customer service about their newspaper selection, they pretty much laughed me out of the store.
As I gasping at straws for my next destination, I saw a 7Eleven on the street. Not feeling very confident about my chances though. They did have bottled water out front and firewood. These do not seem to be high movers so maybe they will have newspapers. But I was going to be disappointed because 7Eleven does not sell newspapers. Coffee, yes. Individual Pop tarts, yes. But, newspapers no.
I had one more stop before I was going to go in desperation to the New York Time printing facility in College Point Queens. I don’t know for sure that they still print the paper there but the building has New York Time scrawled across it. My last stop was the Stop and Shop supermarket. I was not feeling so confident when I walked in because they had two EV charges out front. This made me feel that this was forward looking supermarket. But alas, they had a whole rack of newspapers. My day was saved after spending a few hours on my hunt.
For your newspaper needs, don’t forget to try the supermarket first!!