US magazine publishers are gouging Canadians

I came across this article today.

U.S. Publisher Takes American Price Off Magazines To Charge Canadians More

Is it dirty pool or simply smart business? Whatever you decide, it's not a story you're likely to read in a magazine. After months of being hammered over Canadians paying higher prices for U.S. goods despite the higher value of the loonie, one American firm has apparently found a way around it - they've simply removed any trace of the U.S. price for their items sold in Canada.


New York-based Hearst Magazines is the company behind a slew of huge magazine titles, including Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Esquire and Oprah Winfrey's "O." All of them used to appear on racks with two cover prices, all cheaper in the U.S. than here. But consumers began protesting en masse when the loonie soared above its American counterpart and wondered why they had to pay as much as 30 per cent more.

Some retailers - like Wal-Mart - heard those disgruntled calls and started selling the titles for the lower price. But now consumers who read them will only find one posted cost - and it's the higher Canadian one.

The company maintains it was simply trying to end the confusion for Canucks about the price difference and why it was there in the first place. And they admit they made the move at the request of Canadian wholesalers, who have been taking a hit both publicly and financially by the seemingly inexplicable difference.

There are suggestions that publishing and distributing American magazines in Canada costs more and that's the reason for the price differential. But many customers are questioning that logic, wondering how their currency can be worth more while their costs are higher. And it's not a cheap move for Hearst executives - they now have to create two different covers for each country.

It's not clear how long this new policy will be in place or if the publisher intends to make it a permanent feature of their magazines.


Another report - with quote below

The only reason they’re doing it is to maintain the rip-off structure for Canadian consumers.

Any bets that the book publishers will start doing the same thing eventually - even if it means two different book covers? I think it sucks. It ALWAYS has to be about profits.