I don’t usually share my monthly column “The View from Here” before the magazine hits the streets, but I need to get the word out about the magazine labels, so please read:
Sticker Shock
We’re always looking for ways to stretch your membership dollars without cutting quality—especially as printing, postage, and, well, everything else continues to get more expensive. Our goal: keep membership affordable while still delivering a top-notch magazine and stellar member support.
So, when yet another price increase hit our inbox, we thought, “Hey! Let’s save some money by ditching the outer mailing polybag and switching to one of those fancy removable mailing labels. Other magazines do it. How hard can it be?”Famous last words.
We sent the August issue off to the printer, feeling pretty good about everything. And then the phone rang. A member called to say his copy arrived—well, part of it. Just the cover. The rest had apparently taken flight without him.
And then our copy arrived.
There it was: a giant label plastered right across the beautiful cover photo. “No big deal,” we thought. “We’ll just peel it off.
”Spoiler: we could not just peel it off.
Let’s just say our big idea flopped harder than a gear-up landing. So, next month, (September issue) we’re back to our good old polybag until (or unless) we come up with a better solution that doesn’t result in literal sticker shock.
And don’t worry, we don’t need to break into our piggy bank, the membership is strong. We just want to be good stewards of your dues.
If your August 2025 issue arrived damaged thanks to our brief experiment, we’re offering a one-month membership extension. Just email jen@aviationgroupltd.com and we’ll take care of you.*Thanks for bearing with us. You can’t say we don’t try! *Offer available to members with active print memberships for the August 2025 issue.
