Surprise is no longer allowed to sell in train stations
From the beginning of next year, the street magazine Surprise will have to withdraw from Swiss railroad stations. SBB will no longer grant the vendors a license. The monthly magazine fears major financial losses as a result.
From the beginning of next year, the street magazine Surprise will have to withdraw from Swiss railroad stations. SBB will no longer grant the vendors a license. The monthly magazine fears major financial losses as a result.
Every fourth magazine is sold in train stations, Surprise stated in a press release on Friday. The magazine has relied on its presence in major railroad stations since it was founded eleven years ago. Surprise sees itself as an integration project for socially disadvantaged people. Around 70 percent of the 300 or so regular sellers are on social welfare. Half of the sales price goes to the sellers.
The decision is a "catastrophe" for sales staff. These people, who have little chance of finding a job in public transport, feel closely connected to the stations. A relocation would be "very difficult from a human point of view".
According to Surprise, the fact that SBB justifies the decision with its "Customer-friendly stations" project implies that the street magazine is detrimental to the appearance of the stations. However, the rising readership figures contradict this. In addition, the magazine has become a permanent fixture in the concourses of Basel, Bern and Zurich railroad stations.
In a communiqué on Friday, SBB confirmed that it had terminated all promotional contracts at the end of the year. Customers had complained about the sales and distribution campaigns in the stations. However, talks with the organizations concerned have not yet been concluded. Surprise, however, replied that SBB had not responded to any attempts at talks. The magazine is published in German-speaking Switzerland with a circulation of 30,000 copies and reaches 123,000 readers.
Every fourth magazine is sold in train stations, Surprise stated in a press release on Friday. The magazine has relied on its presence in major railroad stations since it was founded eleven years ago. Surprise sees itself as an integration project for socially disadvantaged people. Around 70 percent of the 300 or so regular sellers are on social welfare. Half of the sales price goes to the sellers.
The decision is a "catastrophe" for sales staff. These people, who have little chance of finding a job in public transport, feel closely connected to the stations. A relocation would be "very difficult from a human point of view".
According to Surprise, the fact that SBB justifies the decision with its "Customer-friendly stations" project implies that the street magazine is detrimental to the appearance of the stations. However, the rising readership figures contradict this. In addition, the magazine has become a permanent fixture in the concourses of Basel, Bern and Zurich railroad stations.
In a communiqué on Friday, SBB confirmed that it had terminated all promotional contracts at the end of the year. Customers had complained about the sales and distribution campaigns in the stations. However, talks with the organizations concerned have not yet been concluded. Surprise, however, replied that SBB had not responded to any attempts at talks. The magazine is published in German-speaking Switzerland with a circulation of 30,000 copies and reaches 123,000 readers.
