First Budget Living. . . now Shop, Etc. Last week, Shop, Etc.‘s parent company, Hearst, pulled the plug on the shopping magazine. Apparently the magazine, did not reach the 1 million subscriber mark and wasn’t able to pull in enough advertisers to justify its existence in the mean world of magazines.
Personally, I liked Shop, etc, which had great layouts and a nicely designed site. I liked that there was an alternative to Lucky. However, I do understand way Hearst pulled the plug; Shop.etc was a little late on certain shopping news (Like Paul and Joe at Target), was very wary of pairing up with bloggers, and didn’t really cultivate a visible, off-the-rack presence with it’s readers.
I’m sure the staff of Lucky is clicking their Manolos in glee.
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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow. I had no idea they were doing that badly. Well, I was looking for an excuse to subscribe to InStyle, I guess the end of my Shop, Etc. subscription gives me an excuse!
Thanks for the news. Hmm I’m a subscriber though, I wonder if they will finish out the year or switch subscriptions to Oprah’s magazine or something. I remember they did that to Rosie’s magazine.
I’ll miss the Shop Etc. coupons. I’m about to use my recent Nine West one this week.
I will miss Shop, Etc. too. The smart checks were great. I just let my subscription to Lucky expire because I have been frustrated with the magazine as of late. None of the shoes featured in the September 2006 issue’s shoe special were under $100. Unfortunately, I can’t drop $700 on a pair of Christian Laboutin’s just yet! Also, they never feature clothes that I can afford, and I feel that you can’t buy anything they show unless you shop in boutiques in Soho or Brooklyn, which I don’t.
I’ve never heard of it, and I like to think I’m a bargain diva (which is polite speak for Cheap SOB).
What happens if you have a subscription? I have just now subscribed to this mag, and haven’t received my first issue yet. Anybody know?
Well I am dashed. I just sent in my subscription card to this magazine two weeks ago. I was really looking forward to getting this every month. I also subscribe to Lucky which I love but this just kills me. Darn…..
You know.. I’mnot sure what’ll happen to those of us who have subscriptions. When Budget Living folded they sent me the magazine House Beautiful instead. I imagine they’ll send us another title until the end of our Shop, Etc. subscription. If there’s enough interest, maybe we could start a petition to save it!
I do not consider this a loss. I bought Shop on several occasions and felt that it was lackluster compared to Lucky, which I subscribe to. Even though I agree with the statement that Lucky has been a little narrow with it’s budget friendly items lately, I still get great ideas from the fashions/pairings they feature and am able to find similar items for much less money than the ones in their pages. I think Shop was a great conception, just with bad execution.
I liked that Shop Etc seemed to cater to a slightly older market than Lucky – like the blurbs on Forth & Towne and Anthropologie and how they might fit the over-30s better than The Gap and Urban Outfitters. I’ll also miss the specific comments like “this pink would look great on darker skin” or “use two coats on toes, one on fingernails.” And their 1 Look, 3 Budgets worked for me much better than Lucky’s Lust/Must feature, where the Lust items cost $700 and the Musts cost $350!
I’m sad to hear that Shop magazine will soon be no more. It was one of my favorite style sources. I have to admit I often found myself torn between purchasing Lucky and purchasing Shop.
Shop, Etc. was more down to earth with prices and styles. Lucky (and I have a subscription) have clothes that are way over priced and lately the styles are terrible. I was thinking of subscribing to Shop when my subscription to Lucky expires. I think it is too bad that Shop, Etc. didn’t make it.
I have ordered many things from this magazine. I can’t tell you how disturbed with this new information. I always felt as though I could talk to them about any problerm , and THEN, they were there, quickly on the spot, reviewing my questions and I was obtainiing an answer, In all due respect,I do NOT think you did that great of a job marketing and advertisiding for “The Shop Magazine.” I sort of felt as thoguh YOU thought it would “market itself….and now, there is nothing left to do be scrap this magazine (which was an incresdible piece of everything imaginable) and not try to ressurect and improve upon it. It far outreachs any of your other magazine in this category. I don’t think, in my opinion. that you gave this magazine half a chance, or ar least, not like you did all of the otrher (terrible) magazines you supply.Of course, this is ONLY my opinion and many friends’ opinion,re: you are going to rush to drop this magazine…and IT WILL BE A GIANT MISTSKE!!! PLease give it another try and MARKET IT WELL,as you do all of your magazines. (If you don’t do this,you a re: selling a terific magazine down the drain.’”:. I am paid intop 2009 anf i fo aNOYT wanrt any other of your other conservative magazine. Get the “lead out” and market this magazine! It is worth it! It is worth it and you will be sorry you didn’t do this. The magazine desires sime decent chance. Ir is a terrific magszine, don’t kill it! Elizabeth Kagan (Efkagan@aol.com)
PLEASE DO NOT STOP PUBLISHING SHOP MAGAZINE; i love it so much and so look fporwrd to it@! It has a couple of minor glitches, which I thng with addinional hard work, etc. it =can be , once sgain, at the otop of your magazines. why don’t you do away with the home funtitureand even, perhaps, the fashion poart. thereis never been a masgszine strictly allotes to “beauty” asnd it;s’d many forms. I love this magazine and wil ber so upset if if it is officially cancelled.I think I’m paid unyil 2009! I dn’t you giving me House Beautoful magazines, instead of ewhat zi wanted. Sure, ot was new, there were some thoinsd that neede to be corrected, but ot was a fantastic brsuty magszine (with all of the new productssnd sll of it’d wondedful Articles. Please don’t cancwl it! I love this magazine and eeagerly await its arrival each month. I don’t lnpw what else t ssy,except give it a bit more chance! It is far better than any other of your other magazines, that;for sure.I’d love to be on a program to help revamp the magtazine, i am a free;lame journalist, I wouod love to hekp you.Juat, plraser don’r cancel it! Elizabeth Ksgasn )(Efkagan@aol.com).
So sad to hear. I was an avid buyer of Shop Etc. (and Lucky.) I’ll guess I’ll hang onto the last copy I have for awhile since I won’t be able to get another. Maybe they should keep their online magazine, and perhaps its popularity wil boost, and then try again reentering into the mean world of mags. Either way, online info would still be cool to have in the least. Ah well…another one bites the dust.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have NEVER subscribed to any magazine EVER! And I just subscribed to SHOP etc. 2 weeks ago after randomnly picking it somewhere and got my first magazine from them today, and now it will be gone? What? Why? WHY? WHY? I think I’m gonna go cry now……
I too am sad to see Shop Etc. go, I liked it a lot better that Lucky, because they featured more affordable things than lucky did. I was so looking forward to the December issue, since that’s the busiest shopping time, I was practically running to my mailbox everyday in November to try Lucky again to see if they’ve improved at all since the last time I checked it out.
I finally had to get on line to find out what happened to SHOP ETC. Have been searching in stores for it for months when it dawned on me that it was not sold out everywhere! Can’t for the life of me figure out why more people did not see what a great mag it was. I am trying Lucky now as a replacement but it does not have the great tips and information about fit, fabrics and ways to save and still look great. A true loss.
Hello, has anybody got a compensantion of any kind? My subscription should last till July 07. I have not got anything instead of Shop,Etc?
Bummer, I really liked both Budget Living and Shop Etc. I bought both often. I agree with some other posters that Shop Etc. seemed geared to a more 30-something woman, which I thought was great (Oprah’s mag being just a tad too old sometimes and Lucky just too post-college and just too, well, size 2!)
Budget Living was great. It had a neat, hip almost grungy feel to it. It had everything, clothes, money, investing, household. I used to love their theme party on a budget layouts. I can’t believe this mag didn’t do well. I read somewhere it’s up for sale for all you wanna be publishers with trust funds!
Absolutely, Shop Etc. was a terrific magazine! Sad to see it go. I would actually buy Shop Etc. instead of Lucky.
Love the layouts, suggestions, tips that Shop Etc. had to offer. I hope this magazine comes back soon! If it ever will?
I’m four years behind in discovering that something as great as “Shop etc.” existed and I’m STILL sad! I attempt to reference Lucky, Marie Claire, etc., but it never fails that I’m left wanting to contact each publication and ask them exactly what freakin’ planet they’re living on! It’s a recession, and my husband and I both work hard for what we have and thanks be to God that we’re smart enough to not blow it on crap like that.