'The free 50p paper.' blog discussion 21 August 2009 at 11:27AM in Martin's blogs & appearances & MoneySavingExpert in the news 11 replies 2.8K views

Former_MSE_Lawrence

This is the discussion to link on the back of Martin's blog. Please read the blog first, as this discussion follows it.

Read Martin's "The free 50p paper" Blog.

Click reply to discuss below.

Ian182

They have been giving the Evening Standard out for free late evenings for the last couple of months (or for 10p at stations).

The ES has been on it's last legs for a while. Who would buy it for 50p when they can get a free paper?

It's sister paper the Lite will close in the next month or two and the ES will go free. You heard it here first.

digp

The ES is tat.

irrelevant

This is new to you? They did such occasional promotions when I worked in London 23 years ago! (As did 'Today' - remember them?) Back up here in the wild wild north, the M.E.N. is often given away free too, in the city centre at least, despite it's equally silly pricing if you want a copy further afield.. Me? I just read it for free on the website..

gallygirl

Uni students have also been able to get the ES free for a few months, as well as copies on the street after 9pm (think it's after 9, late on anyway), this wasn't just a one-off.

Not like you to miss out on a free paper for a few months Martin :rotfl:

MSE_Martin

gallygirl wrote: »

Uni students have also been able to get the ES free for a few months, as well as copies on the street after 9pm (think it's after 9, late on anyway), this wasn't just a one-off.

Not like you to miss out on a free paper for a few months Martin :rotfl:

I don't like to go out that often - think of the cost of transport

I_luv_cats

You can get xtra deals now and again, sometimes at limited locations.

I got a couple of free golf umbrellas and went to Odeon cinemas free for a week.

They have given out drinks and other stuff.

MothballsWallet

I don't bother with a printed paper, except for the local free ones put through my door every Thursday (which are carp because they often cover stories that were on the local news about 2 weeks ago), or Metro by email.

avinabacca

I always think the Metro's really useful when one of the neighbourhood cats has left a turd in the flowerbed......

jezza2412

Ian182 wrote: »

They have been giving the Evening Standard out for free late evenings for the last couple of months (or for 10p at stations).

The ES has been on it's last legs for a while. Who would buy it for 50p when they can get a free paper?

It's sister paper the Lite will close in the next month or two and the ES will go free. You heard it here first.

Just as, in the late 80's, Associated Newspapers briefly revived the defunct Evening News with the sole intention of killing off Robert Maxwell's London Daily News, London Lite was similarly launched to pre-empt and kill off TheLondonPaper. Now that that's succeeded too, as sure as night follows day, London Lite will be scrapped. But I'd be very surprised if the Standard became free now that it once again holds the monopoly in London...

camaj

Just to back others up, a few months back I was in central London late in the evening, about 10pm, and got handed a free copy of the ES to my surprise. My guess is it's better for them to give unsold copies away for free than bin them.