Lately, I’ve been getting these random ghost subscriptions in the mail; subscriptions to magazines I’ve never signed up for. At first, I was alarmed. Had I purchased these subscriptions in my sleep? If not, how did they get my name and address? Am I on some sort of potential subscriber list somewhere? I must be.
In one of my new magazines there was a postcard stuffed into the binding. It said, “congrats on your new subscription.” New subscription?! I didn’t order any new subscription, but there it was. I needed to solve this mystery and quick. So did I call the magazine like a normal person and ask them where the subscription came from?! Of course not! I decided to send a text message to all my friends and family asking if they sent me a magazine gift subscription. They didn’t.
I think these ghost subscriptions were a spin-off of a subscription I already had. So, let’s say I subscribed to a Condé Nast pub and they were interested in attaining new subscribers for one of their other glossies. All they’d have to do is send out a sample mag and put the subscription info inside. Sort of like, check this out and if you like it, buy it for a full year. And the thing is, I didn’t get one magazine, but two! I know, lucky me!
I started to think this was pretty cool, like a gift from the gods or something, but then I started to inspect the magazines. One of the subscriptions was to US Weekly and the other to Lucky magazine. Now, what about those magazines says that a gal like me would like them? I mean, sure I’m a woman, but does that mean that I like to read gossip and fashion mags? Heck yeah, it does! But do I like to read other things too? Why yes, yes I do. So if you’re reading magazine publishers, I’d also like a ghost subscription to The New Yorker or Bust, Make, or Dwell. Hint, hint, nudge, nudge. Come on magazine gods, don’t let me down now.
