Newsagent
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A newsagent (British English), newsagency (Australian English) or newsstand (American English), is often a small business that sells newspapers, magazines, stationery, snacks and often items of local interest such as postcards and clothing emblazoned with sports team mascots. Newsstands typically operate in well-trafficked public places like city streets, train stations and airports. Racks for newspapers and magazines can also be found in convenience stores, bookstores and supermarkets.
The physical establishment can be either freestanding or part of a larger structure (e.g. a shopping mall or a railway station). On street corners in New York City, for instance, they are shacks constructed of steel beams and aluminum siding or roofing tin; and require a city permit to build and operate. Other New York newsstands are located inside hotels and office buildings and beneath street level in underground concourses or on subway platforms. During the 1990s, newsstands on some subway platforms were removed and then reopened in modular units designed to fit into the triangular spaces beneath subway staircases.
In recent decades, the most heavily trafficked newsstand in the world was reported to be Nini's Corner at Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At one time, the world's largest freestanding exterior newsstand was operated by Simon Weingarden (1881-1981) at the corner of Michigan and Woodward avenues in Detroit.
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[edit] Australia
In Australia, a newsagent is the manager, often the owner, of a newsagency. Newsagents conduct either a retail business and/or a distribution business. Retail newsagencies primarily offer a comprehensive range of newspapers and magazines as well as stationary and greeting cards. Distribution newsagencies primarily offer home delivery of a comprehensive range of newspapers and magazines.
In Australia, this entity can be quite large and sophisticated businesses. If authorised, it is fully computerized which is a requirement from the Australian Consumer Affairs and usually has a territory, protected by contracts with most of the Australian Newsagents' Federation recognised publishers/distributors. These recognized publishers/distributors include ACP Publishing, News Limited, Fairfax Publications, NDD, Gordon and Gotch, Rural Press, The West Australian and Australian Provincial Newspapers. These monopolies have been a major source of contention between newsagents and the Australian Consumer Affairs.
[edit] Japan
Some newsagents in Japan only sell Japanese newspapers, in some farplaces they sell large amounts of food, drink, newspapers, and many others.
Recently the Japanese government want to place MSX gaming machines in all of the newsagents of Japan. They will include playing games on the machine, they say it will be released in May 2008. Notable video games include Eggy and Aleste.[1]
