The Ecphorizer

Business Manager's Notes
Tod Wicks

Issue #25 (September 1983)

--> YOUR LAST ISSUE!

That little sobriquet appeared on quite a number of subscribers' mailing labels last month, and quite a few took notice and renewed their subscriptions. While processing the renewals, I observed some quaint and odd things. I have summarized my findings below.

One was sent to one "T. Alphonse Wise-acre."

Even though the pink insert noted that my address was where to send the money, seven renewals wound up at George Towner's. Of these, one was sent with a contribution, one subsequently wrote me and asked if I'd yet received his renewal, while a third was a check for $20: Joanna and Dick Ahrens renewing their separate subs for two years each!

Three others also renewed for two years, one of whom, Rick Holmes, asking if such a thing were possible to do. Another, Tom Horti, demanded his rights as a subscriber to, "...subscribe for two years ...to foul up [my] bookkeeping and to keep nasty pink inserts and scurrilous label exclamation marks out of my copy of THE ECPHORIZER."

Eleven kind people sent back their address label, four of which were pasted to the pink inserts.

Speaking of the ubiquitous pink slips, 16 renewals came with the pinks enclosed. One of these pinks was sent to John Cumming. Two came with the Business Manager's address peeking through a window in the envelope: Joel Waldman cut his own window and pasted the pink behind it, while Harve Berger complained that our return address was too high to use with a window envelope and taped it so the address would show through! Mr. Berger, meet Mr. Waldman!

Two people sent theirs using a company envelope, and one was originally addressed to the Horseshoe Club in Las Vegas (Ray Adams).

While most sent theirs in the standard buff or light blue envelopes, Fran Bellet's arrived in a deep purple one, while Sandy Anderson scripted the address in bright colors.

Four people sent nice "thank yous," including Larry Bernard, who wrote, "Please renew my subscription to THE ECPHORIZER right away! I so thoroughly enjoy this fine magazine that I hide it from myself when I first get it so I can savor it slowly throughout the month. For various reasons, I have allowed my Mensa membership to lapse - but never THE ECPHORIZER!" Thanks, Larry.

That's called getting "double duty" from your stamp. Another set of double-duty renewals also sent changes of address. In fact, Caroline Simon, who did this, also sent her whole envelope along unsealed. I trust that the only things she put in it were her pink slip and address change. Where's your cash Caroline? (Relax, it came, too!)

Scrooge Jim Katic saved a stamp and sent his through the company mail at Rolm Corporation, and one renewal from out of state also enclosed a Piggly Wiggly grocery tag for $37.80! Thank you one and all for continued support of our magazine! 


Tod Wicks keeps track of all subscribers and their renewal dates on a floppy disk that he inserts monthly into his Apple computer.  He apologizes for any controversy associated with exclamation points on the mailing labels, saying, "It's a fact of periodical distribution life..."

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