In my grand total of three months of field disservice in 1973, nothing was free with respect to literature. The WTBTS prices for end consumers were in general 125% of the prices charged to the hapless JW regular publishers at the literature desk.
A magazine cost a JW US$0.04 each and was resold for US$0.05. A "Truth" book cost US$0.40 and was sold for US$0.50. A hardback green NWT cost US$1.00 and sold door to door at $1.25 a copy. Pioneering JWs received their stock at about one fifth of the final price; that was one fourth the regular JW rate if I recall correctly.
Annual magazine subscriptions were fairly cheap and many JWs had them as often the subscription issue would arrive before the congregation distribution. But many were dropped when the elders received word from Brooklyn that the WTBTS was then losing money on mailing costs.
Oh, I forgot:
Up yours, Watchtower!
Proir to th Donation Arrangement
by concerbedbf 23 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Skimmer
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BCZAR2ME
Check any bound volume prior to '91 and notice the coupons on pg. 31 of each magazine.
bczar
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PopeOfEruke
When I was a kid I had a pet parrot who used to scream at people if they walked passed our house:
"WATCHTOWER AND AWAKE!!! TEN CENTS FOR TWO!!!"
That was a great bird! Lived to well over 20 years of age as well!
Pope
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MeneMene
A light bulb just went on. --- I had understood from active JWs (my father et al) that the subscriptions for WT & Awakes were stopped because of the "high cost of postage". ... I never questioned it - just believed what they said (duh). ... CLAM noted the California v. Swaggart decision was on 1-17-1990. ... OnTheWayOut provided a copy of the letter from WTS to BOE dated 2-9-1990. ... It looks to me like it wasn't the cost of mailing that stopped the subscriptions - it was the Swaggart decision & sales tax. ??? ... Randy Watters booklet "Thus Saith Jehovah's Witnesses" pages 126 - 128 shows copies of correspondence from WTS dated July 1990 and Feb 1995 showing they were still insisting on a certain amount and if you didn't send it in with your request you didn't get what you ordered. (Sorry for the spacing - I'm using an Apple and haven't figured out how to fix it.)