Ripped Globe Equals Free

Seems like I learn something new everyday about the strange functions of traditional media. Today, it was what happens to newspapers when they don't sell.

Just before 10pm tonight I stopped by a convenience store on my way home to pick up a copy of today's Globe and Mail. The guy behind the counter told me they'd just ripped them up. What he meant was that they tore the masthead off the front page so that they could prove the paper didn't sell.

It was unclear whether the stack of mastheads (and there was a big stack) was submitted for some sort of credit. But I guess it relegated the rest of the paper useless as they gladly handed it over to me for free. And who needs the Globe logo anyway? Especially when it was covering up such a juicy page three heading that claimed heavy net users (who us?) are light socializers.