Meijer petition

City Pulse launches drive to help keep the weekly newspaper in stores

Posted

Friday, Feb. 17 — City Pulse has posted an online petition seeking to change Meijer’s decision to ban all free publications in its stores beginning March 1.

To sign up, go to http://www.change.org/petitions/meijer-remove-the-ban-on-free-publications-at-meijer-stores?share_id=DXvLYXRSZQ&

Meijer spokeswoman Stacie Behler said Thursday that it is ending free publications because it is unhappy with their appearance. (See http://www.lansingcitypulse.com/lansing/article-7010-free-pubs-at-meijer.html)

“While we hope Meijer will see the light on this matter before March 1, we expect distribution to Meijer will at least be interrupted after the Feb. 22 issue,” City Pulse editor and publisher Berl Schwartz said today. “While letting Meijer know your feelings may not pay off immediately, it could be instrumental in making our case for an eventual resumption.”

Meanwhile, Meijer customers and public officials are reacting to the decision.

“By having these racks at the various Lansing stores, Meijer performs an important public service function greatly appreciated by its shoppers,” Claude R. and Louise Beavers of Lansing said in an e-mail today to Behler, vice president for public affairs (stacie.behler@meijer.com).

Ingham County Treasurer Eric Schertzing wrote Behler earlier this week: “The availability of information in your vestibules has been a value to me personally and in my public role as Ingham County Treasurer and Ingham County Land Bank Chair.

“Grocery shopping is something that everyone does throughout the year. Meijer has been a dependable location to pick up various home and community publications. … This is a valuable community service. … The information is especially valuable to lower income households where internet access is a struggle.”

Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope wrote Meijer last week urging Meijer to reconsider.

Lansing City Council President Brian Jeffries has submitted a resolution for a vote Monday night that “strongly encourages” Meijer to change its policy in order to “promote the public notification process.”

City Pulse carries virtually all public notices for the cities of Lansing and East Lansing and many of them for Ingham County government.

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