I might be a little late to the party in noticing this, but some of the magazines I subscribe to have two separate covers, each month.  Have you noticed this?  TWO covers.  Apparently, one is for the newsstand, and the other is for subscriptions.

Frankly, may I be frank?  Frankly, I feel cheated.  The subscription cover is never quite as sparkly and exciting as the newsstand cover, and I often feel like the magazine I'm looking at is unfinished.  Like it's the dress rehearsal for the issue.  When I pick up my mail, and see my shiny copy of In Style, or Harper's Bazaar, I become slightly giddy.  Glossy pages of clothing and shoes (or Tunics and Trousers and Booties, OH MY)!  But then, I see the newsstand copy, and sputter things like "bbbbut - THAT'S not mine!"  Or "I want THAT one!"

(Ed. note:  sputtering may, or may not, be done out loud)

I also wonder if the double-cover is not just a crafty, yet slightly unethical marketing ploy, to entice readers to buy the newsstand copy, when they already have the subscription copy.  The covers are different, so maybe it's a different issue?

But is it a different issue?

Noooooooooooooo. 

And the subscription cover never has any of the kitchy little blurbs, or, what I like to call Magazine Flair.

Case in point:

"New Bags & Shoes"!  "Best Beauty Buys"!  "Fabulous At Every Age"! Flair!

My copy? 

Miss Jennifer Lopez is not even facing me.  It's as if she's saying "Oh, pobrecitas - you do not deserve to view me full on.  For you?  Merely a profile". 

And "Spring Fashion".  That's it?  That's all I get?  We lowly subscribers do not even warrant the "What to Wear Now"?  How am I supposed to know what to do with all the "Spring Fashion"?   I won't know What to Wear, not to mention that I'm supposed to be wearing it NOW. 

I'm likely to be spotted, sashaying down the street, NOW, wearing SUMMER Fashion.  Or, even worse, I'll be skipping through the park, LATER, wearing SPRING Fashion.

It's all just an unthinkable recipe for disaster.