Consumer Reports available on the Internet

You’re buying a microwave, and you want to get the best possible value for your money. A trip to the local library, and two hours later you’ve found that the issue of Consumer Reports magazine that covered microwaves is "lost". You go out and buy the cheapest model, and spend the next decade eating burnt popcorn. Consumer Reports magazine now has an online version which should make research on any major purchase a lot easier. The magazine, which currently has 4.6 million print subscribers (and accepts no advertising) is selling its valuable information online at the same price as a news stand issue.

Not surprisingly, Consumer Reports‘ current subscriber base has a high proportion of online users. The addition of searchable data bases on a website should make the non-profit Consumers Union even more popular with savvy consumers. For the price of a subscription, online viewers will get the current month’s content and (the best part) all reports and test results published during the previous 24 months. Free material, including lists of product recalls and safety defects, will be provided to promote subscriptions.