US Army, Air Force Removes Sexy, Adult Magazines Playboy, Penthouse from Exchange Stores, No Longer Sells
Sexy and titillating magazines Playboy and Penthouse apparently no longer sell at US military exchanges, that's why the Army and Air Force branches of the US Department of Defense have decided to ditch them off from the newsstands.
In a statement, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service said it is permanently removing 891 magazines from its stock to gain necessary floor and shelf space for the replacement magazines, which happened to be more on electronics.
Officials said it is where the demand is currently high.
"The decision to no longer stock the material is a business decision driven by the time, money and energy required to facilitate buying habits, combined with decreasing demand," Army Lt. Col. Antwan C. Williams, AAFES public affairs chief, said.
Earlier, the Morality in Media, an American faith-based, non-profit organisation opposing pornography and indecency through public education and the application of the law, questioned the existence of such racy publications in the military's exchange stores. The group noted the 1996 Military Honor and Decency Act prohibits the sale or rental of sexually explicit material on Defense property. The Pentagon, however, maintained the popular nude magazines were not sexually explicit.
Apart from Playboy and Penthouse, others to be bumped off include American Curves as well as Tattoo, and other wholesome titles The Saturday Evening Post, SpongeBob Comics, and the Home Buyers Guide, among others.
Officials from AAFES had noted sales of adult sophisticate titles have declined 86 per cent since 1998. Free online nude and sexy porn apparently is to blame.
"According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, digital magazines continue to expand their presence in the industry," Army Lt. Col. Williams said. "Like their civilian counterparts, exchange shoppers' increased reliance on digital devices to access content virtually has resulted in a sustained decrease in demand for printed magazines."
Magazine sales "are on a sustained downward trajectory due to the proliferation of digital delivery," he added, "and the exchange, as a government entity, is operating in a fiscally constrained environment that requires it to shrink expenses while growing sales and earnings."
