Newsstand Owners Think Cemusa Sucks Too

Guess what? That Spanish maker of "street furniture" that has defiled our city with their anonymous, ad-filled excuses for bus shelters and newsstands? You know, Cemusa? Not only are their products ugly, but they don't work so well.

The New York Post reports that the structures leak on the newspapers and magazines and that the locks are difficult to use. And Cemusa isn't keeping up with the complaints. Small wonder: they're in Spain! Also, after paying the City $1 billion for the rights to the newsstand and shelter franchise, I doubt the company was very interested in investing more money in quality structures.

You can bet this wouldn't have happened it newsstand owners were allowed to keep their old spaces. Since they owned them, they had a vested interest in keeping them safe and in good condition. Cemusa could care less if the newsstands actually stay open, as long as they can advertise on the side of them.

To top it off, Cemusa lies. They said in a written statement, "We will continue to inspect each newsstand on a daily basis." But none of the newsstand operators interviewed by The Post said Cemusa conducts daily inspections.

In other news, the first Cemusa public toilet was installed in Madison Park. I betcha it's closed up for repairs within three months. Newsstands don't require much smarts to build, but a toilet involves plumbing, meaning skill is involved.