A shopper is a local newspaper-format periodical that carries advertising and is circulated free of charge to the general public. This document compares the impact of the free shopper with that of the major daily subscription papers among suburban residents. For the study, a sample region was selected from the Long Beach and Orange County area of California, and a survey was administered randomly to one resident on each block of the designated region. The shopper newspaper was evaluated according to the following norms: effectiveness as an advertising medium and as a source of news content; use by those not subscribing to a daily news source; value according to mileage from newspaper location; impact on lower income residents; and distinctions between home delivered free newpapers and those available in retail stores. The survey results reveal that, although suburban residents read and use the shoppers, free distribution newspapers are not replacing paid circulation papers in providing local news or advertising. (MAI)