In this age of e-statements, digital activity, and online correspondence, I expect very little to arrive via snail mail. And yet my mail is overflowing...with catalogs.
At first the catalogs were a slight annoyance. It was something like Smith and Noble automatically signing me up for a catalog after I ordered some window coverings online. I suppose they wanted to stay "top of mind" even though they clearly were top of mind before the catalogs started coming.
Then the catalogs started reproducing. Suddenly I was getting other catalogs, some of them really thick wholesale catalogs, for no apparent reason. It seemed the primary function of my mailbox was to be a temporary holding place for catalogs as they moved from mail carrier to recycling bin.
This has got to stop...but how?
You can't simply go online and unsubscribe. This fact, by the way, reveals the complete irresponsibility of companies--many claiming to care about reducing waste.
Two weeks ago, I received the Boudin catalog and become incensed. Why am I getting this?! No more suffering in silence. I tweeted:
Another catalog out of the mailbox and into the recycling bin. Boden, I didn't ask for it. Stop sending it to me! #wasteful
Then I went online to their customer service form and asked to be removed. (This made me nervous because I had to give my email address, which makes sense since they intend to respond, but the last thing I want is for this company to have even more ways to contact me.) I received a reply saying that they would comply, although it could take a few weeks. It's a drop in the bucket.
Yesterday, I tried it again. This time it was Fossil. Guess what? To submit their customer service form, you need to include an email address and a phone number! No way.
Today I learned that it is nearly impossible to stop receiving catalogs. I called Home Decorators Collection's customer service number and asked to stop receiving their catalog. Seemed simple enough. Then I asked if I could somehow end back up on the list, presumably the same way I ended up there to begin with. She said yes.
Using the Key # on the catalog, she acknowledged that Smith and Noble gave my address to them. And probably countless others. This is disgraceful. I buy something from Smith and Noble, and they turn around and sell me out.
And they may very well keep selling me out, even back to good ol' Home Decorators Collection. This is wrong.
I started this blog with the hope that others will join me to stop the madness. I don't hate all of these companies, but their actions are irresponsible and obnoxious. It has to stop.
If you're fed up like me, I urge you to:
- Refrain from buying anything from these catalogs. That only encourages them. I have publicly vowed to stop shopping at Smith and Noble.
- Stop being silent about these catalogs. Post your opinions on Facebook, Twitter, and other channels so that they companies know we're fed up.
- Help brainstorm and champion a more responsible way to deal with catalogs. The current system is broken, and asking the industry to police itself is unrealistic. I don't trust them. (Consider the Direct Marketing Association's DMAchoice website. Do you want to give them your information in order to opt out? Neither do I.)
If a champion is already out there, please let me know. Is it Catalog Choice? Read the write-ups and comments on BusinessWeek and TreeHugger, and then let me know your opinion or past experiences.
I think we need political and/or legal action to require companies to be more responsible.
