During the year, I use my father’s address as a convenient place to send the fruits of my online shopping expeditions. It’s kind of fun to see all the stuff piled up and waiting for me when I arrive in the summer, some of which I have forgotten about in the meantime so it’s a bit like opening presents to myself.
The downside of this system is that my name and his address get on a variety of mailing lists so that in addition to the goodies that have piled up, I have a substantial amount of junk mail to go through as well. You know how aggravating it is to get nothing but a bunch of junk mail when you check the mailbox at the end of the day? Multiply that times a year, minus Sundays. The amount I get could probably fill a mail tub. And unfortunately, I have to go through it all because I have no way of knowing if something that actually requires my attention might be hidden in the pile.
Because I’ve given to animal activist and environmental organizations in the past, my name is on all of the major lists of that variety now. On the upside, I usually get a couple of free calendars as a result, maybe a couple dozen note cards. But what is up with all the mailing labels? If I got one, maybe two sheets of mailing labels I’d likely be set for most of the year. I wouldn’t be able to use all of the labels that have currently accumulated if I sent five envelopes every day – especially since it isn’t technically my address anyway!
I must have gotten a dozen pre-approved offers for a gold American Express card as well. Why – because if I didn’t respond to the first eleven offers, the twelfth time is the charm? I took all of those offers and stuffed as many of their forms into their postage-paid reply envelopes with a note that said “remove me” and sent them all back. I wonder if they will finally take the hint? I could have called the toll-free 800 number listed on the bottom of their letter and requested to be removed, but the envelope stuffing was appealing in a more passive aggressive way.
I know that all of these places send out free labels, cards, and calendars in order to make you feel some obligation to send them money, and taken one envelope at a time here and there it probably works. Seeing a year’s worth piled up just makes it seem like such a waste. Wouldn’t their money be better spent in other ways? It seems particularly wasteful when it comes from organizations whose mission it is to preserve the environment.
I got a smattering of new organizations asking for money as well, and I admit that I’m considering sending one of them a small donation. Who can resist an appeal for guide-dogs? The only reason I’m hesitating is because I wonder who will send me solicitations next? It seems to get worse every year, and in this economy I might well be buried in an avalanche of junk mail next year.
