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What to do about unwanted mail?

Are you as perturbed about junk mail as me? It seems that's all I get any more in the mail. I would even include it as another one of those pet peeves of mine.

I especially hate it when my credit card companies sends me checks to use instead of my credit card, which I have to waste time shredding. And what's the point of that anyways? The reason I have a credit card is so I don't have to use checks.

Well, if you are as aggravated as me about junk mail, then have I got a plan. It's actually not my plan. I got it from a friend, but that doesn't make it any less of a good idea.

Now, whenever I get an offer for something in the mail, instead of throwing it directly in the trash, I take any documents which don't contain my name, and return them to that company in the prepaid envelope.

[note]Obviously this won't work if there's not a prepaid envelope included. I'm not about to waste any money doing this, but it seems quite a bit of junk mail does include a prepaid envelope.[/note]

While this approach likely won't end junk mail, hopefully it will create enough extra work for the companies, and make their dealing with it as annoying as it is for me having to deal with their unwanted junk.

Plus, if I can get a movement going here, maybe we can finally eliminate junk mail.

And when you really think about it, why do we even need mail delivery. If it meant eliminating all the unwanted mail, I'd be all for getting rid of daily mail delivery. I can't think of anything that can't be paid online, or received via email or by UPS, Fedex etc. And think how much money our cities, counties and states could saved if they stopped sending billing notifications through the mail, and used e-mail instead.

Comments

Alan posner said…
A variation is to take junk mail received from one company and put it into the envelope of another company. And vice versa.
Marc said…
I guess the point is just to be sure to send them something, even if it's just a blank envelope. Something that will create extra work for them, and make it not profitable, or at the very least less profitable.
Gerry said…
The USPS would go out of business if it wasn't for junk mail. I asked our mailman to just keep it rather than deliver, he said then he would be out of a job....
Marc said…
Then do your mailman a favor. Send the mail back.
Becky said…
You are starting to sound like one of Andy Rooney's rants! If the can't send it to you via snail mail they will just bog down your e-mail. I saw where a man has quit his job and is making decent dough suing companies who want to sell him liposuction and Viagra. Genius!
Marc said…
I wish I had thought of that. Suing companies that is.

And at least with email, I can filter out 95% of the junk, or I can simply change my email. I already have a couple of other email addresses I use when I'm not sure of the site, and don't want junk.

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