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Junk Mail should be outlawed

TrueSloth

TrueSloth

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,065
I feel like all I ever get is junk mail and it's such a waste of paper. In my apartment complex the recycling bin is always full of coupons, marketing letters, credit card offers and more. I can see the appeal of coupons, but everything else is trash. Does anyone actually like receiveing these?
 
dark_prinny

dark_prinny

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
5,374
I don't like it, but it doesn't bother me all that much lol
 
OP
OP
TrueSloth

TrueSloth

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,065
dark_prinny said:
I don't like it, but it doesn't bother me all that much lol
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I wouldn't mind if it wasn't such a huge waste of paper. I talked to our mailman about it and he hates how much he delivers junk mail for that very reason.

sangreal said:
I mean, you can opt out of the credit card offers (and the other offers that came from that list) if you really want to

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Yeah, I started the process right before I made this thread. I have to print something out and mail it now.
 
Herne

Herne

Member
Dec 10, 2017
5,311
My flatmate stuck a "No soliciting" notice on the door once, and I was highly skeptical that it would actually work, but to my surprise it did. We never got junk mail again. Maybe there are strict laws about it here in Ireland, I dunno. I imagined someone going all the way up the steps to our door only to see that message would still deliver it out of spite, but they never did.
 
Walter White Walker

Walter White Walker

Member
Oct 27, 2017
21,512
I've noticed it's really slowed down for me in recent years. I get a few grocery store weekly sales fliers on Tuesdays, that Penny Mailer thing (whatever it's called, the envelope filled with coupons) and not too much else.
 
Wingfan19

Wingfan19

Layout Designer
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
9,752
Bothell WA
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?oe?oe

?oe?oe

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
613
Put a "No Junk Mail" sign on your mailbox and it will eliminate most of them. Some will still put their shit in though. You still get stuff like council and local government junk, but they are technically exempt from the bar, at least in Australia.
 

Deleted member 2802

Community Resetter
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
33,729
?oe?oe said:
Put a "No Junk Mail" sign on your mailbox and it will eliminate most of them. Some will still put their shit in though. You still get stuff like council and local government junk, but they are technically exempt from the bar, at least in Australia.
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Same in Canada. You just leave a note to the postie to remove from junk mail list and you don't get any more.
 
Zutroy

Zutroy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,591
I do feel there should at least be a law that unsolicited mail has to be 100% recyclable.
 
Psamtik

Psamtik

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,841
Contact your post office. It'll never be 100% effective, but the carrier should be able to add a no-third-class-mail note to your address. We discard unwanted and undeliverable bulk mailings all the time.
 
Ogodei

Ogodei

One Winged Slayer
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
10,256
Coruscant
In the US it's partly due to the postal workers union, so you get a double whammy of lobbying from the businesses that trade in junk mail plus one of the larger public sector unions in the country.
 
saenima

saenima

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
11,892
Herne said:
My flatmate stuck a "No soliciting" notice on the door once, and I was highly skeptical that it would actually work, but to my surprise it did. We never got junk mail again. Maybe there are strict laws about it here in Ireland, I dunno. I imagined someone going all the way up the steps to our door only to see that message would still deliver it out of spite, but they never did.
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I once went to some training for a junk mail delivery job and the guy doing it was very specific that yes, there are laws in the UK regarding it. And ignoring them can get the distribution company in trouble. So my best advice for anyone, in the UK at least, is to get one of those stickers and put it on your door. You'll be left alone. I don't know if this is exclusive to the UK or if it's a EU thing.
 
SmokeMaxX

SmokeMaxX

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,336
I think it helps keep the USPS in business, so I'm at least supportive of that. Most mail goes straight in my recycling without even being opened though.
 
Truckondo

Truckondo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,290
Garden Grove, CA
what I find highly annoying is the fact that companies use thick cardboard so it will jam paper shredders. It's sad how much wasted resources go into the whole junk mail scheme.
 
Border

Border

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,859
It keeps the US Post Office in business, so you pretty much have to accept it. The goal of the post office is somewhat noble -- they want to provide affordable daily mail to every single US residence, no matter how remote they may be. Think about what that means -- they have to send someone out to every home in the country. Even if there's 20 houses at the very end of a dusty old country road that is 65 miles from the main office, they will go there six times a week. Services like UPS and FedEx can just blacklist any residence or route that they don't think is profitable. The cost of USPS's frequent and diligent delivery is that they have to service the needs of any advertiser they can court, unfortunately.
 
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subpar spatula

subpar spatula

Refuses to Wash his Ass
Member
Oct 26, 2017
22,080
SugarNoodles said:
That's not really a fair assessment. If the cost of sending it out is low enough, they're going to do it on the off chance that it helps.

Also just because something is generating profit doesnt mean it's acceptable.
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They actually don't send it out if there's not a net benefit to it. One of my earlier jobs in life was at a list sales company. The people sending ads and shit actually get a return cause they spend money on lists, copy writing, printing, graphics, etc. Even the non-profits found a way to find a benefit from it. It isn't exactly cheap to do direct mail.

"Acceptable"? Because what? The nuisance of recycling (not garbage binning) paper?

Border said:
It keeps the US Post Office in business, so you pretty much have to accept it. The goal of the post office is somewhat noble -- they want to provide affordable daily mail to every single US residence, no matter how remote they may be. Think about what that means -- they have to send someone out to every home in the country. Even if there's 20 houses at the very end of a dusty old country road that is 65 miles from the main office, they will go there six times a week. Services like UPS and FedEx can just blacklist any residence or route that they don't think is profitable. The cost of USPS's frequent and diligent delivery is that they have to service the needs of any advertiser they can court, unfortunately.
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Like Canada, I assume the USP is offering deals to companies for the direct mail, and like Canada, I assume letter mail is actually down in the United States year over year. Their parcels are probably up a few %, though. UPS and FedEx generally contract through national mail services or much larger connected services DHL that can go way remote, so they aren't likely to never ship out to remote areas within their country, it'll just cost more.
 
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SugarNoodles

SugarNoodles

Member
Nov 3, 2017
8,625
Portland, OR
subpar spatula said:
They actually don't send it out if there's not a net benefit to it. One of my earlier jobs in life was at a list sales company. The people sending ads and shit actually get a return cause they spend money on lists, copy writing, printing, graphics, etc. Even the non-profits found a way to find a benefit from it. It isn't exactly cheap to do direct mail.
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The people taking out ads arent the ones worrying about how much paper is being sent to the resident that lived at 123 Main Street 3 years ago. And the company mailing it out certainly doesnt give a fuck that Joe Somebody hasnt received the magazine addressed to them during those years.


"Acceptable"? Because what? The nuisance of recycling (not garbage binning) paper?
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Recycling isnt magic. It's not a net zero waste system.
 
subpar spatula

subpar spatula

Refuses to Wash his Ass
Member
Oct 26, 2017
22,080
SugarNoodles said:
The people taking out ads arent the ones worrying about how much paper is being sent to the resident that lived at 123 Main Street 3 years ago. And the company mailing it out certainly doesnt give a fuck that Joe Somebody hasnt received the magazine addressed to them during those years.



Recycling isnt magic. It's not a net zero waste system.
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You may as well be against all forms of mail. You aren't making a convincing argument besides, "There is harm". That's basically everything in a consumer society. It can still be recycled regardless if it's not a net benefit.

Polymerization said:
Direct mail has a pretty low hit rate, but it's still worth the off chance that somebody looks at your real estate ad and goes "hey maybe I do want to sell my house!"
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A low hit rate means nothing when direct mail gets $$$ from people, it's why those scams were so effective. 100 seniors in Florida pay for a mailing campaign. A car dealership sending out servicing notices / vehicle upgrades make a lot if it's personalized.
 
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SugarNoodles

SugarNoodles

Member
Nov 3, 2017
8,625
Portland, OR
subpar spatula said:
You may as well be against all forms of mail. You aren't making a convincing argument besides, "There is harm". That's basically everything in a consumer society. It can still be recycled regardless if it's not a net benefit.
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The fuck? I'm saying using mail for unsolicited advertising is bad, particularly when you consider the percentage of mail that junk mail accounts for.

There is a fundamental difference between correspondence and advertising.
 
subpar spatula

subpar spatula

Refuses to Wash his Ass
Member
Oct 26, 2017
22,080
SugarNoodles said:
The fuck? I'm saying using mail for unsolicited advertising is bad, particularly when you consider the percentage of mail that junk mail accounts for.

There is a fundamental difference between correspondence and advertising.
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There really isn't since pretty much all of correspondence can be done online.
 
Border

Border

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,859
subpar spatula said:
Like Canada, I assume the USP is offering deals to companies for the direct mail, and like Canada, I assume letter mail is actually down in the United States year over year. Their parcels are probably up a few %, though. UPS and FedEx generally contract through national mail services or much larger connected services DHL that can go way remote, so they aren't likely to never ship out to remote areas within their country, it'll just cost more.
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Reduced letter mail is actually bad for the USPO, since they still have to deliver 6 days a week to all homes with less revenue coming in from stamps and direct mail. Nobody is really getting denied parcel delivery though -- when UPS gets a package for an address they don't want to service, they just sub-contract the delivery out to the US Post Office. Which means UPS gets to bolster their profits on the back of USPS.
 
Grizzel Greedigut

Grizzel Greedigut

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,433
Illinois
The mailpersons that deliver to my.m building literally drop piles of junk mail on the floor under the mailboxes.

Fun fact, i used to run a 21 color press that just made junk mailers. Sorry!
 
skeezx

skeezx

Member
Oct 27, 2017
20,120
management at my current complex instructs postal guys not to "deliver" the newspaper like ads/coupons

it's nice. i've lived in places where if you don't check the mail in like two days they'll just keep cramming shit in there and toss everything when it's full
 
JadeGiveTwoRides

JadeGiveTwoRides

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
767
saenima said:
I once went to some training for a junk mail delivery job and the guy doing it was very specific that yes, there are laws in the UK regarding it. And ignoring them can get the distribution company in trouble. So my best advice for anyone, in the UK at least, is to get one of those stickers and put it on your door. You'll be left alone. I don't know if this is exclusive to the UK or if it's a EU thing.
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That depends on who is delivering it. Stuff that comes with your normal post won't be stopped by a sticker.
 
Krakatoa

Krakatoa

Prophet of Regret
Member
Oct 29, 2017
3,091
Mark it return to sender.

I'm with the op it's a waste and there should be an option to out out.
 
Cantaim

Cantaim

Member
Oct 25, 2017
33,308
The Stussining
Junk mail can get ass fucked and should be shuttered as far as I'm conserved. For a few years during my teens I had to handle the mail my grandparents received. The junk mail they would get always disgusted me. they'd get dozens of junk mail ads every week telling them about this "new scientific breakthrough" that will give them back their hearing, hair, or youth for just a couple hundred bucks. It was cruel and beyond manipulative. Oh and don't even get me started on the political junk mail.
 
Futureman

Futureman

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,400
A lot of this stuff comes from legit companies that you can contact and remove your address. Whenever I bought my house I must have contacted 15 places to remove me address from their mailers.
 
jelly

jelly

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
33,841
I don't really get many at all, just some local takeaway and charities which is fine.

I despise email junk mail though, even though a lot goes straight to junk it's just there if you know what I mean and it does reach the inbox too often. You eventually get so much you might as well nuke your account, filters be damned, they only help so much.
 
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Nude_Tayne

Nude_Tayne

Member
Jan 8, 2018
3,666
earth
It fucking pisses me off. I live in an apartment and my mail box is extremely tiny. Just a few days without checking my mail and my box can be stuffed full of ads that are going right in the bin.

I'm also convinced that over the years a few important pieces of mail have been thrown out with my junk mail, so now I have to spend the time to soft through all 35 pages or grocery ads to make sure nothing is tucked away in there.
 
Thunder11

Thunder11

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,951
It's horrible. And it's so excessive that actual important tax documents and bills can get lost in the garbage lol
 
Caldain

Caldain

Member
Oct 27, 2017
40
New England
Having worked in the Direct Mail industry, I hear that a lot. My father was a mail carrier for 40 years and hated it with a passion. That being said, it's a multi billion dollar industry that affects the United States Post Office and the myriad of trucking companies and brokers that move the freight. Junk Mail isn't going away any time soon. Outlawing it would have such a disastrous affect on the economy and I'd be out of a job lol.

For the longest time, Direct Mail thrived through the newspaper but more and more, companies are focusing on Mail and to a smaller extent, Digital. The amount of data that is out there in regards to demographics and household is Big Brother scary to say nothing of the new technologies they're working on. In the distant future, it'll be replaced entirely with digital ad programs but until then, you're kind of stuck with it.
 
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