It was okay when we first moved - no one knew we we here. The first Christmas was a breeze.
But in late September, it started. Linen Source. LampsPlus. Horchows. Catalogs for pets we never owned, kids we did not have, feet that did not particularly hurt. Hammacher Schlemmer. Lillian Vernon. Williams Sonoma. Catalogs for curtains, pillows and windowshades; rugs, furniture, garden tools; jewelry, King Tut busts, personalized pencils. Baseball cards mounted in expensive frames. Lifesize stuffed animals for the den. Hundreds of plastic insects for $1.99. Sofa cushions for $200. Catalogs selling tomatoes, garage floor cleaner, and little ledges to put your foot on when you shave your legs. I wrenched a shoulder more than once getting my mail to the trash bins.
And then - Catalog Choice. It’s a free service that lets you opt-out of unwanted catalogs, and keep getting the ones you like (personally, I like Signals, Femail Creations and Victorian Trading Company. Chico’s, not so much).
It not only simplifies your life, but it helps save trees and the environment. Businesses benefit by saving on marketing costs and only mailing to those interested in hearing from them. From their website:
Catalog Choice is a sponsored project of the Ecology Center. It is endorsed by the National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Resources Defense Council, and funded by the Overbrook Foundation, the Merck Family Fund, and the Kendeda Fund.
The mission of Catalog Choice is to reduce the number of repeat and unsolicited catalog mailings, and to promote the adoption of sustainable industry best practices. We aim to accomplish this by freely providing the Catalog Choice services to both consumers and businesses. Consumers can indicate which catalogs they no longer wish to receive, and businesses can receive a list of consumers no longer wanting to receive their catalogs.
The Catalog Choice community is presently 356,732 persons strong, having already opted out of 4,515,718 catalogs. Be patient with some wobbly bits - they’re still in beta, and every now and again a page will stick - just refresh and try again.
Join the Catalog Choice revolution, and take back your mailbox!