Years ago, I put a “no flyers/junk mail” sticker on my mailbox because I no longer wanted to receive wasteful ad mail that I often tossed directly into the recycling bin. It has, thus far, worked wonderfully.
Today, however, I received a letter from Canada Post suggesting that I consider removing that notice from my mailbox. . . .
“Dear occupant,” the letter reads, “Your address is part of Canada Post’s Consumers’ Choice database as a result of having a ‘no flyer’ notice on your mailbox. This means you are currently not receiving unaddressed mail delivered by Canada Post. . . . [You bet!] We would like to make it easy for you to receive this important mail that includes information and offers that could benefit you and your family. [Huh?]“
The letter goes on to inform me that by choosing not to receive unaddressed mail, I am missing out on “important” monetary savings, community connections and product samples. It then suggests that I opt back in to junk mail delivery by 1) returning an enclosed postage paid card (printed on sustainable paper, no less) and 2) removing the “no flyers” notice from my mailbox. Both suggestions are printed in boldface text, and the latter item is prefaced with the word “IMPORTANT“. If I follow these two easy steps, I’ll begin receiving junk mail again in just a few weeks.
Well, I’ll be. What is Canada Post thinking? In an era where companies are cutting paper and saving money by turning to e-billing, online advertising and the like, here is Canada Post trying to encourage folks to resume the delivery of excess, wasteful paper products to their homes! It boggles my mind. I understand that Canada Post deals in the paper-mail trade, and that the corporation is facing financial difficulties, but launching a campaign intended to get people to embrace junk mail seems both desperate and markedly out of touch with the times.
So, Canada Post, I will be leaving my “no flyers” sticker on my mailbox. I realize, as you point out, that “most unaddressed mail . . . [is] printed on sustainable papers and can all be recycled.”
The point is, I don’t want to receive these unnecessary materials in the first place.
I got one of those letters too, and I also plan to leave my “no flyer” sign in my mailbox. I might even freshen it up (after several years, it’s getting a bit worn), just to re-iterate my decision. In fact, I was thinking about printing up some flyers to distribute to neighbours to encourage them to opt out of junk mail as well. The 1-page flyer would include a little sign that they could simply cut out and tape in their mailbox. And maybe they’ll tell their friends…
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