Dr. Mercola November 06 2007 50,112 views
Everyday when you open your mailbox, a cascade of junk mail -- from credit card offers to catalogs -- likely comes tumbling out. Not only is sorting through all of this unwanted mail a waste of your time, but it can increase your stress levels because, quite simply, it’s frustrating to receive a bunch of mail you didn’t ask for. Anything you can do to keep your life more simple, and less cluttered, is a positive thing in my opinion, which is why I wanted to share Catalog Choice with you.Catalog Choice is a free online service that lets you decline paper catalogs that you no longer wish to receive.You have to fill out an online registration, choose which catalogs you want to opt-out of, and then Catalog Choice will contact the companies to request that your name be removed from their mailing lists.Over 8 million tons of trees are consumed each year in the production of paper catalogs -- and the manufacturing, distribution, collection, and disposal of catalogs generates global warming gases as well as air and water pollution. So by opting out of catalogs you don’t want anyway, you’re easily helping the environment.If you’d like to simplify your life even further, you can review the Related Links below to see past articles I’ve posted on how to eliminate junk e-mails (spam) and telemarketing calls.
If you choose to provide personally identifiable information about yourself, we will use the information to remove you from specific catalog lists. Catalog Choice’s website asks for specific information about you so that opt-out forms can be generated for you. This information is completely optional, it is not archived anywhere in our systems. We are designed to help you curb harassing, unsolicit
I have a great way to slow the tide of credit card offers. I always write "NO THANKS" in big letters on the application and then stuff their postage prepaid envelope full of their paperwork, the evelope their offer came in, along with as much of the other junk mail I've received that day into their envelope, seal it up and send it back to them. They pay by WEIGHT for their return mail. When they get my rejections that can weigh several ounces (or more), they take my name of their mailing list. It made a dramatic difference in how many of these offers I get in the mail. Hopefully, they recycle their trash so I don't have to worry about recycling all that junk mail at my house! Hope this works for you too!
Moving without a forwarding address is one way to get off lists, but it's not feasible for most people.
Before I moved, I found it impossible to get Guitar Center to stop sending me mailings. I asked at stores, I called their customer service, and I called their headquarters. This went on for a couple of years. They would say that either I wasn't on their list or they would take me off, and it never happened. I told them I would never shop there again if they didn't remove me. So now I won't ever buy from them, and I encourage my other musician compadres to do the same. I've been lucky to be able to find small businesses who are able to be competitive. Sometimes they have a pro discount.
So even with boycott threats, these companies don't care about the massive amounts of paper that is being wasted on their mailings. Bulk mail is one of the things I hate the most. I'll only give anonymously to environmental organizations because I don't want to get all their junk and renewal notices. Even environmental organizations! How crazy is that?