Update - Catalog Choice

Last November I wrote about a new group, CatalogChoice.org, a non-profit group dedciated to helping the environment by reducing the number of catalogs weighing down mail deliverers and our mailboxes. You go to CatalogChoice.org, register, and then find the names of the catalogs you don't want to receive. CatalogChoice contacts the company. You can log on any time to check the status of your requests.

To date I have submitted the names of 154 catalogs. Of the 154 names submitted, twenty-one companies have confirmed that they will no longer send me their catalogs. But 48 companies have not responded at all, even after repeated requests. And, most surprising to me, 7 companies have refused to take my name off their catalog mailing lists.

I have learned several things:

1. American businesses are wasteful. They send catalogs to people who have never bought anything from them and continue sending catalogs to people who have said they don't want them.

2. But American businesses make considerable money from selling their mailing lists to companies offering similar products. Thus, it is not to a company's advantage to remove names from their lists.

3. As much as I enjoy shopping online, I have decided to do as little as possible because I am only making my name available to be sold to as many companies as possible.

4. American businesses only think of short-term profit. They do not understand that their contempt for the consumer will lead to consumer contempt for them.

But CatalogChoice reports that 893,245 people have opted out of receiving 11,611,223 catalogs. Most encouraging is that 211 companies have joined CatalogChoice as companies that will cooperate in removing names from their mailing lists.

I think I'll restrict any online shopping to these companies.

TODAY'S WORD

Quanked: Overpowered by fatigue.

Quankness is the American way of life.