Junk Mail

AD2011AD2011 Acolyte
edited February 2011 in Life
During the month of December I decided to conduct a little experiment in which I kept all the junk mail that I received at my residential post box.

I filled a old postage box I had lying around half full by the end of the experiment. I did this over Christmas for obvious reasons being people peddling their consumer wares hardcore before Christmas trying to secure your hard earned.

I have done this once before when I first moved to the place around 2 years ago but lost interest about writing about the findings.

I am currently on a break at work and do not have access to my findings, however I thought I might spark some conversation on this topic.

Firstly what do you think of junk mail? Do you read it or just toss it out? Does it ever alert you to new products or prices you didn't already know about? Do you know what your local laws are for this sort of advertising?

Here in NSW Australia if a 'No Junk Mail' sign is displayed it is against the law to put advertising material in that post box.

Fortunately most junk mail here is semi-useful in that it only comes out advertising weekly specials at supermarkets - I don't have ads hung from my door knob, or flyers put on my cars windscreen.

I do however think junk mail is going to become obsolete once the gap between the older generation and tech savvy persons has been bridged. I believe junk mail to be a waste of resources that are just utilisaed to sell crap, most of which just gets thrown out...and someone has to pay the price of disposing of it...these companies are basically littering up your mail box and filling your bins.

I also think these things drive up prices as there is a cost associated with creating and distributing them. I can imagine one day this medium of advertising will eventually (nearly) fade out with the use of mobile phones, tablet PCs and those new home phone deals with the mini PC attached...than you'll just have to put up with SPAM.

More info to come. Please discuss

Comments

  • MayberryMayberry Regular
    edited January 2011
    I usually skim the junk mail while I walk from the mailbox to where I put down the mail inside the house. Sometimes there's something that catches the eye, but more often than not, it goes immediately into the bin. That paper could be better used to make something like diapers.
  • edited January 2011
    Mayberry wrote: »
    I usually skim the junk mail while I walk from the mailbox to where I put down the mail inside the house. Sometimes there's something that catches the eye, but more often than not, it goes immediately into the bin. That paper could be better used to make something like diapers.

    Junk mail either goes to the trash, or it gets recycled. I've started amassing newspapers (which are growing ever rarer) for substrate when I get some fungal cultures. Anyways the best local deals for anything are never advertised.
  • edited January 2011
    Junk mail either goes to the trash, or it gets recycled. I've started amassing newspapers (which are growing ever rarer) for substrate when I get some fungal cultures. Anyways the best local deals for anything are never advertised.

    Newspapers....rarer?
    Just go find a newspaper machine at 6 AM, put 50 cents in, and take the whole stack.
  • dr rockerdr rocker Regular
    edited January 2011
    I keep it all for lighting fires with. I prefer stuff on plain paper, the shiny paper does not start fires so well.
  • EppillusEppillus Acolyte
    edited January 2011
    AD2011 wrote: »
    During the month of December I decided to conduct a little experiment in which I kept all the junk mail that I received at my residential post box.

    I filled a old postage box I had lying around half full by the end of the experiment. I did this over Christmas for obvious reasons being people peddling their consumer wares hardcore before Christmas trying to secure your hard earned.

    I have done this once before when I first moved to the place around 2 years ago but lost interest about writing about the findings.

    I am currently on a break at work and do not have access to my findings, however I thought I might spark some conversation on this topic.

    Firstly what do you think of junk mail? Do you read it or just toss it out? Does it ever alert you to new products or prices you didn't already know about? Do you know what your local laws are for this sort of advertising?

    Here in NSW Australia if a 'No Junk Mail' sign is displayed it is against the law to put advertising material in that post box.

    Fortunately most junk mail here is semi-useful in that it only comes out advertising weekly specials at supermarkets - I don't have ads hung from my door knob, or flyers put on my cars windscreen.

    I do however think junk mail is going to become obsolete once the gap between the older generation and tech savvy persons has been bridged. I believe junk mail to be a waste of resources that are just utilisaed to sell crap, most of which just gets thrown out...and someone has to pay the price of disposing of it...these companies are basically littering up your mail box and filling your bins.

    I also think these things drive up prices as there is a cost associated with creating and distributing them. I can imagine one day this medium of advertising will eventually (nearly) fade out with the use of mobile phones, tablet PCs and those new home phone deals with the mini PC attached...than you'll just have to put up with SPAM.

    More info to come. Please discuss

    Right on brother. Junk mail is an heinous environmental crime. Forget all these retarded monkeys riding around in their model T fords burning dead fish juice and jetting off to sunny slave states in glorified V2 flying bombs, JUNK MAIL IS THE REAL ENEMI.
  • AD2011AD2011 Acolyte
    edited January 2011
    Eppillus wrote: »
    Right on brother. Junk mail is an heinous environmental crime. Forget all these retarded monkeys riding around in their model T fords burning dead fish juice and jetting off to sunny slave states in glorified V2 flying bombs, JUNK MAIL IS THE REAL ENEMI.

    1. I can't stop idiots driving around in American piece of shit automobiles, I can however cease advertisement shit from clogging my mailbox and contributing to filling my recycling bin.

    2. Think how many monkeys drive around to distribute...the trees for pulp, moving the paper from the factory to the printer, from the printer to the distributors, and from them to households...not to mention the amount of power and resources used...including people's time.

    3. What do the junk mail advertise? Shit flown/shipped in from half way around the world made in these 'slave states' where their are no environmental standards and they can do whatever they like to make shit to fetch $2?

    4. Nice try.
  • StephenPBarrettStephenPBarrett Adviser
    edited January 2011
    I don't even check the mail. Anything important that might come to my mailbox is also sent to my inbox which I am notified about on my phone. My gf checks the mail though so there is a huge pile of junk and fliers on the counter.
  • bornkillerbornkiller Administrator In your girlfriends snatch
    edited February 2011
    Hate the shit. I usually throw it on the fucking road. :angry:
  • KatzenklavierKatzenklavier Regular
    edited February 2011
    I use it to light my fireplace.
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