Please stop sending me junk mail. k, thanks

I spent 2 hours of my life today shredding junk mail and I nearly lost it.

I'm looking at you pre-qualifying credit bullsh*t offers. I cannot believe that a couple of weeks of mail has led me to not only waste my time shredding this bull but also the fact I have to go through everything to make sure I don't miss my actually important mail. And I finally had it. and wondered if there is a solution. There had to be. So there, I went to the internet and look at the first link: reddit and there, I found a well of knowledge

Before I get into it lets just talk about the Absurdity of Junk Mail

Why would I ever want any of this if I have all the information in the world at the tip of my

fingers? Sending me the exact same offer on a weekly basis is not going to change my mind. In fact, it pisses me off the more I see your brand-- why can't you be normal like every other company and make funny videos instead of killing a whole tree that I am going to throw into a landfill? It makes absolutely NO SENSE. Now I got blood on my hands. On average I get at least 2 envelopes of nonsense. If I wanted your shitty product then I would have gotten it a long time ago. And last thing, who are you and how did you get my information?

Every time I get junk mail

"Research"

My curiosity led me to wondering when this all started and I found a fun fact: direct mail has been around as early as 1000 B.C. Apparently there's evidence of it of it in the British museum. (I tried looking for the piece. Once I find it, I will include it here!) Plus, like any good marketer I love figuring out why a company engages in certain marketing tactics especially when it pertains to marketing and advertisement. So I wondered, does direct mail really work? It has to if they keep sending it but I just get belligerently annoyed with this stuff so I want to believe it doesn't work.

While it is still an effective method of marketing, it is direct mail is slowly coming to decline in effectiveness. But while it still works, it is still going to be a thing for many companies as it remains highly trackable and personalized. Which cool, (I guess?) but I was still left wondering how exactly did these companies acquire my data. Like I know nothing is private anymore but I'm allowed to be creeped out. Turns out, companies don’t just magically know where you live. Your data is collected in a bunch of ways: there are a such thing as data brokers that BUILD detailed profiles using information from public records, surveys and warranty cards you’ve filled out, and even magazine or newsletter subscriptions that get sold or rented. On top of all that, your online behavior gets linked back to your physical address!!! Web tracking tools can match your browsing to your home, abandoned carts can trigger mail to be sent to you, and apps or social media can track you across devices. Granted I knew I could figure out everything I ever needed to know about someone as a marketer but damn! I'm more on the boat of acquiring contacts based on interactions and giving the autonomy to the person. But yeah yeah it's all capitalism at the end of the day

Of course it took me a second to get back on track on my venture to deleting myself off of these mailing list because AuDHD but it was interesting to find out more about direct mail services. Eventually I got back on track to figuring out how to remove myself from these lists. Unfortunately, you can't eliminate it entirely, you can dramatically reduce the marketing mail you receive! Yay, there's hope!

What I Actually Did to Stop (Most of) My Junk Mail

1. Anything important to me, I requested paperless

   This means any bank statements, health insurance communications, and any medical stuff, I made sure to opt in with paperless. 90% of the time I lose important papers so I'd rather have a digital record.

2. Registered with DMAchoice

   One of the biggest tools I found is DMAchoice, which is run by the Association of National Advertisers. This service helps reduce prospect mail, which is basically promotional mail from companies you don’t have a business relationship with.

   You can register online for about $8 and it lasts for 10 years. According to them, this can reduce promotional mail by around 80%, which honestly sounds amazing considering how much junk ends up in the mailbox.

   There are some limitations though. It doesn’t stop mail from companies you’ve recently done business with, and it won’t stop things like: unaddressed mail, small local businesses, political mail, charities you’ve donated to. But even with those limits, it’s supposed to dramatically reduce the overall volume.

   
   

3. Opted Out of Pre-Approved Credit & Insurance Offers

   Another big source of junk mail is those “pre-approved” credit card and insurance offers. These come from credit reporting agencies like Equifax, Experian, Innovis, and TransUnion, which are allowed to share your information with companies that want to send you offers. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you actually have the right to opt out. You can do this through OptOutPrescreen.com, which is the official site used by the credit bureaus. You can:

   1. Opt out for five years online, or

   2. Mail a form to opt out permanently

   Once you opt out, your credit file won’t be used to generate those marketing lists. Which means fewer credit card envelopes trying to seduce you into debt.\

   
   

4. Removed Myself from Some Major Junk Mail Senders

   A lot of junk mail comes from coupon packs and marketing bundles. So I went straight to the source and removed my address from a couple of the biggest ones. I unsubscribed from:

   1. Valpak (those blue coupon envelopes)

   2. Save.com mail delivery

   Both of them have forms where you can request to stop receiving mailers at your address.

   
   

5. Registered with Catalog Choice

   Another tool I found was Catalog Choice, which lets you opt out of catalogs and other marketing mail from participating companies. Basically, if you’re receiving a specific catalog or brand mailer, you can search the company in their system and request to be removed. It’s not instant, but it gives you some control over which companies keep sending you things.

My Anger is Subsiding for Now

While I was already on this mission, I decided that I was going to end spam calls and delete myself off the internet... minus my businesses and stuff. Did my mission succeed? Yes! There has been significantly less mail in my mailbox since I did all these steps BUT I think I need to give it another few months before I see true results. From what I've read from the people who made it to the other side, these steps do significantly reduce the amount of junk mail you receive!

After I nearly lost my mind staring at a pile of useless coupons and credit card offers, I think I'm okay now. For now.

Get notified when a new blog post is published