Drowning in Catalogs

     Have you ever wondered what it would be like  to be free of  catalogs.

Do you feel you are doing  penance for making a purchase  eons ago  or that you have become a hapless victim of forces beyond your control?  Welcome to the marketing nightmare where you are slave to unending catalog mailings.
     A rare day without  catalogs becomes totally emancipating.  You are free from recycling, sorting  and looking to see  which are worth  a sideways glance or not. Its similar to the way you'll when a toothache subsides.
     In reality, catalogs  are somewhat  superfluous  because of online shopping. Only those  in rural areas  or those without internet access require them.  So why not have the choice?     Think of all the waste in time, trees,  paper, ink, machinery, human resources, etc.  expended  to induce you to acquire more stuff.   We are drowning in an economic quagmire that depletes us of  energies better spent in more productive pursuits.

     Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?   Catalogs can be gone and your time and energy restored.      Curse not the darkness and light a candle.   Doing nothing, is choosing to be a victim and to be irresponsible to the environment. 

     There are  two courses of action   you might employ ( aside from moving)  to remove catalogs from your life.  The procedure for stopping the distribution of catalogs to your home is called opting out.

1. One way to opt out is by calling each catalog company and speaking to Customer Service or  by dialing the phone number listed on the catalog.   When you opt out of catalog distribution they will take down your information such as your name and address. Some of the catalogs are pre-printed so it make take up to 90 days for a mailing to cease.  It is important to mention any other individuals in your home who may be receiving mailings as well.  Ask if you have reached a call center that handles a number of company publications so you can save time by not calling individual catalog companies.  Be aware of the operating schedules and times zones of each company. Be prepared for long automated hold times and reduce your frustration by multi-tasking.   I often do the laundry, pay bills, read a book or play Solitaire or Sudoku.  This choice is very time consuming so its important to remind yourself of the happy ending you will eventually experience.  Keep your eyes on the prize!
2.  The other solution is to employ what is known as a third-party company.  There are several listed on the Internet.  They may charge a fee to  opt out for you.  You fill out a number of forms and they do the rest.

• You can go to the Direct Marketing Association who can make it possible for you to opt out through its Mail Preference Service.  The DMA sends out 80% of the catalogues, sweepstakes and credit card solicitations.  There is a DMAChoiceWeb site.  The service is free and you can select which catalogs you want to drop.  The problem is you have to give a credit card number as proof of your identity.  
• Another website is catalogchoice.org launched by a coalition of environmental groups like the National Wildlife Federation.  Their purpose is to eliminate unwanted catalogs using the internet. The businesses that have signed up to honor this pledge truly believe that if a customer wants to know about  sale or make a  purchase they can sign up for emails.  Close to one thousand merchants like LLBean, REI, Lands End, Urban Outfitters, Office Depot, and Giam who believe that good business practices involve respecting the rights of the consumer and showing responsibility to our environment.  There is no fee and no credit card authentication necessary.  They will forward your wishes to other catalogs not signed up with them but there is no guarantee that non-member companies will comply.