Flashback Friday – Thanks, But No Thanks

I get way too many catalogs and junk in the mail. It all ends up in the recycling bin and most of it never even gets a second look. The way I figure it, if I want to buy something from Crate and Barrel, William Sonoma, or Eddie Bauer, I’ll go on their website. Them sending me catalogs every few weeks isn’t going to prompt me to make a purchase.

And the thing is, once you do order something from a merchant it seems like an avalanche of random catalogs follows. Just last week, I got one from Sundance. ‘Scuse me, I’ve never been to Sundance, never knew they had a retail side, never visited their web site, and certainly never bought from them. But sure enough, I got their catalog.

I was pretty much resigned to just being reactive to the onslaught. But after reading this article –

Stop the Paper Trail

– in the Washington Post, I went on the offensive. I’m not endorsing these websites or their services, but I think it’s worth checking out if it means less junk in the mail. I will be interested to see if I manage to escape the catalog crush going forward. Pottery Barn…you’ve been put on notice!