USPS Mail boxes should all come equipped with a headlamp and shovel for all the digging we endure just to get out bills and holiday cards. I’m serious, the junk mail problem is a big problem. It’s a problem for a number of reasons, reasons I’m sure you’ll agree with. 
Ever sit in your kitchen shaking all the grocery coupons and pamphlets erratically just to make sure you didn’t lose a piece of mail in the abyss of junk mail? It’s a regularity for me. Maybe I’m getting more junk and bulk mail than most, but that’s unlikely. I’m sure I’ve accidentally tossed an important letter here and there, and for this reason I’ve decided to become a P.O. Box user. Why has getting our mail from the mailbox regressed to the days of sifting through email inbox spam folders of the 90′s ? And better yet, Why can we not opt out of receiving all the junk?
I stopped by my local USPS store to see if I could fill out a form which would (hopefully) put me on a list of others annoyed with CouponMania, MoneySaver and all the other bulk mail, but to no avail. “You mean I have no option in the matter,” I said to the postman. He looked at me and simply said…”Um…no ma’am.” Fan-tastic. Cool. Great. Thanks USPS
Yesterday, when I picked up my mail (and the endless junk mail that accumulated over just 2 days) I noted that it was time for a blog post. Not only irritating, the junk mail problem has become more and more wasteful over time. Aren’t we trying to go “green?”
Like I said. It’s a big problem. Make the switch- get a P.O. Box near your home or work.
Visit http://donotmail.org/ to sign the petition against junk mail!
Tags: USPS junk
Mia,
If you want to be taken off as many national mailing lists as possible, your first step is to contact the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Mail Preference Service (MPS). You must re-register after three years.
https://www.dmachoice.org/dma/member/home.action
If you send in a request by mail, it will cost $1 to file. If you send them the information via their web based form, it is free.
Mike
How true! Our Apartment Manager keeps a large trash container by the mail boxes just for people to throw out the junk mail.
A pet peeve of mine, there is tons of marketing flyers mailed from cable and phone companies. They are quick to let people know if someone is behind in monthly payment, yet these companies must spend “millions” of dollars on advertising for products. Everyday I receive an advertisement from one of my phone companies or cable service. Duh! If they quit printing and mailing, they may have room in the budget to hire at least one more employee.
Thank you for letting me post ~ it is great to say this out loud.
Donna: I’m glad someone shares my frustration! My apartment building doesn’t have a trash bin near the boxes so I end up bringing the junk into my home. I probably dispose of a full garbage bag of junk mail each month! That’s a lot of trees!
Mike: Where do you get this wealth of knowledge?! Thank you! I’ll definitely get on that…stat!
This is so strange! I live in Sydney, and here, all you have to do is put a sign on your mailbox that reads: “NO JUNK MAIL” and voile, it disappears. Life should always be this simple!
jsyl.blogspot.com
Hi, good post. I have been woondering about this issue,so thanks for posting. I’ll definitely be coming back to your site.
Thanks for checking out my site Andrew! Junk mail is a huge problem! I just posted an update to this post, the new post has a funny seinfeld episode embedded in it, hehe. The USPS contacted me in regards to my complaint!
Hey Jane! Thanks for coming by my site! I wish it was as easy as leaving a note on my box, unfortunately it’s not. The US postal service called me the other day regarding my complaint, check it out: http://mialeightaylor.com/2009/06/04/usps-junk-complaint/
If you switch to a P.O. box, I suggest filling out a postal change of address form. By doing so, your bulk mail will not forward unless specifically endorsed.