Junk mail šŸ“¬

Iā€™ve taken a cheeky look at the plight of the humble No Junk Mail sticker, and ask the question: Do junk mail leaflet droppers now ignore the sticker?


What are your experiences with junk mail?

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We have one of these stickers and it usually works. We havenā€™t seen a Big W or Bunnings catalogue since we attached the thing. We do still get the free local rag deposited in our mailbox once a month though, even though itā€™s basically page after page of advertising and paid editorial content made to look like legitimate news stories. We also get a lot of political leaflets and fridge magnet calendars from local members of Parliament and wannabe local members of parliament, both Federal and State versions. Apparently political ads are not classed as junk mail. At our previous address we would occasionally get the rare large batch of catalogues but a quick phone call to the local junk distributor would usually fix the problem. I think the delivery folks would sometimes deliver in the middle of the night when it was hard to see whatever might be stuck to the front of our letterbox. Our biggest problem is junk mail thatā€™s been addressed to our house and sent via Australia Post, postage paid by the sender, so itā€™s no longer classed as junk mail. One other issue we have is unsolicited business cards and flyers from various real estate sales people, hand delivered, hoping that weā€™ll take them up on the offer to let them sell our house for us, because apparently thatā€™s not junk mail either.

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If youā€™ve got a ā€˜no junk mailā€™ sticker and youā€™re still receiving unwanted catalogues you can report it to the Australasian Catalogue Associationā€™s Distribution Standards Board here: http://www.catalogue.asn.au/dsb-standards/
This should result in a marked reduction in the volume of junk coming through your letterbox, though itā€™s not a magic bullet, and will only impact big distribution companies. So youā€™ll get less department store catalogues but it wonā€™t impact the steady stream of junk from local real estate agents, restaurants, arborists etc.

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Surely that is a matter of opinion :smiley:

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We once had our local Member of Parliament put one of his ā€œnewslettersā€ in our mailbox which featured him doing a report about how his constituents are tired of getting political junk mail and that something needed to be done about it. I kid you not.

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There is an irony there that the politician was too short for. (It went over his head.)

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I have two ā€˜no junk mailā€™ stickers, located on either side of my mailbox so they cannot be missed, and on three consecutive days last week received junk! (On the bright side, one of these pieces of junk managed to inform me that freemasons still exist in Australia - and run a charity!)

At least one of my junk senders has their stuff delivered by Australia Post, to whom in turn I have complained very loudly with no discernible effect to date. I have said to my wife that I might sit outside one morning to corner the miscreant deliverer, but she says heā€™s too fast for me :wink: :frowning:.

A few years ago I was so frustrated by this flow of useless garbage that I actually sent invoices out for $15 per item, for the ā€˜cost of disposalā€™. Nobody paid, but maybe if I kept at itā€¦?

Finally, thank you @airedale for that complaint link; I will try it but do not expect miracles. I see that once again, by choosing to complain about this stuff I must provide the advertiser with more personal information! Every day, in every way, it is getting harder to even break even on the personal privacy front :frowning_face:.

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Our Australia Post postie delivers some of our junk mail, usually Australia Post store ā€˜brochuresā€™ and single sheet A5/A6 sized advertising materials (such as fast food ones). It appears those who have stickers saying only Australia Post mail only doesnā€™t stop the postie depositing this junk mail.

We havenā€™t had major retail outlets/supermarket ā€˜brochuresā€™ in years, ever since our last distribution lady retiredā€¦it appears they canā€™t find a replacement which is great. Donā€™t miss the never ending stream of junk mail, even with signage asking for none. The sign/sticker eventually fell off and havenā€™t worried about replacing it.

I object to any junk mail as it is an unnecessary waste and also ends up being blown around the street or ends up in our waterways.

With todayā€™s technology, junk mail is available online, especially from major retailers. Wasting a few electrons is better than cutting down trees and producing paper to make unwanted deposits in our letterboxes.

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Perhaps the junk mail stickers are passƩ now, and we need a series of new sticker such as:-

ā€œIf it isnā€™t post, we donā€™t host it.ā€
OR
ā€œIf it isnā€™t mail, stick it in a pail.ā€
OR
ā€œIf you stick junk in here, from us you will hear.ā€

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ā€œIf itā€™s advertising, in the bin itā€™s divingā€? Nope, inadequate rhyme-age.

If you advertise
I must advise
that all your lies
(which I despise)
will, post-goodbyes
then amortise
with other failing merchandise
at the county dump.

Itā€™s always the end that gets me!

ā€œYou want my money, donā€™t leave junk mail sonny.ā€

How about some Dirty Harry?

ā€œDonā€™t leave your junk, you lousy punk!ā€

Perhaps channel a bit of Arnie?

ā€œHasta la vista, postie!ā€

It can only get worse if you encourage me!

Edit: I forgot to mention that in writing this post I discovered an absolutely awful website that claims to find rhymes - Rhymebrain is an incredible, almost-good rhymefinder!

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After posting and then editing, I scrolled up through this thread and noticed something quite amusing.

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I like that one! :smile:

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Donā€™t keep us in suspenders. Do share the source of your mirth.

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We donā€™t get brochures or catalogues but still get a lot of small business leaflets (pest control, real estate agents, removalists, pizza menus etc). In the past Iā€™ve gone to the trouble of ringing or returning the junk directly to the business with a note, informing the business that their delivery company is ignoring NO JUNK MAIL signs but unless you get the right person ie the person who hires these contractors, this makes absolutely no difference. And I had more time back then.

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Maybe ā€œjunk mailā€ is a rude challenge to people who earn money by delivering it. ā€œJunkā€ fliers from local small businesses are a bit like bushflies, a harmless but quintessential Australian annoyance. Pop them in your recycle bin, but one day you might need their services.
I have a polite ā€œNo advertising material accepted. Thank youā€ sticker on my letterbox. No more bundles of shop specials and catalogues. But the real estate agents kept coming. I rang their association who said theyā€™d told agents not to deliver fliers in stickered letterboxes. One of my mates rang an offending agent and blasted him. The next day the agent appeared with a bottle of good red (he lived in an expensive suburb) to mollify him - the agent wanted the commission on the house my mate will never sell. My mate got a nice drop of Margaret River red, the agent got figuratively corkscrewed. Moral: assert yourself. The agent in future will be very careful about having his distributers read letterbox signs.

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We have a ā€œNo advertising material accepted - thank youā€ sign on our letterbox and never get any catalogues which is great. Very occasionally we receive leaflets from local business such as a plumber or real estate agent and Iā€™ve been tempted to call and blast them, but never got around to it. However, I now have a better understanding of how some items end up in the letterbox - I have been dropping advertising material for my daughterā€™s small business and have mistakenly left a few leaflets contrary to the ā€œNo Junk Mailā€ request. Itā€™s easy to do - Iā€™m in a hurry, I drop the leaflet, then I see the sign. I canā€™t in all conscience open the letterbox to remove the offending item, so it has to stay. I always try to respect the signs.

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Great to hear peopleā€™s thoughts on this issue so far. The rhyming is fantastic, it would be great to see these in sticker form one day.

Also great to see at least someone has managed to turn the situation into free wine :wine_glass:

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Iā€™ve heard it said, though Iā€™d never do this myself you understand, that gluing the flyer marked with ā€œrespect no junk mail signsā€ to their shop window or company vehicle windscreen improves understanding ā€¦

A bit like the addressed ā€˜junkā€™ mail - where in times past you can wrap a brick or heavy stone and mail it back to them with no stamp and no return address. Their curiousity costed them them postage ā€¦ not sure if that still works.

Personally Iā€™d be happy with a full-auto paintball gun, but sadly thereā€™s laws prohibiting that :slight_smile:

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Whilst I find junk mail extremely annoying I find the posting of mail in plastic wrappers reprehensible because of the mess we are making of the oceans.
MClark

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My daughter used to deliver junk mail while she was in high school. She was very poorly paid but it provided her with exercise and she learned a lot about saving and managing money. Iā€™m not a fan of junk mail, but I donā€™t have a sign, it goes straight into the recycling bin. What really gets me mad is some days they put their junk in in the letter box and not the hole provided for the junk. There have been times the postie has left my mail under the letter box because it wonā€™t fit in because of all the junk.

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