A new front in the junk mail war has opened.
I struggle from day to day trying to keep loose trash out of my yard. It’s not as bad in the new house as in the old, where the wind swept all of the trash into our lawn to roost, but the other yards in our neighborhood are so immaculate that one piece of rubbish in our lawn looks like a bright red boil on the face of a supermodel. That is why I am a bit concerned about this new Bulletin epidemic.
For a reason I don’t know, a small Philadelphia newspaper has started delivering issues to my house and leaving them on my driveway and in my grass. They typically deliver the thing even in the rain, and the slight plastic wrapper that they’re ensconced in doesn’t do the job of keeping the moisture out, ruining the issue anyway. So I frequently get this soggy mess in my lawn or driveway that I don’t even realize is there until half my neighbors drive past it on their way to work. Besides the quality of the materials, there are a couple of odd things about the paper delivery itself.
First, I don’t recall having ordered this paper. Or any paper for that matter. I do not read the newspaper. I used to deliver newspapers when I was a kid, and the memory of it has turned me off of the whole thing. The smell of the ink and paper (especially when wet) isn’t fond for me.
Second, the paper actually has a price listed on it. 25 cents per issue. If I’m not paying for it, then why are they delivering it to me? To boost their circulation numbers? How did they get my address? And why aren’t any of my neighbors getting it? (Or perhaps they’re more diligent in removing the paper immediately from their lawns, which is entirely probable.)
Third, I live in the suburbs. The Bulletin is a city paper. I don’t like newspaper news, generally because they don’t cover the topics I want to know about with the depth that I would like (hence my use of the internet, as with all things, for obtaining news). But this is a city paper, so it’s even more targeted at Philadelphia news. I don’t have the slightest care about who is mayor in Philadelphia. I’m sure it affects me somehow, but I can’t see the direct effect, and I have many other things I would rather worry about.
So where is this thing coming from?
I’ve been on hold waiting for their subscription department the entire time I’ve been writing this post, hoping to tell someone to stop delivering this junk to my house and littering my lawn. No answer so far. I guess I’m going to have to get up early to catch the delivery person and tell them off.
