Every year, the week after Halloween, the catalogs start coming.
First it’s one or two. Then it’s a stack every day, with shiny covers, red bows, and sweaters I would never wear. By the middle of December, the basket where I drop our mail is so full it won’t hold another envelope.
Last year, I started counting. Between November 1 and Christmas, we got thirty-one catalogs. I ordered from two of them.
Most of the rest came from stores I’d never heard of. A few came because I ordered one gift online for my granddaughter, and that store shared my name with other stores. (I learned that the hard way.)
So this year, I’m not waiting for the pile. On the first Sunday in November, I’m sitting down with my mail basket, a cup of tea, and my phone. This is how I stop catalogs in the mail, and the credit card offers too, before they fill the basket.
Why the Mail Gets So Heavy in the Fall
The holidays are the busiest time of year for stores. Many of them mail the most catalogs between October and December.
Every time we order something, our name and address can go on a list. Some stores share or sell those lists to other stores. That’s how one gift order can turn into five new catalogs.
The credit card offers come a different way. Banks can buy lists of people from the credit bureaus, and then they mail “pre-approved” offers to everyone on the list.
None of this mail is something you did wrong. But all of it is something you can stop.