I went 40 years of my life without ever buying something from your website. Now I bought one thing, and it will probably be another 40 years before I need something else. That does not mean I want to receive two emails a day from you for the rest of my life.
Somewhere along the way, every business decided that a single purchase is a lifelong relationship. Buy a replacement part for a lawn mower and you’re suddenly on a mailing list for “Weekend Deals!” on lawn mower parts you don’t need. The box for “send me offers” was already checked, buried somewhere between the shipping address and the payment page.
Even the Good Guys Do It#
I found your nonprofit all by myself and donated because I agreed with your cause. I didn’t intend for you to spend my donation on envelopes and stamps asking me for more money. I’ve already got kids doing that.
This one stings more than the store emails because the money was supposed to go to the cause. Instead, a chunk of it comes right back to my mailbox as address labels, calendars, a “free gift” nickel taped to a letter, and an urgent appeal that looks exactly like the urgent appeal from last month. Some organizations also share or trade their donor lists, so one donation turns into mail from groups I’ve never heard of.
I found you once, and I’ll find you again when I’m ready to donate. Until then, go fight the good fight and stop adding to my mail pile! If you want to give without ending up on every list, many charities let you check a box to opt out of mailings and list sharing, or you can call and ask. Charity evaluators like Charity Navigator also show how much of an organization’s budget goes to fundraising versus the actual work.
Ask Your Doctor Today!#
Then there’s TV. I’ve never asked a doctor for a medication I heard about on TV, and I don’t intend to start now, no matter how happy those people look riding bikes and having picnics while the narrator lists side effects at double speed. Pecalotsofsyllablesipro!
The United States is one of only two countries in the world, along with New Zealand, that allows prescription drugs to be advertised directly to consumers. That’s why the commercial break during the evening news feels like a pharmacy catalog. Your doctor went to school for this. If you need a medication, they’ll bring it up. Walking in with a brand name you heard during a football game is letting the ad agency practice medicine.
Cutting Down the Noise#
You can’t stop all of it, but you can cut it way down:
- Actually click “unsubscribe” on legitimate store emails instead of just deleting them. Under the CAN-SPAM Act, businesses are required to honor opt-out requests.
- Uncheck the marketing box at checkout, every time. It’s almost always pre-checked.
- Use a separate email address for shopping so your real inbox stays for real people.
- Opt out of prescreened credit card offers at OptOutPrescreen.com, the official site run by the credit bureaus.
- Tell charities how you want to hear from them. Most will honor a request for once a year, or for no mail at all.
I’m not against businesses or charities making their case. I’m against being treated like a wallet with a mailbox attached. If you want my business again, do a good job the first time. I’ll remember.
