[Re: Loose Cannon: Taking the “Bill Me” By The Horns, Direct Newsline, February 14, 2005]:
Regarding catalogs --
Another reason against sending catalogs to the “ship to” address is: maybe the “ship to” address was different because the item that was purchased was a gift. If I wanted to get my brother a gift, I wanted to get him “a gift,” not “a gift followed by several months of extra junk mail.” Although, from the perspective of the merchant, that very same thing could be seen as a “pro”, because it would be “a new potential customer.”
Or, perhaps the “ship to” address is a temporary summer residence, or temporary winter residence; my grandparents spent winters in Tucson when my grandmother was still with us, say they ordered something in advance of one of their trips, and asked that it be sent there to Tucson. The thing is, they only were there four months out of the year; sending catalogs to the “ship to” addresses in that case would mean that they would have been greeted with 8 months worth of extra catalogs sitting in their mailbox next time they went there.
Or, there was my case for a while -- I received a catalog in my post office box. But, I asked that the “ship to” address be my regular mailbox at home. This catalog then started sending catalogs to my “ship to” address -- as WELL as sending them to my post office box, so I got two copies of everything from them.
Ultimately, in an office situation, it may be a case-by-case basis thing -- depending on the merchandise itself, how strait-laced the office is, how strait-laced the buyer is, and the like. I have no problem receiving a catalog with clothing here at work, and my office might not mind, but people trying to appear more conservative working for a more conservative firm might not appreciate a copy of, say, the Blowfish [adult] catalog showing up in their inbox at work.
Kimberly A. Wadsworth Reverie Productions New York City
