# Getting Rid of Circulars (ads) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 10, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-circulars-ads/180966 "2003-06-10T21:10:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Peg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peg)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-circulars-ads/180966/1 "2003-06-10T21:10:14Z")
I am on a mission to reduce the physical junk mail that I get in my mail box at home. First, I always tick the bos that says “Don’t Share or Sell My Information to ANYONE including affiliates” when possible, I don’t sign up for contests or promotions at the local coffeeshop, and now that I’ve removed my name from the major marketing companies like Equifax, the credit card offers have stopped coming in. Hallelujah! I’m sure my postman is happier as well. My last beef is those huge newspaper-like ads from local grocery stores. They are such a waste of paper and very bulky. Does anyone know how I can get the grocery stores to stop sending me that stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-circulars-ads/180966/2 "2003-06-10T21:44:39Z")
Try [http://www.junkbusters.com](http://www.junkbusters.com). There’s a post office form for pornography that you can fill out to prevent junk mail. Some supreme court somewhere said it can be applied for non-porn stuff, as well (apparently). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-circulars-ads/180966/3 "2003-06-10T21:48:32Z")
I’m not sure whether this is something that the mail service in the USA will allow, but I always clearly mark the item "UNSOLICITED MAIL - PLEASE RETURN TO SENDER’ and pop it back in the post unopened. I hardly get any junk mail and I don’t think I’ve had anything from the same company twice. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-circulars-ads/180966/4 "2003-06-10T22:08:30Z")
Grocery ads may be impossible to stop by any means other than taping a prominent note to your mailbox saying “NO grocery store ads!” as those things are delivered in bulk to the post office with the intent of one being put into each mailbox along the carrier’s route. Recently, I saw the carrier at my building, and the ads were in their own tote bin, separate from the mail. When they had the mailboxes open, she just stuck one ad into each box, then started putting in the regular mail. Will your carrier care? Probably not. Will they honor the request? Maybe. Will the person filling in when they’re sick or on vacation? Remains to be seen. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-circulars-ads/180966/5 "2003-06-10T22:28:52Z")
Third class mail has no return privilege, IIRC. If you mark it “return to sender,” it will be thrown away. Make sure you shred all credit card applications. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-circulars-ads/180966/6 "2003-06-10T22:58:29Z")
There’s no third class mail here in the UK, although there are other discount methods available (mainly) to business - ‘Mailsort’ being the primary one, where bulk maining is pre-sorted by the sender - they always have return addresses on them though, regardless of delivery method and the return to sender method _seems_ to work for me (although admittedly there is no control group with which to compare). I suspect there might be some archaic law here that prevents the PO from just throwing things away when they don’t want to deliver them. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-circulars-ads/180966/7 "2003-06-11T02:40:59Z")
I tear up their sending envelope, stick it into the pre-paid envelope, toss in any other trash (sometimes a slice of cheese), and send it on its way. Always get rid of any serial numbers (as they can lead them back to you) or your name itself before sending it. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-circulars-ads/180966/8 "2003-06-11T03:40:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by clayton\_e \* > \*\*I tear up their sending envelope, stick it into the pre-paid envelope, toss in any other trash (sometimes a slice of cheese), and send it on its way. > > Always get rid of any serial numbers (as they can lead them back to you) or your name itself before sending it. \*\* Brilliant plan! And so they use their psychic powers to determine who you are and take you off their mailing list? Or do you imagine that when they get one of your envelopes a mail clerk runs up to the president of the company and says, “Sir, someone has returned one of our envelopes without a completed order form. Do you think it is possible that one or two of the millions of people who receive our direct mail offerings do not appreciate them?” To which the president replies, “Oh no! People are annoyed by what we do for a living! We must shut down the company immediately!” And this will keep you from getting more junk mail? You may get a certain sense of satisfaction from this little stunt, but be assured that it has _no effect whatsoever_ on junk mailers. I send out junk mail to promote my business (once or twice a year to a few thousand people in my business, at their business addresses – so no one reading this has ever gotten junk mail from me) and every time I get a few envelopes back with nothing or with scraps. The ironic thing is that in my case, if they had sent back the order form with a note asking me to remove them from the list, _I would have done so_ and they would have gotten no more junk from me. But by following your example they will continue to get junk. Now this works in my case because mine is a very small business and I handle the incoming orders personally. I’m not saying it would work with 99% of junk mail. One important way to really prevent junk mail. (This is true in the US, I can’t say about elsewhere.) When you move, DO NOT fill out one of the post office’s Change of Address packets. They are provided directly to direct mail companies. True! Send change of address cards or letters directly to your friends and the businesses you need to be in touch with, and no one else. But you will still get some junk mail. The real solution for the OP: get over it. There’s no way to prevent the waste you seem to object to, because your address is a matter of public record. So even if you keep them from delivering the stuff to your door (the way **gotpasswords** suggests), the direct mailers who send things to every address in the world will still have produced one for you, and the post office will just throw yours away. Put junk mail on the recycle pile and save your anger for things that really matter. Like telemarketers! Oooooohhh I just \*\*HATE \*\*those telemarketers!!! ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-circulars-ads/180966/9 "2003-06-11T03:46:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by clayton\_e \* > \*\*I tear up their sending envelope, stick it into the pre-paid envelope, toss in any other trash (sometimes a slice of cheese), and send it on its way. > > Always get rid of any serial numbers (as they can lead them back to you) or your name itself before sending it. \*\* Brilliant plan! And so they use their psychic powers to determine who you are and take you off their mailing list? Or do you imagine that when they get one of your envelopes a mail clerk runs up to the president of the company and says, “Sir, someone has returned one of our envelopes without a completed order form. Do you think it is possible that one or two of the millions of people who receive our direct mail offerings do not appreciate them?” To which the president replies, “Oh no! People are annoyed by what we do for a living! We must shut down the company immediately!” And this will keep you from getting more junk mail? You may get a certain sense of satisfaction from this little stunt, but be assured that it has _no effect whatsoever_ on junk mailers. I send out junk mail to promote my business (once or twice a year to a few thousand people in my business, at their business addresses – so no one reading this has ever gotten junk mail from me) and every time I get a few envelopes back with nothing or with scraps. The ironic thing is that in my case, if they had sent back the order form with a note asking me to remove them from the list, _I would have done so_ and they would have gotten no more junk from me. But by following your example they will continue to get junk. Now this works in my case because mine is a very small business and I handle the incoming orders personally. I’m not saying it would work with 99% of junk mail. One important way to really prevent junk mail. (This is true in the US, I can’t say about elsewhere.) When you move, DO NOT fill out one of the post office’s Change of Address packets. They are provided directly to direct mail companies. True! Send change of address cards or letters directly to your friends and the businesses you need to be in touch with, and no one else. But you will still get some junk mail. The real solution for the OP: get over it. There’s no way to prevent the waste you seem to object to, because your address is a matter of public record. So even if you keep them from delivering the stuff to your door (the way **gotpasswords** suggests), the direct mailers who send things to every address in the world will still have produced one for you, and the post office will just throw yours away. Put junk mail on the recycle pile and save your anger for things that really matter. Like telemarketers! Oooooohhh I just \*\*HATE \*\*those telemarketers!!! ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-circulars-ads/180966/10 "2003-06-11T03:50:26Z")
Sorry for the accidental duplicate. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-circulars-ads/180966/11 "2003-06-11T03:53:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by clayton\_e \* > \*\*Always get rid of any serial numbers (as they can lead them back to you) or your name itself before sending it. \*\* Don’t forget the bar codes now appearing on – and in – the postage-paid return envelopes. While you may carefully remove all serial numbers and identifying information from the crap sent to you, the return envelope also has a serial number. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-circulars-ads/180966/12 "2003-06-11T04:13:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duckster \* > \*\*Don’t forget the bar codes now appearing on – and in – the postage-paid return envelopes. While you may carefully remove all serial numbers and identifying information from the crap sent to you, the return envelope also has a serial number. \*\* Why? Afraid the mailers are going to put you on their “Extra junk mail for people who misuse our pre-paid envelopes” list? Have their detectives dust the scraps for fingerprints? Give your name to their one of their numerous tire-slashing squads? Have their psychics concentrate negative energy on your address? What exactly do you think they do with things that aren’t real orders? I’ll tell you: they throw them in the trash. Just like you should do with junk mail you’re not interested in. Sheesh! ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-rid-of-circulars-ads/180966/13 "2003-06-11T06:49:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by clayton\_e \* > \*\*I tear up their sending envelope, stick it into the pre-paid envelope, toss in any other trash (sometimes a slice of cheese), and send it on its way. > > Always get rid of any serial numbers (as they can lead them back to you) or your name itself before sending it. \*\* I used to do that but I soon realized that it was way more trouble than it was worth. I just toss mine in the recycle bin. No biggie. Haj