I asked this almost 10 years ago and got no sensible answers.
Any new technology out there to explain WHY when my AT&T bill (et, al.) arrive, I have to turn them UPSIDE DOWN to open them with the letter opener where they have sealed it? Did they get a shipment of sixty billion envelopes at a rate where the window was in the wrong place and they are enjoying the savings? Or is that where my Federal Tax on the bill isn’t going?
Where I work, we have a folder/stuffer/sealer machine. One of our forms has the name and address at the bottom of the page. We discovered that there was no way that this machine could fold the sheet and put it in a normal window envelope with that information showing. One of the things the machine’s salespeople suggested was to get window envelopes with the flaps on the bottom, which would work. Instead, we’ll be redesigning the form.
I guess ATT found they liked the form that way, and had the funny envelopes made.
When they have the quantities of envelopes we’re talking about, yes they have them custom made to fit whatever the criteria is - - cheap, fast, easy, all of these, etc.
Yes, and annoying as hell to their customers. But so what? To quote Ernestine from 30-some years ago: We don’t care. We don’t have to. We’re the Phone Company.
When I worked in payment processing, I noticed that a certain percentage of envelopes opened from the bottom. It is a huge pain in the ass for anyone processing any volume of mail, because efficiency depends on standardization.
I have both AT&T and MCI for phone service (2 separate lines) and their envelopes are both upside down. Back when I got paper bills for my cell service (AT&T), their envelops, IIRC, were right-side-up.