# To hell with magazine publishers. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 23, 2008, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hell-with-magazine-publishers/464899 "2008-09-23T22:30:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hell-with-magazine-publishers/464899/21 "2008-09-24T21:56:40Z")
> [@Some\_FNG](#): > > Well, on the flip side one can always do this mean trick- take all of the “Yes!! Sign me up NOW!!” cards that you can find and start putting down other people’s names and addresses. Works really well if you have a diverse collection of friends contributing those subscription cards. > > Some people I know did this to a disliked college professor one year and even included those infomercial call in offers. College prof was seriously swamped with printed material and stuff he never ordered. Yep, mail fraud can be a hoot! ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hell-with-magazine-publishers/464899/22 "2008-09-24T22:42:35Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > Yep, mail fraud can be a hoot! Oh, c’mon! You have to admit it’s a LITTLE funnier than that CEO getting bludgeoned to death in the other thread. Seriously, how can these two threads even be in the same forum. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hell-with-magazine-publishers/464899/23 "2008-09-24T23:26:18Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > Oh, c’mon! You have to admit it’s a LITTLE funnier than that CEO getting bludgeoned to death in the other thread. Seriously, how can these two threads even be in the same forum. Yea, but the CEO probably had it coming to him, the college professor was probably just a putz. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hell-with-magazine-publishers/464899/24 "2008-09-24T23:58:10Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > Why would you expect the mailman to follow that request? There’s mail addressed to you, it goes to you. What if your idea of junk mail isn’t matching with his (for example, I hate most junk mail, but man, I love some of the random catalogs that get sent to me!). And what’s he supposed to do? Throw your (junk) mail out, when it’s addressed to you and he’s supposed to deliver it? Mailman? Addressed? Deliver? It’s junk. It’s anonymous advertising delivered to everybody by some regular joe who wanders down the street stuffing mailboxes with flyers and magazines nobody asked for. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hell-with-magazine-publishers/464899/25 "2008-09-25T00:14:20Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Mailman? Addressed? Deliver? > > It’s junk. It’s anonymous advertising delivered to everybody by some regular joe who wanders down the street stuffing mailboxes with flyers and magazines nobody asked for. Then he’s breaking the law. Only mail with postage can be put in a mailbox. That’s why rural newspapers have their own tubes. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hell-with-magazine-publishers/464899/26 "2008-09-25T00:33:20Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Then he’s breaking the law. Only mail with postage can be put in a mailbox. That’s why rural newspapers have their own tubes. No. There’s bulk rate mail that is not specifically addressed to a person. The address will say “Occupant” or something like that. One or more pieces gets stuffed in every mailbox. The USPS makes a lot of money on it. I wish the ecologists would make an issue of the practice because the the amount of waste paper it creates is almost criminal. Stores are starting to ask you to recycle bags to save trees or whatever. If the publishing and advertising industries would make a 10% improvement in the efficiency of their use of paper it would have a far greater impact. Like I cited in the “quality book” thread, 40% of all books never get sold. It is as bad or worse in the magazine industry (not counting their junk mailings). The advertising mailings and inserts . . . forget it! ---
**Author:** ![Nikki\_Tikki\_Tavi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@Nikki\_Tikki\_Tavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nikki_Tikki_Tavi)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hell-with-magazine-publishers/464899/27 "2008-09-25T00:36:24Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > I keep getting the renewal notices that promise me amazing discounts if only I’ll give a gift subscription to somebody. I don’t want to give gift subscriptions. I looove getting and giving gift subscriptions. It’s such an awesome and affordable gift. I’ve received those fakey bills before, too. I had to rack my brains to remember if I had signed up for Home Decor Monthly or whatever it was. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hell-with-magazine-publishers/464899/28 "2008-09-25T02:14:23Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Then he’s breaking the law. Only mail with postage can be put in a mailbox. That’s why rural newspapers have their own tubes. Well, I’m in Australia, and I don’t think it is illegal here. It’s far too prevalent for that, something would have been done if it was simply a case of arresting the perpetrators. Just to be clear, I’m talking about unaddressed flyers and magazines delivered by ordinary people who have been hired by an advertising company to stuff their junk in mailboxes, ignoring the “no junk” stickers. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hell-with-magazine-publishers/464899/29 "2008-09-25T16:23:11Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Just to be clear, I’m talking about unaddressed flyers and magazines delivered by ordinary people who have been hired by an advertising company to stuff their junk in mailboxes, ignoring the “no junk” stickers. If that practice is illegal in the US, that would explain why I always find the junk fliers in the middle of my front yard, or tucked inside a plastic bag weighted with small rocks and thrown in the driveway. Sometimes, if the fliers are small, they tuck them under the metal flag on the mailbox. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hell-with-magazine-publishers/464899/30 "2008-09-25T16:53:09Z")
> [@Nanoda](#): > > I ditched Discover magazine for National Geographic last year after realizing Discover charges 25% more in Canada than they do in the 'States, for no good reason. > > In fact, I think it’s time I reminded them of that fact again. Just 25% more? That’s a steal! There are a handful of magazines I’d love to subscribe to, if only they didn’t charge a disproportionately large amount for Canucks. Cooking Light, for one, charges $33 for Canadian subscribers vs $18 for the US (not counting the two free issues they offer for new subs)… that’s nearly double! :mad: It’s been nearly 2 years now that our dollars have been at par, so they can’t play the whole “your dollar sucks” card any more. Does postage to Canada really cost THAT much more? Greedy bastards. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hell-with-magazine-publishers/464899/31 "2008-09-25T18:12:10Z")
You guys don’t even _know_. I’m a periodicals librarian, which means that a good, say, three quarters of my job is taken up in dealing with this kind of pain in the ass crap. You changed your name? How lovely. You decided you don’t need volume and issue numbers? Great. You decided that you do, but for some reason last year was volume 3 and this year is volume 2? Fan-fucking-tastic. You didn’t send us our magazines but you say you won’t fulfill our claims because… ? I love you too. You sent us duplicates for the first half of the year and now say our subscription is up? You are my favorite person. You decide we DON’T NEED the swimsuit issue because we’re a public library, so you just didn’t send it? Oh, my sweetums! You’ve decided to change your publication pattern for no reason at all, so now you have Winter, February, Valentine’s Day, April, May-July, Fall, Holiday Quarter, and December? Jesus fuck, you try my patience. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-hell-with-magazine-publishers/464899.md?page=1)