Today I’m mailing in my last order to Columbia House, and the return envelope has a window in it. The only thing that will be visible through the window is the phrase “Columbia House.” The address is printed on the envelope itself, just below the window.
Why not just a whole envelope with “Columbia House” printed on it? And why window return envelopes at all, when they go to a central mail office? Is there some subtlety to mail rooms I don’t know about?
Thanks in advance,
don Jaime
Assuming this is a serious quoestion, window envelopes are designed so that if you fold the paper inside correctly, you can print the address on the letter and have it displayed in the window, saving the hassle of printing onto the envelope itself.
Russell
Actually, what I think the OP is asking about is envelopes where part of the address is physically printed on the envelope itself while the other part of the address shows through the window on the envelope. In this case, the words “Columbia House” show through the window while something like “PO Box 99999, Garden City, NY 00000” is printed on the envelope.
What we have here is an example of a fulfillment house. Several publishers have book clubs, record clubs, software clubs and you-name-it clubs where members are sent a monthly newsletter containing selections which the members can buy by sending a form back to the club. (Or, where they get certain selections unless they send the form back stating otherwise).
The publishers usually do not run the clubs themselves or, if they do, they may have several clubs of their own. (For example, Doubleday used to have the Book-of-the-Month-Club, the Mystery Book Club, the Science Fiction Book Club and several others). All of these clubs are run out of the same address.
“Sometimes I think the web is just a big plot to keep people like me away from normal society.” — Dilbert
No matter how “Dumb” something looks to you, if a direct marketing company does it – it has to make $$$! Or in this case, save money, which is sort of like making money.
Sometimes they screw up and get something into the mail that dies, painfully and expensively, but they won’t do that twice.
The National Georgraphic sent its catalog out for several years at a loss but they are family owned and could make decisions by what they wanted to do rather than the bottom line. I’ve seen some changes in that catalog that make me think someone wants to make it profitable. But it is really rare that anyone mails at a loss.
Are you driving with your eyes open or are you using The Force? - A. Foley
tanstaafl
Don’t I feel dumb! Now that I re-read the OP it’s clear that that is exactly what was meant.
Apologies for my stupidity
Russell
Seeing the recipient’s name in the window insures that the proper piece of paper is enclosed (i.e. the order form). Many a time someone simply encloses a check in an envelope with no instructions for the recipient.
The real reason is that Columbia House has other “divisions”, but the mail all filters into the SAME location. So, why print different envelopes for each “division”?
“They’re coming to take me away ha-ha, ho-ho, hee-hee, to the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time… :)” - Napoleon IV
JINX!
Thank God you answered this! I’ve lurked for some time, and your signature drives me nuts! That guy was Napoleon XIV, not IV! Please change it. This has given me more insomnia than the upcoming election.
Thanks.
don Jaime de los Resorbitos
Free the Water Tower 3!
The primary reason to have only apparantly trivial exposed through the envelope is to encourage customers to insert the payment form in the correct orientation so the mechanical processors will work correctly.
No matter where you go, there you are.