October 15, 2007

Catalog Choice

It's that time of year -- our mailboxes are clogged with mail-order catalogs: wanted and unwanted. How do you get rid of the unwanted catalogs? Along comes a new website to the rescue, attempting to do for catalogs what the Do Not Call registry does to eliminate telemarketers. I can't vouch for its effectiveness, but it seems to me that catalog companies, unlike telemarketers, would want to trim recipients who don't care to hear from them -- the cost is just too high.

The folks behind Catalog Choice are motivated by ecological concerns, but if the site builds critical mass, it will work primarily because consumers want to rid themselves of an annoyance and businesses want to save money.