To throw the Avon catalogue...

[onionbahjeepers]

I didn't even think Avon still did catalogues but I've just got home to find one through my door and a note saying they'll collect next week.

Person A says just throw it away, it's unsolicited mail.

Person B says just throw it out on the doorstep and let it sit there for a week.

Person C says keep it in and remember to put it out on the day it says it'll be collected.

Which team are you?

Interesting that it's the people getting unwanted junk mail who are expected to be thoughtful rather than those who are delivering it.

If someone chooses to ignore the "no unsolicited mail" sign on the door then that's too bad 🤷‍♀️

I don't think the size is relevant - it's junk mail, I don't want it hanging round the house nor do I want to have to remember to put it out on some random day to be taken away again.

@biscuitsandbooks I do actually agree if you have a "no unsolicited mail" sign then Avon (or other catalogue) reps shouldn't post them.
Although things like Town Council/County Council magazines (that I mentioned upthread) could be counted as part of the service they provide to their residents so those should be posted.
In my personal opinion 🙂

@Needmorelego yep I'm not bothered about council or government stuff (even though I mostly bin it anyway) it's the expectation that I have to keep it and look after the Avon catalogue 😂

It's such a bizarre way of running a business and really puts me off for some reason!

Oh I don't mean the ones that have signs up.

So give it back appropriately so it can be reused.

The problem for me is that I have zero headspace. As well as doing my own full time job, running my own household and dealing with the children and their needs, I also am a carer and I'm dealing with the admin for all the many, many things my mum needs. I'm at (beyond) capacity. Opening the door and saying no thank you is a few seconds and job done and finished there and then (effectively extra unwanted job refused, hopefully permanently).

Something sat on the side needing doing is an extra admin job that needs to be thought about and dealt with. I don't want clutter in my house that needs dealing with. So if it comes through the door, I do a quick look, think - "not interested" and chuck it in the recycling along with all the other junk that comes through the door that I'm not interested in.

In terms of your other post - I do read the annual Local Council magazine that comes through as I'm interested in it. It's not junk to me, but if it was, I could easily opt out once for life on the Local Council website. I have a "No junk mail, I do not buy at the door" sticker up, but for some reason Avon and Betterware people think this doesn't apply to them. So shove your unwanted junk through my door, it goes straight in the recycling because I don't have the time or headspace to do anything else with it.

@biscuitsandbooks yes to be fair it is a slightly old fashioned way of selling. It's history is of starting in America where door to door sales was more common. A typical American suburb estate doesn't have little shops in the way they do on housing estates in the UK.
It was a more convenient way of shopping for your average suburban housewife stuck at home.
When I was a child (80s) my mum had the big catalogues (Littlewoods, Freemans etc). They were sometimes called "club books" because they were shared and one person (I assume who was classed as a rep) did a big order for everyone.
You could pay for goods from the club books in installments which is why they were popular.
They all exist online now (some names of the companies have changed).

@mrsm43s yes if you have a sign up they shouldn't be posting them through.
So actually I agree with you throwing the catalogues away in that case 🙂

Sorry but my DH spends alot of time and pride keeping our front garden looking nice and leaving a silly little shitty catalogue cluttering it up is not for us thanks.

Although from your hilarious and dramatic replies I expect you live in an area where dumping shit in your front garden is normal 😂

So give it back appropriately so it can be reused

Or maybe the reps shouldn't give out catalogues to people who haven't asked for them?

Not the individual's responsibility when it comes to data protection/unsolicited mail rights.

A sender must take accountability.

C - Its just someone trying to earn a bit extra money . A would be the worst option, B is also a bit icky.

@TheLimeHedgehog I live in a flat. I don't have a front garden. I don't actually get any catalogues because the reps can't get in the building without a fob key 😂
Maybe the anti catalogue folks should all move to flats.

Explains it all thanks 😂

Yesterday I was totally person A and was ready to launch it in the bin. However, today I am debating having a browse. But either way I've asked on the neighours WhatsApp (just for my road) if it's from anyone. If it's not (or if Infact it's a neighbour I don't like) it'll be going in the bin recycling of course, I'm not a total bitch

@TheLimeHedgehog 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I’m not angry or uptight about it. I only learned last year from MN that Avon catalogues are to be treated differently to other unsolicited mail so may well have thrown in the bin before. I just tend to toss every leaflet and catalogue through the door away without looking as to who’s spamming me. My husband is usually the one who throws out the junk leaflets though and I doubt he knows anyone would be interested in collecting it either. I don’t want a catalogue of any size, and while I’m not angry about it like you’ve suggested, I don’t want a task of dealing with unsolicited mail beyond tossing it in the recycling bin.

Surely the fact that catalogues are uncontrolled when they are posted through strangers’ doors and a percentage may not be returned for any number of reasons (our neighbour’s house was unoccupied for over year for example) is just part of the cost of doing business and balanced against the opportunity for new customers.

Goody2ShoesAndTheFilthyBeast · Yesterday 15:14

I once accidentally solved the catalogue problem I think it was betterware by offending the bloke.

I learned that reps buy their catalogues because of Betterware - are they still on the go? One was posted and a few days later, a woman came and asked if I wanted to order, I told her no and please don't put another through the letterbox.

A week later, another one was there. It sat in the porch for three months and I chucked it. Of course, she came round a couple of days later! When I said I'd binned it, she got really angry with me and demanded £3.

I said I'd asked her not to post another and that she'd left it for 3 months, she said she'd been busy! I eventually closed the door on her.

My DC are in their 30s so family “fun” days are of no interest and the weekly lunch club doesn’t appeal in the slightest. The average age is way above mine, I don’t gossip and I don’t know half the people they are gossiping about! The rest of the time it’s about TV programmes which excludes me completely.

Same goes for the rest of the local groups I’m afraid. I can’t see me ever enjoying that. I’m not one for small talk and I’ve never met anyone at this type of club/event who comes even close to seeming a kindred spirit and the the environment is not one to foster attempts at a deeper level of conversation.

The women’s business and professional networking groups are full of MLM huns and Probus here is men only.

I’m happy in my own social circle and in running my own teaching group ( which is by word of mouth only)

@Elphame I wasn't referring to groups though.
I meant events. Annual yearly events (that will obviously vary from town to town).

That's interesting about the model starting in America. I think there is something about it feeling a bit "Un-British", being bothered at home, for any reason at all, even if it's only a small inconvenience. Chuggers who knock on the door, are another exampke that springs to mind. It only takes a minute to politely say no thanks, it may well be for a good cause, but it feels rude somehow that they're there at all.

I guess it's casting a net and seeing who will bite
As I said the only Avon reps I knew were people i worked with when I was a nurse and most of their customers were colleagues. Avon was surprisingly popular
But if your a SAHM how else's are you going to get new clients, other than posting them through houses in your neighbourhood?

@x2boys asking online? Knocking on doors? Asking at the school run or at toddler groups?

We're in 2024 - there are so many better ways of doing business than posting catalogues through the door and then expecting total strangers to store them got you until some random date in the future!

They are all on the FB group or parish council website.