To hate the “would you like to opt out of Mother’s Day” emails

[Butterflywings84]

Just this really. I understand they are trying to avoid upset but I actually find it worse to have a pre-reminder that I’ve lost my mum. I can usually just ignore what I know is a generic email promoting Mother’s Day. Yes they sometimes get me and I always feel sad about it but the opting out emails almost feel more personal and kind of like the loss is being rubbed in my face. I’m still reminded about it as it still mentions Mother’s Day and it’s almost more of a reinforcement that she’s not here and I’m somehow different than just being able to ignore the usual spam. I’m probably being over sensitive but feels like I see more and more of these emails now and they are really starting to annoy me.

I feel the opposite way to you. I found that once I’ve opted out, I don’t get repeat emails from them about Mother’s Day which is absolutely fine with me. I’m more annoyed with companies that don’t provide this option, and I have sometimes just blocked those who don’t.

I find them really irritating.

’we know you may not wish to be reminded about Mother’s Day so here is an email reminding you about Mother’s Day.’

grr

I always opt out when I get them. It doesn't bother me.

I lost my mum 16 years ago, and tbh emails like this are so meaningless in the big scheme of the feelings I have around losing my mum that I don’t give them a nano second thought

I agree I hate it. I find a "would you like to opt out of mother's day 😔😔😔" email more sad than just a normal marketing email that I'm used to ignoring anyway. I have to engage with their stupid opt out email or I get both anyway.

This.
I agree, far worse than the generic ones

I appreciate that they are trying to be sensitive and like the ability to opt out but I wish they would remember these preferences for next year. I have to keep opting out from the same places every year - surely if I’ve said I don’t want to receive communication about Mother’s Day then this should include this type of message? It’s not as if I’ve acquired a new mother since last year!

Sending hugs OP 💐

Could you run two emails, one just for shops/businesses and one for actual correspondence - you could ignore the shop one in March.
I lost my mother years ago, and I keep the whole day very understated tbh - my children have chosen to do a completely different day of the year to celebrate me, which is very sweet of them.

I've definitely had the same emails from some companies on an annual basis despite opting out so I tend not to bother now. However, I clicked on one this year to do just that and it took me through to their website where the landing page was Mother's Day gifts. People must have complained as there soon followed an apology email about Mother's Day preferences etc. Probably the most mentions of Mother's Day that I could have triggered unless I went to a bloody Hallmark shop.

I find I get more emails asking if I want to opt out than I do actual Mother’s Day emails (and I don’t opt out, so that’s not why!)

💯 I especially hate the ones that say ‘to opt out, click here’ and then require me to log in and select ‘don’t tell me about mother’s day’. If you can’t make it easy, don’t bother offering the option because now I just hate your brand and won’t ever buy from you.

Is there some reason you can't permanently block the companies that send them? Or do more and more companies do this?

When they send you loads of marketing emails in February exorting you to spend for Valentine's, unsubscribe from them then? You don't need to wait until March rolls around and the totally predictable mothers' day promotions start. You can't avoid mentions of it completely but if you don't like the emails, you do have options at least. (I do find it annoying that you unsubscribe from a company you've bought from, hear no more from them until you buy from them again (because it's Christmas) and even though you didn't ask for their email promotions, you seem to be back on their subscribers' list... no thank you!)

Yes I hate them too. Just another excuse to spam you with messages whilst dressing it up as “caring”. So cynical.

I’m the same.

The opt out emails have increased so much in volume, and honestly they feel more cynical than anything else now - like the marketing team are like ‘here’s another opportunity to contact them and direct them to our webpage’.

I find it so annoying! One brand did it years ago and it got lauded in the press as revolutionary, now every brand is doing it - it’s such an over the top marketing email thing.

If you ever wanted an example of cant do right for doing wrong, this is it.
Businesses send these out to their entire customer base every year ahead of the day. They have no psychic ability to know what has happened to their customers.
Mothers Day and Fathers Day is just plain old hard when you have lost a parent. I view an email designed to stop repeated hurt a good thing.

I get ads about products for old people all the time.
I just ignore them.
That works for me.

YANBU. I find them irritating and pointless. If you've lost a parent you're not likely to be able to ignore it.

My DM died last year so this is my first Mother's Day without her and companies pretending to be sensitive don't make any difference to my feelings.

Do you get many marketing emails? I opt out of all of them, either by unticking the box when I buy, or unsubscribing from those that slip through the net. I still get a ridiculous volume of emails which are mostly junk like ‘your parcel is on its way’ or ‘your monthly subscription has renewed’ plus school emails etc. If I let companies send me all their advertising shit as well I’d drown!

Mothers and fathers day is a load of commercial crap generated by advertisers. I dont need to opt out because I never opted in

I like them. I opted out of the fathers day ones a few months after he died and I've not seen a single one since, so while it hurt the first time, it's nice to never see them again.

I'd rather go through it once than yearly.

They do annoy me a bit as well. I lost my mum over 20 years ago and yes, it’s hard walking into shops and seeing Mother’s Day cards etc everywhere but no, I don’t want to opt out of emails because to me, that means that I should just ignore the fact my mum is no longer here.
Just send the generic marketing email and I can delete it just like I do with the majority of crap emails I receive.

Disagree, I found it really helpful when I was struggling with double digit recurrent miscarriages.

When the first companies did them it felt like a nice gesture and I can see why they all hopped on the bandwagon. Maybe it'd be better to have it as an option at the bottom of the actual mother's day emails, a specific link for a mother's day opt out if you still want to be subscribed by other stuff.

Or the industry could do a register of specific opt out lists.