Do you get way more mail than you want or need? For those of us who pay for a mail service—someone or a company gathers our mail and in reality re-mails it to us at an address we provide—unwanted mail is a problem. It adds weight to those boxes of mail we are paying to have sent to us from Montana to Arizona.
Several years ago a friend told me about a process for opting out of receiving catalogs, offers, unwanted magazines, etc. It worked—up until now we had received no unwanted catalogs, offers, etc. Do you think I could remember the name of the organization or website—nope—I’m sure I have paperwork filed away in some obscure place in Montana but not with me.
When we’ve received our mail the last three times it has contained a wealth of unwanted catalogs and other assorted junk. Today’s batch of mail was ridiculous—so Mr. Google to the rescue.
DMAChoice.org allows you to opt out of catalogs, magazines and “other offers” for a period of five years—that time limit may be our problem—it has probably been over five years since I first opted-out. The website also links to a site which allows you to permanently opt out of receiving credit card and insurance offers. I immediately created an online account for both of us and opted-out of everything!!
Have any of you seen this Starbucks news?? At least fifteen years (maybe more, I wasn’t writing a blog back then) ago my friend Kathy and I started a retail business in Big Timber—Cinnabar Creek. We sold ladies clothing, jewelry, linens/dishes, gifts and most importantly we sold lots of books and coffee. Circumstances at the time forced Kathy and I into a partnership with another existing business—the owner of that business was all ready selling the books and coffee—that wasn’t in mine and Kathy’s business plan but it certainly worked out for the best.
I loved making coffee/espresso/lattes/mochas—I loved the way our store smelled when I opened the door in the early morning. I loved the people interaction. I loved how people came in for coffee and browsed through the books—frequently taking one or two home with them. I’ve always said if I ever wanted to go back to work I would want to work in a coffee shop. And although I have no desire to pursue any college degree, the Starbucks news made me even more sure that’s where I would want to make coffee!
“Starbucks Corp. will now pay full tuition for its workers to get a degree from Arizona State University online, instead of just partially footing the bill, giving it another way to entice employees in a tightening labor market.
Employees who work at least 20 hours a week will be eligible to have full tuition, the company said in a statement Monday. Starbucks founded the college program in 2014, with full-tuition reimbursement available only to juniors and seniors, while students in their first two years got a stipend of $6,500 to cover about half their fees.
Now, Starbucks is making full tuition available to more than 140,000 U.S. employees.” Bloomberg Business News
And Cinnabar Creek is still in business—still selling coffee and books along with all the other stuff.
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There is a phone app called Paper Karma that does a great job of getting you "Unsubscribed" to all the unwanted catalogs. You take a photo of the catalog page with your mailing address and the name of the catalog and they do all the rest. They will send you periodic updates to let you know which catalogs have been cancelled and which are still pending. It has worked well for me.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the website to get rid of unwanted mail. We are going to be traveling lots in the next year and it is something we will need. I love Cinnabar Creek - go there every time I am in Big Timber to shop and have Friday lunch at The Grand. Love keeping up with your fun through your blog!
ReplyDeleteI might have to check out that junk mail stuff. So many dead trees going to waste.
ReplyDeleteI don't leave you comments too often, but I check check in on ya'll most every day. As I sit here sipping my mocha cappuccino, now I see why we get along! Have a great day . . . we are expecting severe storms today. think I might have to resort to the hand crank machine. LOL
Starbucks does a great job taking care of its employees. They have always helped provide affordable health insurance and the latest college tuition help is wonderful. A super employer and our favorite store:)
ReplyDeleteWe've gotten our paper mail reduced fairly well, now our email is crazy. They find you one way or the other :-) Starbucks is an amazing employer, proof that you can make a profit and still respect the environment and provide well for your workers. Imagine if the Koch brothers had the same ethics.......our communities would be thriving :-))
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite jobs after my government retirement was working for a friend who owned an Espresso/Deli/Gift Shop. I loved being as barista and remembering favorite drinks of our customers. I trained at Treasure Valley Coffee in Boise--the aroma of roasting coffee was tantalizing. We pay our mail service to sort our mail and do away with ads/catalogs. When we get a home, I'll have to take on the responsibility. :-(
ReplyDeleteGood for Starbucks. Paulette and I are big fans of Starbuck's coffee and their Kenya blend is the one we brew at home.
ReplyDeleteInteresting story about your life as a barista. One of our daughters was also a barista while going to school - now she's a barrister only Starbuck's didn't pay for that, unfortunately!!!
Just a note: the link to Cinnabar Creek didn't work for me.
Rick on Google+