Just about everywhere else in the world, noteably in places like the UK, the government’s gotten itself the hell out of the mail carrying business. In Canada, the government is the mail carrying business. And that business is bleeding money from just about every open wound in existence. Rather than do the sensible thing and get out of the business altogether, like everyone else, it’s decided now’s a mighty fine time for getting creative. Said creativity results in things like sending junkmail to the folks who’ve requested they not get junkmail explaining why it is they need their junkmail.
“Your address is part of Canada Posts’ Consumers’ Choice database as a result of having a ‘no flyer’ notice on your mailbox,” read the letter. “You are currently not receiving unaddressed mail delivered by Canada Post that your neighbours are receiving. This includes mail that can save you money and keep you connected with your local community.”
What they don’t do is explain exactly what part of my local community’s responsible for sending me those preapproved Capital One creditcards that somewhat occasionally show up in the stack–probably because they figure at least one member of the community’d be fixing to punch the source in the kidney. Those, the random menus from local restaurants, the even more random advertisements from stores I’ve never set foot in, all end up collecting in a bin by the front door until we get around to sorting, sifting and tossing. And for the privilege of having a bunch-o-mail® taking up space that might be better served being taken up by honest to god legitimate mail traffic that might actually get read before next Christmas, these companies pay Canada post. Fewer places to dump the junk, smaller payments from the folks wanting it dumped, shorter stack of cash from which to be paying out all those nifty government pensions. Mix it all together and you’ve got Canada post saying “I know you said no, but please?”. You know, come to think of it, on the internets I think there’s laws for that…
4 responses to “In canada Post land, no means yes.”
And while this is going on, Canada Post is also airing TV commercials, at least they were around the holidays. This is because, I suppose, the public doesn’t know that it can send things through the mail…er something. Seems a rather irresponsible use of money you keep telling us you don’t have, no?
Y’know, I didn’t even see those ads and we had the TV on fairly often over the holidays. Not, I suppose, that it aughta much surprise me they’re doing it. Sadly we can’t even really blame one particular political party for that mess, though folks have tried and will try. Canada Post is just, well, screwed.
Maybe you can make the case for blaming one political party at least as far as the timing of bad news announcement, but at the end of the day it’s not the government that hosed Canada Post. Evolution and innovation hosed Canada Post.
Agreed. and I’m sure playing catch-up with its pension plan isn’t doing them a whole lot of huge favours either…