If the character is a bit older, they might be on the mailing list for the Innovations Catalogue which used to have quite a reputation for never going away.
Virgin (who do cable phone, TV and internet plus bonus TV channels) send their bumf in white A4 envelopes roughly weekly to, I believe, every house in the UK. We thought actually signing up for them might stop the offers turning up. It hasn't...
Thing is, most workplaces only get vaguely work-related post - so I get zillions of invitations and special prices to attend industry-related conferences. Or to sign up for some allegedly useful journal or course. And over the last couple years those have dwindled as they're all email now, so depends what year your fic is set in.
The Innovations Catalogue used to be sent to anyone who had ever bought something from them, as well as being included in the Sunday newspapers, so while it's a guilty pleasure for many reading it (at least once a year, just not as often as you had one), it wouldn't turn up at a workplace where you might not be allowed to receive parcels (so no government, police, hospitals etc).
The problem with Virgin is that they address their envelopes to 'Occupier' so no good for the OP in this case.
I had serious problems getting off the 'National Geographic' list when I cancelled my subscription, and I suspect the same will happen with the 'National Trust' when I finally get round to cancelling our membership.
And Hotter catalogues - I must have recycled enough by now to have saved a small forest.
I once had a job stamping envelopes for charities. Some like to send their letters with actual stamps rather than putting them through the franking machine to make it look like a real letter rather than just another request for donations.
This seems like a promising line of thought. If Lestrade even once, years past, thought it would be a nice idea to make a donation - or he was pressured by someone to do it, and gave in - and he put the NSY address rather than his own address with his name, just because (maybe he was in the process of getting kicked out by his wife at the time? or another reason?)... then that charity would forever be trying to send him solicitation at his work address, and any letters from them that were hand-stamped or put in "normal" envelopes would get through the postroom. (OK, "postroom" or "post room"?)
Thanks for everyone's thoughts on this! You've all been quite helpful, sorry I've had a few days of standing back from the conversation. :D
It's very time-specific but right now my house is being inundated with leaflets, flyers, posters, business cards and full on letters in stamped envelopes from politicians desperate for my vote. The letters in particular don't initially look like junk unless you happen to spot the return address in tiny letters on the back. Unfortunately, getting off the list is not an option - it's the electoral register and I like voting.
Besides Sky and Virgin (which I don't mind too much since I'm signed up with both) most addressed and enveloped junk is from SunLife trying to sell life insurance for the over 50s. Nobody in this house is over 50. But since their logo is on the envelope, it just gets scooped into the recycling bin with all the pizza menus.
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And seconding "never mailroom, always postroom".
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We thought actually signing up for them might stop the offers turning up.
It hasn't...
Thing is, most workplaces only get vaguely work-related post - so I get zillions of invitations and special prices to attend industry-related conferences. Or to sign up for some allegedly useful journal or course.
And over the last couple years those have dwindled as they're all email now, so depends what year your fic is set in.
The Innovations Catalogue used to be sent to anyone who had ever bought something from them, as well as being included in the Sunday newspapers, so while it's a guilty pleasure for many reading it (at least once a year, just not as often as you had one), it wouldn't turn up at a workplace where you might not be allowed to receive parcels (so no government, police, hospitals etc).
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I had serious problems getting off the 'National Geographic' list when I cancelled my subscription, and I suspect the same will happen with the 'National Trust' when I finally get round to cancelling our membership.
And Hotter catalogues - I must have recycled enough by now to have saved a small forest.
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Thanks for everyone's thoughts on this! You've all been quite helpful, sorry I've had a few days of standing back from the conversation. :D
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Besides Sky and Virgin (which I don't mind too much since I'm signed up with both) most addressed and enveloped junk is from SunLife trying to sell life insurance for the over 50s. Nobody in this house is over 50. But since their logo is on the envelope, it just gets scooped into the recycling bin with all the pizza menus.
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