Like lots of people these days, I’m trying to do more with less. I’m looking at my expenses and trying to trim them where possible. However, there is one area that seems perpetually out of control – magazine subscriptions.
In our house, it all started many years ago with a magazine fundraising drive. I am the wimpiest fundraiser on the face of the earth and I absolutely HATE asking people for money. (One of many reasons why a career in sales was never in the cards for me.) When my kids were offered an out-of-uniform pass for sending postcards to out-of-town family, I always made them write in huge letters: THERE IS NO OBLIGATION. I also sent out e-mails ahead of time warning people that they’d get postcards and telling them they could do the same to us.
That was all fine and good, but those fundraising companies know exactly what they are doing. Along with whooping the kids into a frenzy at kickoff rallies, they also baited them with toys and trinkets if they hit fundraising goals. In the end, because I was such a wimp, I’d cave in and decide that I would actually enjoy a subscription to “Everyday with Rachel Ray,” along with several other truly unnecessary titles. Pretty bad, I know, but on “turn-in day,” it seemed the path of least resistance.
But here’s the thing: It didn’t stop there. It wouldn’t be so bad if I was just dealing with an overabundance of magazines. The problem is, maybe I’m crazy but it seems like they send out renewal notices within a week or two of getting the first issue. It’s so incredibly annoying…and confusing.
At first I fell for it nearly every time. “Oh look,” I’d say. “It’s time to renew American Girl.” But then one day I actually looked at my mailing label of the magazine or online and found out that I had already paid for a two-year subscription. With their stealth and sneaky marketing gimmicks, I was going to be subscribing to American Girl until my daughter graduated from college.
And although I’ve gotten a lot smarter, these renewal mailings still drive me crazy and cause me momentary concern. With phrases like: “Last chance!” or “One issue left!,” they still get me every time. You know what they say: There’s a sucker born every minute. Yeah, that’s me alright.
