Oldie junk mail

I don't know what that is !

What what is? Junk mail? The Oldie?

I do now, thanks Google

deepkent - I've noticed the same thing. A reader asked why they did it once and the reply was that it keeps costs down in the same way as advertising in the magazine does. It's b****y annoying, isn't it? I just chuck the whole lot in the recycling without looking at any of it. Another reader said he liked it because it provided kindling for his fire!

deepkent - you have 30 or 40 different magazines delivered? Really? I tend to view my monthly Oldie as an indulgence but it's the only mag I buy as I can't bear those women's mags or the celebrity mags, all full of rubbishy articles and items about people I've never heard of. I do love The Oldie, though - apart from the fire fodder, obviously!

Nottooold:

Yes, I had the same response from the publisher when I wrote complaining, but he was missing the point. I fully understand the commercial reasons for including junk and flyers, but my point was the amount they send. He did not reply when I pointed this out. My solution now is to send the stuff back, each one in its own envelope. Luckily, the Oldie has a freepost address:

THE OLDIE
FREEPOST RRAJ-AGER-LEAK
DOVETAIL SERVICES
800 GUILLAT AVENUE
KENT SCIENCE PARK
SITTINGBOURNE ME9 8GU

Thus, it doesn't cost me anything but time and a few pence for envelopes, but it costs them 50p or 60p for every bit of junk mail. I have just sent back the 13 items in the current issue, costing them £6.50. If enough of us did this, they might review their advertising policy.

Is it worth subscribing?

deepkent - you are fighting a worthy battle. Well done. I might do the same.

grannylyn65 - do you mean is it worth subscribing to The Oldie? I'd say yes but you could first try buying a one-off copy to see if you like it. I've seen it in Waitrose but I'm pretty sure you can get it in WHS, for example. It's a bit like the old Punch used to be.

NotTooOld - Thank you.

grannylyn65 - Yes, I think it is, despite my beef about advertising. They cover subjects other magazines don't care about, and nobody writes about being on Twitter or Facebook. And, pleasingly, you can't tell what its politics is.

Sounds good, will try it, thanks x

You're welcome. Also, their cartoons are usually good.