The Phonebook

[Rob Lister]

Yesterday I received "The Talking Phone Book"; a Hearst Publication.

Today I received, on my doorstep, "The Book"; a Version Publication.

Both are combined white/yellow page directories.

I figure each company spent at least $10.00 making and delivering each to my door (non-mail)

Does that sound about right?

P.S. I throw them away because we have zero use for them.

[Pyrts]

I wish we could opt out of phone book deliveries. I wouldn't mind ONE on a yearly basis,but we get 5-6 of the things. Enough, already!

[volatile]

P.S. I throw them away because we have zero use for them.

Recycle it, don't just chuck it! You might need to cut the glued margin off, depending on your local council's policies.

[WildCat]

I figure each company spent at least $10.00 making and delivering each to my door (non-mail)

Does that sound about right?
See how much they charge for an ad, and you'll understand.

[madurobob]

What bugs me is that around here they just toss them under your mailbox. How is that not littering? I didn't order it, didn't ask for it, don't want it. How is this any different than them dumping a carload of cigarette butts in my yard?

[rjh01]

Come live in Australia. Two phone books per year delivered at the same time. One is the white pages and the other is the yellow pages. Depending on where you live they could be combined or in several volumes.
If you are on the Internet then all the info is available on line.

Ads? What ads? Not in the white pages. Even the companies that have large entries in the yellow pages only put the essential information in.

www.yellowpages.com.au (http://www.yellowpages.com.au)
www.whitepages.com.au (http://www.whitepages.com.au)

[Rob Lister]

Recycle it, don't just chuck it! You might need to cut the glued margin off, depending on your local council's policies.

It's cheaper for everyone to just chuck it --- but that's a different thread.

How about if instead they just don't make and and send it to me. I didn't ask for them, I don't use them, I don't want them. I understand why they send it however. The more they distribute, the more circulation they can claim, the more they can charge for ads. Looks rather circular, doesn't it?

My point is that it clearly makes money sense or they wouldn't do it, but damned if I can see how that buggy whip model has withstood the internet.

[volatile]

My point is that it clearly makes money sense or they wouldn't do it, but damned if I can see how that buggy whip model has withstood the internet.

My local plumber, odd-job guy and electrician all don't have websites. They do, however, have phones.

[HarryKeogh]

If only someone copyrighted the term "Yellow Pages" maybe we wouldn't have four million competing directories. And then there are all the business directories and registries (I can't be the only business owner who gets 2 or 3 calls a week asking me to update my information for the new edition of some stupid book.)

My office doesn't have a Thomas Register (to the relief of my bookcases) or Yellow Pages but it does have a Google machine.

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

What bugs me is that around here they just toss them under your mailbox. How is that not littering? I didn't order it, didn't ask for it, don't want it. How is this any different than them dumping a carload of cigarette butts in my yard?
It's bound into one item, so it's like someone dumping a sealed container of cigarette butts in your yard.

~~ Paul

[HarryKeogh]

What bugs me is that around here they just toss them under your mailbox. How is that not littering?

It is littering.

[madurobob]

It is littering.

And yet, I have a sneaking suspicion that even if I had video evidence of said serial littering, the license plate number of the vehicle, and even a notarized "confession" from the corporate manager who authorized the littering, I doubt the local gendarmerie would take any action. The bastards.

And what about those ***holes who stick flyers under the windshield wipers of every car in the mall parking lot? Ack! Those folks and the phone book folks need to be taken out back and shot.

Ok, maybe thats a little extreme. Still, its annoying.

[Rob Lister]

My local plumber, odd-job guy and electrician all don't have websites. They do, however, have phones.

I bet a web site would be not only cheaper, but far more effective. Yellowpage ads cost big bucks.

[Starthinker]

You think that's bad, at our business location they drop of bundles of phone books, like 20-30 at a time. We use 1 or 2 and the rest fill the dumpster. We've called them several years in a row but it doesn't help. We have 3 "brands" and they must use the same list because they all do it. Another thing that gets me is that they'll do this even if it's pouring down rain, like they aren't smart enough to realize no one wants a waterlogged book of any kind.

[sinclairmcevoy]

We have 3 units in the building we are located at. Only one office. So we are entitled to 3 yellow and 3 white. How dumb is that?

[Esperdome]

My local plumber, odd-job guy and electrician all don't have websites. They do, however, have phones.

I find it's easier to pre-screen businesses in a real phone book than Internet yellow pages. The Internet ones give you almost no info about the capabilities of the company. (probably because no one advertises in them)