Question: Is there a way to get rid of “Postal Customer” saturation mailing fliers? … They are unwanted and wasteful.
Answer: Not a simple one, apparently.
The U.S. Postal Service offers several ways for businesses to direct advertising to specific neighborhoods, via mailers addressed to “Postal Customer” or some other generic title. The Postal Service provides no universal “opt-out” function to prevent delivery of such mail, so the most immediate step you can take is to contact the business responsible for the mailer, a spokesman confirmed.
Depending on the mailing method, the business may or may not be able to remove you from the delivery list. For example, if the mailer you received was sent via USPS’ Every Door Direct Mail service, the only way the business could drop you would be to stop advertising on the entire carrier route, because EDDM is delivered by ZIP code, not by name or address.
“Not every mailer is an EDDM, so it’s difficult to make a statement that covers every possibility. It’s best to start by contacting the business that is sending out the mailer,” said Duke Gonzales, a spokesman for the Postal Service in Honolulu.
Even if the business cannot remove you from the mailing list, lodging your complaint will provide feedback on this method of advertising.
Note, too, that enrolling with DMAChoice and CatalogChoice, two national organizations devoted to reducing junk mail, won’t automatically reduce advertising mailed via the local saturation services. However, they may reduce the overall amount of unwanted mail you receive. You can learn more at dmachoice.org and catalogchoice.org.
Q: Regarding the renewal notice for the permanent disability parking placard, will that be sent automatically, or do I have to notify someone to get it? Also, do the instructions you printed apply statewide? I ask because the reader you answered was from Maui and I live in Mililani (808ne.ws/295KH3J).
A: Renewal notices are sent automatically to addresses on file for permit holders whose long-term removable windshield placard will expire within 60 days. And yes, the process applies statewide. Renewals of these blue-colored placards are processed by mail and issued by the state Disability and Communication Access Board. You can read more online at health.hawaii.gov/dcab/.
Auwe
On the freeway, the right lane is the slow lane. The left lane is the fast lane. Please don’t clog the left lane going 40 mph and force everyone to pass on the right. It’s dangerous! Slow traffic: Move to the right. Why do so many people not know this? — Read the manual
Mahalo
My husband and I were having dinner at the Hawaii Kai Outback Restaurant on June 24 when a most unexpected and generous gift was left for us by a young couple with two small children. Although we did not speak to each other, smiles and nods were exchanged intermittently. After they left, their waitress came to tell us that they had already paid for our dinner. We were shocked, to say the least — it was truly a teary-eyed moment for us. One of us then ran (or limped!) out to the parking lot to see if they could be found. We really wanted to thank them personally for their thoughtful, unexpected gesture. However, the old legs couldn’t make it to the parking lot in time and they were nowhere in sight. Unfortunately, we don’t know if they were local residents, tourists or military personnel. So whoever you are and if you read this column: Please know that this couple (a Korean War vet and his wife) were truly touched by your generosity. We say thank you and mahalo! We hope that someday someone will do an unexpected good deed for you, too! — Aloha, Jim and Irene Connors
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
