Handle different opinions about a relative’s catalogs
If you want the catalogs gone and your relative does not, the decision is theirs. Ask them to name the three mailings they find most useful, then ask what they would change. Act only on their answers. The volume bothering you is not a reason to overrule them.
Have the conversation
- Choose a calm time and bring a few recent mailings. Start by asking what they look forward to receiving.
- Ask them to name the three mailings they would least want to lose. Write these down in their words as the keep list.
- Ask whether anything about the rest bothers them, such as repeat copies or bulk. Their concern may be smaller than yours.
- Offer a limited change, such as one request to a single sender, and let them choose whether to make it.
When the worry is about more than paper
A helper may be worried about scams or confusion rather than paper. Discuss that directly with your relative, and take it to their health or legal providers if needed. Do not draw conclusions about their capacity from how much mail they keep. If they decline every change, write that down and raise it again only if they bring it up.
Private conversation guide
Example for your own use. Replace the bracketed details and review what you share.
Make one agreed request
If they pick a sender to stop, make that request together using the name and address exactly as printed on the mailing. Write the date on the guide. Bring up a second sender only if they ask.
Official source
Keep personal records with the organization that handles them
Junk Mail Magic is for ordinary unwanted advertising. Use the official contact route in this guide for records, account changes or someone else’s correspondence.
Compare removal routes