Coming up on 2 1/2 years residing in this home, it still happens. Among the bills and solicitations cluttering my mailbox there regularly appear envelopes and notices sent to strangers at this address. Evidently, a number of people used to live where I live now.
Coming up on 2 1/2 years residing in this home, it still happens. Among the bills and solicitations cluttering my mailbox there regularly appear envelopes and notices sent to strangers at this address. Evidently, a number of people used to live where I live now.
Oh, I don't suppose Michelle will regret not getting notification that school bus drivers are needed in my community and receive a starting wage of $16/hour. Maybe she does not want that job, and her current employment permitted her and her children to return to school in style without that major retailer’s colorful catalog offering up to 65% off every day on the top brands she wants.
But won’t she be inconvenienced to have not received the promotional code allowing her 20% off any online order from that cosmetics company? What if she really needs their Advanced Skin Corrector, but cannot afford to remediate her pores, wrinkles, and skin texture at full price?
One can assume that Ernest is able to continue his contented existence without updated information on the privacy policy of the Enormous Life Insurance Company. And it is probably a good bet Harold cares little about the national wireless carrier’s phone bill repeatedly delivered to my door no matter how many times I return it marked “not at this address.”
Should we be concerned for Charles, who was sent a replacement water filter offer for his Maytag refrigerator? What if Charles does not know his old filter is past its time? And if he does, must he now suffer the hardship of purchasing a new one without the promo code allowing him 15% off plus free shipping?
It is likely Wanda has already made arrangements for affordable, top-rated homeowners coverage, thus negating her need for the discounts offered in the Big Online Insurance Firm’s letter. But maybe she should be aware the management company at her former residence has turned her account over to a third party collection agency. I would want to know about sort of thing, were it happening to me.
Perhaps the most tragically mis-addressed item belongs to Dominique. Somehow, an official ID card confirming her as a student of a local university arrived at my house. One can only imagine the hassles she endured while engaging the school’s bureaucracy for a replacement. Because this ID doubles as a debit card, one also envisions the potential trouble she experienced not having access to the funds in her school account. University is difficult enough without the added stress of not being able to get your money.
Still, one tries to remain optimistic, resolving the glass is half-full and these people from my house’s past somehow have managed to continue successfully in life without the mail that is not reaching them. I wish them well, and hope they are treating other people's mail as respectfully as I have treated theirs.
However, if the Prize Patrol van shows up with a giant check from Publishers Clearing House, I plan to gladly claim the identity of whoever the check is made out to. Hmmm, maybe I should keep Dominique's ID card, just in case…
Pat Grimes, a former South Bay resident, writes from Ypsilanti, Mich. He can be reached at pgwriter@inbox.com
