Pulp Fiction: Still a Lot of Paper Despite All Those Pixels.

Pulp Fiction –

No, not the famous movie directed by Quentin Tarantino.  It’s the fiction about all the pulp we would save by going digital.  I don’t know about you, but digital has saved me from “printing” a lot of pictures.  I still crank out a few every month, but they’re the best of the best that I want to share with people who don’t have access to computers or smart phones.  As for things that you read, the digital onslaught has cut down on some paper (or newspapers), but many of us feel we need a “hard copy.”

I’ll bet there’s someone in your office that seems to print out every email, every article, and every single thing that comes in digitally.  Sometimes the person doesn’t even bother to pick up what’s been printed, or forgets they printed it and prints it again. 

A few catalogs

And now that we’re in the Christmas Season (it starts shortly after Labor Day), the paper catalogs are really piling up.  The first little burp of catalogs started burdening the letter carriers in early October, and the buildup has been impressive.  I saved three week’s worth of catalogs just to see the stack (see photo).  Today, another dozen catalogs graced my mailbox.  I’m betting the USPS keeps track of this because it’s probably a substantial part of their business.  The weight of all these catalogs – presuming a lot of people receive them – must severely impact the gas mileage of their trucks and planes, as well as increase sorting time.

I started thinking about the companies that use paper catalogs.  Is there something special they think happens when a consumer has a physical catalog that doesn’t happen as easily on a website?  Do people at least look at the cover of each catalog before they toss it?  Does something catch their eye that causes them to leaf through it?  Would potential buyers even know that some of these products existed without the catalog staring them in the face?  I came across a set of goblets featuring the quote, “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drink Friends” (vampire motif).  What percent of catalogs are tied to an online presence?  What percent of people go to the website to order the perfect gift rather than use the order form in the catalog?  What’s your experience?

I’m also betting the paper catalog folks get enough takers to make it worth their while, or they wouldn’t keep sending them.  Whoaa! I’ve just found a "drum pen" for $7.95.  It says I can jazz up meetings by tapping a beat anywhere.  It offers snare, tom-tom and cymbal sounds.  It’s a pen….and a drum!! 

You know, I probably wouldn’t have stumbled upon that gift online.  Thank goodness for the catalog.