April 2006 NSS News

[Grandpa Caver]

I recently received a local grotto news letter with its tabs (clear tape, top, side & bottom) intact.

BTW, I much prefer the News not be taped. It really distracts from the fine cover art.

[Dave Bunnell]

doing this? As in using the clear dot or cutting the clear dot?

We didn't ask the mailer to put any tape on the issue. But they did it and charged us extra for it, so I will ask them never to put tape like that on again.

Dave

[Cheryl Jones]

Maybe they did it to keep the membership flier from falling out?

Cheryl

[Squirrel Girl]

When I had my rubber stamp business, the Post Office had restrictions and I think if my catalog left the country, e.g., Canada, they required the open edges to be sealed. Who knows what requirements the PO has on mailings now. Though it's pretty silly if every seal opens!

[Cheryl Jones]

I receive catalogs in the mail that are sealed closed with tabs, so I doubt that there are USPS restrictions.

I bet the tabs on the NSS News were fragile, and ripped when the magazines were being stacked, handled by the mail room gorillas, rolled to fit into mailboxes and to whup pesky dogs upside the head, and so forth. Unless it is simply a conspiracy.

Cheryl

[Teresa]

Tis not a conspiracy. If something is inserted loose into a magazine which is not bound into the cover, or is more than just a 3x5 or 4x6 card stock (cannot remember which) stuck in the spine, it is required to put on the sticky things. If a mailing piece is 'bound' by folding it together, you need the sticky things. There was a big brouhaha about the subscription cards stuck into many slick magazines--the mag producers had to prove to the P.O. that the loose card inserts did not fall out at X rate.

This is for machine processing by the P.O. so that each mag or newspaper travels as a discrete piece. It also is so fewer things get smushed, torn and otherwise jammed into bulk mail handlers.

I, on the other hand, don't get my NEWS until the next month--i.e. March issue received about the 10th of April. Not the NSS' fault, but by the time we actually get the mag around here, everyone on the board has reviewed/commented/ kudoed a lot of the articles in it-- rather anticlimatic to say the least. Of course, the last name here is in the last fifth of the alphabet, so we're used to it.

[nordicjw]

I think I have the complete answer to the great conspiracy. Actually quite a few people had bit and pieces of the answer. Teresa is exactly right about why the plastic dot is there in the first place. The dot used in our case was apparently perforated in the center for easier opening, hence the rough looking edge. It would seem that the dot was not the right strength or was stretched to tightly when applied. When going thru the mailing machinery the dots popped(technical term). This information came from my local USPS mail processing center. Hope I haven't spoiled every ones conspiracy fun.

[knotty]

I was surprised to find that my NSS news had been sealed with a clear dot but before I had received it , it had been opened with a serrated knife of some sort. What was loose int the Nss News(nothing in mine)? Perhaps the mailman Likes to read my Nss News first before I get it? Hmm

[Squirrel Girl]

Yeah, I don't remember anything inside my News except for the pages themselves.

[erebus]

Mine had an 8-1/2 x 11 gift membership form in it (even though the dot was broken).

[speloman]

mine too

[bigalpha]

ditto

[Grandpa Caver]

Ditto (again)

[CaverScott]

Mine had an 8-1/2 x 11 gift membership form in it (even though the dot was broken).

Actually, every issue was to have that form included. We both received one.

[icave]

doing this? As in using the clear dot or cutting the clear dot?

We didn't ask the mailer to put any tape on the issue. But they did it and charged us extra for it, so I will ask them never to put tape like that on again.

Dave

Dave, why did we pay extra for the tape if we all recieved it with the tape broken. I don't think we should pay them for the tape. Just my 2c.

Mike Spencer