Yeah, I know… Is there such a thing as ethics in mass advertising? Quite possibly no. And it annoys the hell out of me. Some of you may be asking yourself “Self, what is he talking about?” Well, basically it is those stupid windshield fliers and doorknob hangings.

First I will bitch about windshield fliers… These really bug me. For one, hardly anyone wants them, and you also got those people who just toss them on the ground. The other day Hollywood Video was placing them on all the windshields at a local grocery store… What did that parking lot look like an hour later? Like a Kinkos exploded nearby, there was orange papers EVERYWHERE. Did they get more business? Not really, they weren’t busier than they were before, and they weren’t any slower. If you want to get your point across, why would you do something that you know for a fact annoys people? Why not place a big banner on your property? Why go onto private property, without permission from the owners, place fliers on people’s private property when there are better ways to do this? My very first job, I worked at a gas station stocking the freezer, it was winter, and a stupid local Chinese restaurant placed fliers on all of the windshields in the parking lot, between the moisture in the air and the cold weather, I permanently had their phone number on my windshield, did they bother helping me to get it off or offer to pay to get it off? No.

Second of all, are those door knob hangers. They are everywhere, and almost every company has them… Even though I live in an apartment complex that is clearly marked “No Soliciting,” we get these at least once a week. For days afterwards I spend the next few days picking dozens of them off the ground. These to, in my opinion, are basically an invasion of privacy, they go onto MY patio, and hang it on MY door. Why not knock on the door (which I also hate) and ask me if I would like some of your coupons? I have watched these people, they walk up really fast, hang it, then get the hell out of there, which is a good idea, because you would not like me to catch you hanging them on MY door.

These things pissing me off like this may only be me… But I doubt it, tell me who likes to have to get back out of their car because they didn’t notice it before hand, grab the flier, then get back in, especially if it is raining outside. Or who likes to get to their home with an armload of groceries see that stupid flier there, then go in, then have to go back and take it off? Then see their neighborhood littered with door hangers or fliers? I can’t hold the “advertisers” at fault for all of this, it is also the fault of people who have the second nature to throw these on the ground. But why even put people into that position? I don’t want to waste what little space there is in my trash can with their crap, either. I think I should print up some fliers, and every time I get fliers or hangers on MY stuff, I should go onto their property and place them on their windshields/doors…