really, restoration hardware???

restoration hardware doormat

So this showed up at my front door the other day.

I was intrigued by the heft of it until I realized what it actually was.

17 pounds of Restoration Hardware catalogs? 

Are you kidding me?

All I could think about were the poor trees that had been sacrificed, and I felt a little guilty that we must have received this wasteful package because we once used our designer’s information to order cabinet knobs.

I carried the brick-like stack, still wrapped in its plastic, right over to the recycling bin, tossed it in and forgot about it. Until I started to see dozens of Tweets and Facebook posts from other people who were also angry over receiving this.

Restoration Hardware pile of catalogs

Had Restoration Hardware actually sent out this ridiculously excessive package on a mass level?

I decided to explore a little more, so I went to get it from the recycling bin. This was much easier said than done since it had sunk to the bottom, like a dead body in an episode of The Sopranos, and I had to turn the whole bin on its side to get to it. Then I had to crawl practically all the way inside because it takes two hands to handle this baby.

As it turns out, the tome contains 13 catalogs with a total of more than 3000 pages of paper. This is five times the number of pages of their 2011 catalog – a catalog that weighed in at about three pounds and outraged people then. It seems to me that RH is sending out a pretty big FU.

Restoration Hardware catalogs

Yet one page is dedicated to the company’s “Sustainability Initiative.” Uh huh. They swear that this is a more ecologically sound way to send their Source Books, that their shipping is carbon neutral, that they are the founding sponsor of a forest certification grant program.

So, if a package of catalogs falls on people’s doormats and they don’t open it, does it still impact the environment?

Yes.

I’m not saying RH shouldn’t send out their Source Books or that people shouldn’t enjoy them. But let’s be reasonable.

Our natural resources are dwindling. All of this information is available online. Why don’t they first send an email to everyone they’re thinking of mailing this monstrosity to, asking them which catalogs, if any, they actually want to receive? For example, I would bet many people aren’t interested in the baby catalog and, right there, tons of paper would be saved.

It gives me faith in the future that so many people are disgusted by this and are returning their still-wrapped packages to local stores and company headquarters to make their point. I think I’ll do the same.

Meanwhile, I hope RH will be treating UPS drivers to massages because, in the last couple of weeks, my delivery guy seems to be stooped over and walking a lot slower.

Restoration hardware step
Well, at least I can now do my step class at home.
Restoration Hardware step stool
No need to buy RH’s $89 step stool.
Restoration Hardware doorstop
It does make an excellent door stop.

 

43 thoughts on “really, restoration hardware???

    1. I’m with Carol! Rueful! Full of rue! You name it, I’m there! (I wouldn’t have minded receiving just one to drool over.) Someone is likely losing a job over this poor decision or poorly placed click of a mouse.

  1. Yes, I got it and thought it was totally wasteful and ridiculous. I wonder how much money they spent on both postage and printing (not to mention the paper waste). Disgraceful. But I had to laugh to see how you were able to use the 17-pound mass! (or should that be “mess?”)

  2. Step stool….love it. Thinking this is going to backfire on them…as well it should. Interesting…Ikea’s catalog gets smaller, and they make you ask for it. I love Ikea and always keep a catalog around, but I am certain I visit their website and the store, more than the catalog.

  3. Good for you to call them out on this. That is really ridiculous. You know those silly ads that come with bills sometimes? I’ve been sending them all back. I also put “return to sender” on any paper I don’t want, and unsubscribe from catalogs I don’t want. What a waste!

  4. One of the unspoken problems is that some catalogs are printed on paper that can’t be recycled so not only are we wasting trees, the energy it takes to make them, postage, people power to deliver them, and energy to throw them in the recycle bin, in some cases we are wasting people power to sort and throw them in the landfill when the paper is coated or treated….

    Humor gets attention and you, in your masterful way, made this an issue that won’t be ignored! Love this! Sharing, Tweeting, spreading the word in hopes that they and others (like Uline) will pay attention!

  5. That’s insane that they sent that to so many people I mean come on! At least have it on an ask only bases.

  6. Oh my goodness that’s awful! And I bet a ton of people just threw them away. This really surprises me that any company in this day and age would be so wasteful. Makes me sad.

  7. This makes me so angry. I haven’t gotten one of these recently, but they’ve done this guerrilla marketing before. I received the same ridiculously large package maybe a year ago? and I don’t eve know how I’m on their list. They should be ashamed!!

  8. I think yellow pages, phone books, catalogs and other should be actually online. No one reads even a news paper anymore if is ot for the coupon inserts. Make iit online and save a bunch of trees

  9. I didn’t get this particular one, but I have gotten other ones. And every single time I think to myself, I can’t believe they send this to me, I have never even ordered from them! For the most part the catalogs seem to be slowing down, thankfully, except at the holidays.

  10. We don’t get that catalog at our house so I was unaware of this happening but holy cow is that ridiculous! Wasteful use of resources and who on earth has enough money to buy that much product from them? Their crap is expensive! I would be good with a two page RH brochure.

  11. Love it! At least you found something useful to do with the mass amount of catalogs you received. Got to wonder what the company was thinking…and really who looks at catalogs anymore. NOT ME!

  12. Glad you found a *better* use for it.
    I love RH but my wallet disagrees. All the money spent on those catalogs could’ve gone to putting some of their draperies on sale.
    THEN I might be buying something from them….

  13. The ‘footstool’ was delivered by UPS here, as well. It was that ONE little page referencing their Sustainability that really put the lid down on the recycle bin with a shake of the head.

  14. That is INSANE. Great pictures and great uses for the useless catalog. Haven’t they heard of this thing called online shopping?!

  15. LOL! It’s kinda sad but funny at the same time. I think we’ve had several like those in our house somewhere. Not going to mention where from though 🙂

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