<p>My son (a senior in college) started getting Parenting Magazine mailed to my house (his permanent address) a couple months ago.</p>
<p>I had this crazy, hilarious sit-com moment at the mailbox when I first saw it and wondered what the heck was going on! </p>
<p>He has no idea why he is getting it and now I learn two more parents at CC had the same experience.</p>
<p>Anyone else getting it and does anyone have a clue what’s going on with Parenting Magazine?</p>
<p>My Mother in Law received a “Parenting” magazine, addressed to 20 year old college junior D, at MIL’s address. D has never lived at her grandmother’s house nor has she ever ordered anything and had it sent to her grandmother’s house. Our home address, her college address and her grandmother’s house are in 3 separate states. How anyone matched her name to her grandmother’s address is unknown. Also unknown is how she got onto a mailing list for Parenting magazine, when she is <em>not</em> a parent.</p>
<p>Last year I suddenly started getting Oprah’s magazine, and then a few months later started getting Redbook. I called them, because I was afraid of the hassle if I got billed for something I never asked for. Turns out the online florist I use had a free subscription included with your order. At the end of the free period I got letters asking me to “re-subscribe”. </p>
<p>We get Alzheimer’s Association solicitations addressed to my late FIL on a regular basis. FIL passed away 10 years or more before this house or address existed. I’m afraid my DHs first comment was “well, maybe they forgot he died”.</p>
<p>For about a year my husband was getting a Baby Magazine in the mail on a regular basis. When it first arrived he said - “are you trying to tell me something” then he realized HIS name was on the label! Guess as a result of being on that list we were getting all sorts of baby related samples sent to us - diapers, formula etc… Then this all stopped and now he is getting a Yachting Magazine! Have yet to receive a boat in the driveway - but he keeps looking! Very strange!</p>
<p>I posted this elsewhere when it came up, but here’s what I found out about unwanted Parents magazine subscriptions…</p>
<p>I recently got so ticked off at getting an unwanted Parents magazine that I tracked down the source of the free subscription (not easy), and managed to get it cancelled. (I think. Time will tell.) I found out that it came free (and I’m quoting from the email from a company called hordway at m2mags dot com) “as a result of making an online purchase with ProFlowers, or Berries.com, or PersonalCreatives.com . The magazine was included as a bonus offer with your purchase.” </p>
<p>So there you go. If you’ve ever ordered from any those companies (and I know I sent flower through Proflowers once) that’s when your subscription commenced. Ridiculous waste of trees, postage, and fuel for the mail carriers’ truck!!!</p>
<p>Many of these free magazines are done for advertising purposes. They sell ad space based on circulation so the more magazines they distribute, the more they can charge for ads. That’s the reason that most dental and physican’s offices don’t pay for Redbook, McCalls,LHJ. They get them sent for free because it can count as 25 readers for every office they can get the magazine in.</p>
<p>My 20+ son has gotten his AARP card in the mail… I did call them about that. i mean really.</p>
<p>When my youngest graduated high school, she received formula & diaper samples.</p>
<p>I didn’t get either of those things when I had my kids, so 
about how they get their lists.</p>
<p>I was wondering why we were suddenly getting Parenting. I have a college senior. Seniors must be on some list.</p>
<p>I still can’t figure out how they ended up with my daughter’s name at her grandmother’s address.</p>
<p>I got AARP mailings at 26, right after my son was born. I assumed it was because I had stayed in the hospital? Also, when I was 40 and had some “female” surgery I stayed on the ob/gyn floor at the hospital (at the far end of the hall). After I got home I started getting “baby” junk mail. I notified the hospital to clean up their junk mail lists, because although I was long-done with having kids, I could imagine how painful baby ads would be for someone who had been hospitalized for infertility treatment or for a cancer-related hysterectomy who still wanted to have kids.</p>
<p>When I turned 40 I started receiving catalogs for “grandparent” stuff. </p>
<p>At the time my older child was 6 and my younger child had just turned 1. </p>
<p>I guess they had me mixed up with someone else!</p>
<p>These messages made me laugh this morning because come on…ridiculous.</p>
<p>The “targeted” marketing has gone a bit astray here. I am sure my son buys things online and so that’s probably why he is getting the magazine but Parenting? Yachting? Those are pretty specific magazines! </p>
<p>I have to admit that I --might–have signed my twin sister up for AARP mailings. Our entired childhood she lorded over me that she was five minutes older so it just seemed logical that in our 40s I would exact my revenge :D</p>
<p>I panicked at first, too, but remembered a previous thread here on cc. I think the magazine title has the word Baby in it. D also is getting baby-related coupons and recently got a full-sized can of formula. Her brothers are taunting her mercilessly over it. I told her she should donate the formula, but she was so mad that she threw it in the trash.</p>
<p>My wife got an application for AARP on her 30th birthday!!! To this day she doesn’t believe that I didn’t have anything to do with it…I didn’t really but I enjoyed the laugh considering that she was pregnant at the time…</p>
<p>After we rented skis for my kids (age 4 and 7 at the time) they began getting offers for Golf Digest. I forget how we figured out the ski rental was the link. Also as a result of later ski rentals they began getting offers for credit cards!</p>
<p>And now that we’ve turned 50, H’s Catholic HS has sent us multiple suggestions to list them in our will. I’m kind of insulted by it.</p>
<p>My daughter took a friend to the hospital a couple of years ago and filled out some forms. Soon afterwards she began receiving baby related items in the mail. I was very upset at first until I mentioned it to her. She assured me she’d never been pregnant. I guess the hospital just sold her name and address to some baby firm.</p>
<p>Several months ago our S (in grad school in a different state) started receiving some kind of hunting/fishing magazine at our house. It took some doing and persistence but I was finally able to stop the unsolicited magazines.</p>
<p>Just read an article about Target sending “targeted” coupons to customers that buy certain trigger items. A 16 year old girl got the coupons and dad called irate to target. Then called back a week later and humbly apologied as he found out she was pregnant.</p>
<p>Years ago, our then 19yo (Mormon) nanny started getting baby formula coupons and all the typical junk mail expectant moms get. It was a monthly joke when she got the mailing - all she could figure out is she bought a baby gift for a sister or friend that somehow got her on the mailing list.</p>