Restoration Hardware’s 3,300 pages of catalogs get shredded by 140 character tweets
When my friend Tony sent me an email suggesting that Restoration Hardware might make a good topic for a blog post, I almost dismissed it.
Gah!@RestoHardware is still at it I see. Massive paper dump on my doorstep. pic.twitter.com/G1YYeuizMU
— Tony Spencer (@notsleepy) June 5, 2014
After all, it’s not the first time someone has received a catalog they don’t remember requesting. Fortunately, Tony included links to what others were saying on Twitter. It then became pretty clear that the company had bet big time on a mailing strategy that was backfiring–with no one from the company on Twitter to respond.
Just got 15 POUNDS of catalogues from Restoration Hardware hand delivered by UPS. I once bought a harmonica there. pic.twitter.com/7MWUIaxl40
— Matt Passet (@MPasset) June 2, 2014
I bought a sconce once at Restoration Hardware. My punishment: today's delivery of a catalog for which ten acres must have been deforested.
— Jon Danziger (@jondanziger) June 3, 2014
How to get me to NOT shop #RestorationHardware: send me a 20 lb. bundle of catalogs I don't want & have to recycle. pic.twitter.com/Ck9CDYYxhc
— Scotty Reiss (@scottyreiss) June 2, 2014
This restoration hardware catalogue is as big as an ottoman. They basically mailed me paper furniture.
— Emily Dreyfuss (@EmilyDreyfuss) May 31, 2014
My favorite…
Professor Mustard… in the billiard room… with the Restoration Hardware catalog. http://t.co/pIoZzhCoTN pic.twitter.com/xRahgRFh3n
— Josh (@Tyrangiel) June 3, 2014
Thankfully, someone shared how to opt out…
If you’re one of the countless bystanders of the @RestoHardware tree-killing initiative, you can opt-out here: https://t.co/3heYn1KyDN
— Jason Dixon (@obfuscurity) June 3, 2014
So, why the sudden mailings to customers that have not purchased in years? Well, it all seems to be part of Restoration Hardware’s attempt to impress investors.
The company is opening larger lifestyle galleries around the U.S. to showcase more products, many of them in catalogs and on the Web…in May, the company mailed a record 13 source books, totaling 3,300 pages.
That might have impressed Wall Street, but once the social media backlash catches up with them, RH might find the only way it can make money is with recycling. 😉
Marketplace had an interesting piece on this last week. The surprise is that RH went to a massive, annual catalog as a way to reduce its total catalog printing (and got increased sales in the process).
http://www.marketplace.org/topics/business/why-restoration-hardware-sends-15-pound-catalogs
Still, it’s good for people who will never buy from the catalog to get themselves off the list.