This is just madness, I tell you:

I would like to add another story to companies using boxes to send small items or in this case, boxes to send a catalog. I recently ordered a free catalog from NFLShop.com. I was thinking like any catalog, it would come as is with my name and address printed on the back. This morning I got a knock on the door from a Postal Worker holding a cardboard box with my name on it. Funny, I wasn’t expecting any packages in the mail. I opened up the box and yup, it was the NFLShop catalog I had requested online. It seemed odd to put a free catalog in a box. It also came with a packing slip and a return label.

Another thing, when I was filling out my address online to receive the catalog (last week), it’s almost like I was purchasing merchandise. After filling in my shipping info, the site goes to a Payment screen and asked for my credit card information. I wasn’t about to give them my credit card info for a free catalog and somehow by refreshing the page or going back, the credit card screen disappeared and my ‘order’ was confirmed. I don’t really know how I bypassed it.

Anyway, I’ve attached a couple pictures. One of the catalog in the box as it arrived and one of the packing slip. FYI – the catalog is only 24 pages and it’s dated October 2007…so very thin and outdated. Not what I expected.

The best part about the packing slip is that it had a return shipping label so that you could send the catalog back if you didn’t like it.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.