Every few months, I get a flyer in the mail that advertises a new store opening. Typically, these are from major supermarket or pharmacy retailers. To some extent, these mailings are spam, since they’re addressed to “Current Resident”. However, the right address is on there, so they clearly know where the recipient lives. Why, then, do they insist on sending these to people who live nowhere near the new store?

In the most recent example, I got a grand opening flyer for a store that is at least a 30 minute walk from my apartment. Even if you took the train, you’d be hard pressed to get there in less than 30 minutes. Plus, there are several closer locations of the exact same store. Since the coupons in the mailer were only valid at the far-flung location, it’s a totally useless promotion for me and for the retailer.

A simple rule of thumb can prevent all this wasted effort. When sending out flyers and coupons, be sure that the recipient’s closest store is reflected in the messaging. And if you’re mailing grand opening notices, don’t bother to include customers who live much closer to an existing store in your chain. There’s simply no reason why they should be asked to travel further when they’re already shopping at the most convenient location for their needs.