Junk Mail Memories

This evening at martial arts class, I was reminded of my days in the junk mail factory at Time Customer Service. The conversation came about because two other students were talking about the fact that they worked together, but one of them was getting another job so he could work days. I asked one of the students where they both worked, and he said Time Customer Service. More than a few years ago, I was a temporary there.

TCS is a vast organization, but this particular branch of TCS was an enormous junk mail factory. If you've ever subscribed to any Time magazine or Time-Life book series, you'll recall how you're BOMBARDED with junk mail after you discontinue your subscription. Well, that junk mail has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is right here in Tampa, Florida.

I worked there through a temporary service. Upon arriving for my first day, I was astounded by the sheer magnamity of the building. Easily larger than several Home Depots, I could not believe the amount of manpower and machinery dedicated solely to the production of junk mail. Many of the people worked there for years. Junk mail literally put food in their kids' mouths and roofs over their heads.

I worked in several departments there - I mailed premiums (the "free gift" you get for subscribing), sorted junk mail by hand and machine, compiled "jobs" of junk mail deemed too small for the machines, packed videos and CD's, and ran cages and cages of mail through postage meters. If I may say so myself, I was quite good at all this and often got more than 100% on my production score each week. I had a different and faster way of doing EVERYTHING. I secretly coded equipment (such as automatic staplers) to identify the best tools to work with.

The best part of working there was working in Back Issues. This location is a repository of every Time, Sports Illustrated, People, Life, and Entertainment Weekly magazine ever published. Once an issue was off sale, still-new copies were packaged in groups of 20 and wrapped in brown paper. The magazine, issue and date was identified with black marker. A couple of packages were always identified with red marker because they were archival. They were not to be opened or sold under any circumstances.

All of the magazines were stored on the second floor of the warehouse, accesible by a metal utility staircase and a key attached to a large wooden block (much like those formerly used at gas stations). I was given the key, the list of magazines to pull, and a large plastic bin, and up the stairs I went.

The packages of magazines were sorted by magazine title and date stored on large movable shelving. The shelving was so large that it went about two stories up and the shelves needed to be moved by big metal steering wheels on the end of each case. There was a large utility ladder, but it only had clearance of a few inches on either side even when a case was opened to the widest possible position. It was easier to simply climb the shelves, monkey-style, leave the plastic bin on the floor, and drop the desired magazine into the bin.

I had the opportunity to look at Time magazines from almost the turn of the last century, and Life magazines from the 50's and 60's. Since I was quick at picking, I could allow myself time to page through the old magazines. In the fifties, all magazine ads were hand-drawn. Old Time magazines reported World War 2, the Vietnam War and cultural events of their times as well. People magazine showed a history of hairdos and clothes from the 1970's and forward. I didn't bother much with Sports Illustrated which I'm sure showed past famous athletes and teams.

The job was hard work. Often in the mornings, my hands were so swollen I had to stick them in the freezer just to get my rings on. I wore knee wraps and a weightlifting belt, since belts weren't provided for temporaries. At the time, I was quite fit and did an hour of more of aerobics a day. How people worked there into their 50's and 60's is amazing. But I've always felt privileged to view those old magazines. They're part of our history and heritage.