BJ's and Tuesdays

Sometimes I take things that I know about direct mail for granted. Here's one: Tuesdays are almost always the lightest day for mail delivery (except when there is a Monday holiday). This is because limited pieces of mail go into the mailstream on Saturdays and most pieces take two days to be delivered. In fact, Tuesday is the day that the post office is considering halting mail delivery because of light mail flow on that day. http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2009/01/postmaster_general_asks_congre.html

This week, on Tuesday, I received the usual light quantity of mail and also, this "ultimate offer" from BJ's http://www.bjs.com/ It was addressed to "Our Friends at." Never a good sign. Mail pieces that do not address me personally and accurately usually hit the recycling bin quickly. I am not alone in this practice. Other than this lack of personalization, I do think that the "burst" on the outer envelope announcing "limited time only" and the double window envelope with the word "free" showing from the inside are enticing.

Once opened, the piece has a glued in "trial membership card." The trial membership does not require the trial member to pay any additional service fees, which is a big plus. I assume that BJ's has done some market research indicating the top four reasons people join BJ's. These reasons are bulleted on the piece: savings of more than 30% off supermarket prices, everyday low prices on brand name products, allow the use of manufacturer's coupons and more regular (i.e. smaller) sizes. To me, the first two reasons are the same and combining them could allow for more "white space" on the piece.

The (stock) photo of the family of four with the cart full of groceries is a bit too generic and perfect. I have been to the store with my family and I tell you we do not dress like that and we are not that happy or pleased.

The "call to action" (bring the card above to the Member Services Desk today) and "involvement device" (the glued in card with FREE written across the front) are strong. July 6 does, though, feel distant (on May 5). Maybe it is too much time to redeem the offer, taking away some of the urgency.

There are no specific codes or detectable tracking devices on the trial membership card. Did BJ's just use one creative piece and offer and will track the results by the people that bring in these cards? It seems a wasted effort, if BJ's did not test at least two different creative treatments to see which is the most effective. This could help with future campaigns.