Hello all PBS members! First of all LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this site! Question, I am located in the northwest. The rainy season is coming upon us. My mailbox does get damp at times. Would it be rude of me to ask in my requestor condtions that books be protected by saran wrap or plastic of some sort? I do repost most of the books I get on here.  And would like to continue doing so, but if they are water damaged, its a no go. It would basically be from Oct. 1st-July 1st. One of the hazards of living in Oregon...RAIN! :-) Thanks for the input.

Jessie

Jessie--

I've had that request (not requirement) in my RCs for some time, and have never had anyone write and say they were offended or refuse to send because of it, and it has significantly increased the number of books I get with waterproof wrappers.  If you want to make it a requirement, you might have more difficulty.

I use this wording; feel free to steal and edit as you wish :-)

"Lastly, though this is not a requestor condition or requirement for sending, I politely urge you to please consider a waterproof layer when sending books to me as protection from the elements.  It can be simple and recycled, such as a plastic newspaper or grocery bag and does not add much weight.  I live in Kansas; if you've seen the Wizard of Oz, you know what the weather here can be like :-)"

Cheers,

Catt

That's so cool, Elizabeth!! I'm just starting out, so haven't received or sent to too many states yet, but it's a nice challenge to try. How long did it take you?

Carolyn--

I don't want to hijack Jessie's thread, but if you're asking about my signature, with the books from all the states, I started consciously trying to collect them all in January 2008 -- I already had a bunch, but I started offering deals and ordering things specially from states I needed.  Just need a member from Hawaii :-)  Feel free to PM me if you have other questions :-)

Staying on topic ... waterproof wrappers are great -- a lot of states are under water at the moment, due to storms, so recycling plastic to protect books is a good thing :-)

Cheers,

Catt

As a dedicated crusader for "Plastic Wrappers to Save PBS Books" that I applaud anyone who tries to help educate people about this.  It can happen in any part of the country.  Wet hazards aren't confined to rain.  Some kind of accidents occur where books are dropped in deep mud puddles and run over by vehicle tires of some kind.  Also there are many people who live in rural areas (like me) and are at the mercy of the mail carrier.  Our mail box is down on a busy 2 lane state road and there's no shoulder to the road to pull off mail trucks.  So the mail carrier is in a hurry so he doesn't block traffic (or get hit by some speeding car) and he rarely closes up the mailboxes all the way.  I've gotten many wet books - several were soaking wet.  I am always so grateful when the sender uses plastic.  I always write them a nice thank you note mentioning my appreciation for their thoughtfulness.    The weather can be so unpredictable - hurricane Ike is hitting the midwest states right now and moving on up to Canada - so you can't ever tell about what the weather is going to do. 

Thank you one and all who strive to protect our PBS books!  ;D

Ruth

It's not just folks with post boxes that have problems with the wet.  I live in Chicago and have a mail slot in the side of my house.  The postman routinely leaves the mail half in and half out of the slot.  Even if the book by some miracle is not hanging out in the wet, the other mail is propping open the slot to allow the wet in.  Soggy mail from rain or snow is routine.  So, I add my voice to the chorus:  Please wrap the books!  And thank you to all who do!

Janice

I don't think it would be rude to ask that in your requestor conditions. I've gotten a couple of books where the requestor asked in RCs for the books to be wrapped in plastic. Some people decline all books with RCs, on principle, but I think most people shouldn't have a problem with it.

I used to use plastic wrap on every book I sent out, but I stopped doing it after I saw a bunch of people on the forums complaining about wrapped books. Judging by this thread, though, it seems like some people do want wrapped books, so maybe I'll start wrapping them again.

Why would anyone complain about wrapping books in plastic?  That doesn't make any sense........  I'd love to know the reason for that because I always put my books in plastic bags, even if I'm using one of those bubble mailers. 

Some people who have arthritic (sp?) hands can't open the saran easily.

Well, it is very rare that I use saran wrap (or any cling wrap).  I recycle used plastic grocery bags or newspaper bags or whatever.  I am too uncoordinated to use the cling-type wrap properly - it always ends up in a great big ball of useless plastic :) 

I will always use some type of plastic though.  I just think it's better safe than sorry.  And it's a good way to recycle those plastic bags, too.

Why would anyone complain about wrapping books in plastic?  That doesn't make any sense........

We just discussed this recently over on CMT.   A lot of people don't keep plastic in their house - mostly by choice (environmental reasons).  So yes, it's very possible your RC will be turned down.  I requested plastic last winter due to living in a high wind area (books would fly out of my mailbox) - and I saw about 4 or 5 books turned down with the RC.  

Some people just don't think they should have to do that, and therefore just plain won't no matter what:P  I was involved in a discussion a while back and a lady in there was quite adamant - even a little indignant at the suggestion that she should do it - that since PBS didn't require her to wrap books in plastic, she wasn't going to do it, no way, no how, and she'd refuse requests from anyone asking her to.  She said it was too much extra hassle - or words to that effect.  It struck me as sort of odd, even a little funny, but what are you gonna do?  I guess if she felt that strongly about it, the best thing to do is make sure you never order from her:P

I like the idea of wording it as a request and not a requirement. It make me feel like I am helping out if I do so, and the requestor is not going to demand her credit back if I forget.

(I think I might like a "review" of the requestor conditions to pop-up at the time I am printing the label--especially for conditions like this one that apply more to how the book is packaged than the condition of the book itself.)

I'm prepared to have some of my request shot down if I choose to put that in my RC.  I'm just trying to get a feel on what others thought first. And THANKS to all that did and do reply! Very much appreciated!!  I always wrap in saran wrap, I would hate to have a book damaged when sending it.  Will give it a bit more thought before deciding. I've still got a few more beautiful weeks before the rains comes!!! :-)

<<I like the way Elizabeth worded it as a request and not a requirement. It make me feel like I am helping her out to do so, and she is not going to demand her credit back if I forget.>>

Why, thank you, Kalualani -- that was my goal :-)

I should add as well that when folks do use waterproof wrappings, I thank them for doing so in the mini survey you take when you receive the book -- I realize some folks go out of their way to wrap that way, and try to recognize and acknowledge their extra effort :-)

Cheers,

Catt

The person who delivers my mail can't seem to figure out how to close the door on my (very standard) mailbox, and it opens toward the direction the wind will blow from when it rains, and when it rains around here it's usually VERY heavy. :-/

So I've put an RC to wrap in plastic:

Please wrap the book in a layer of plastic to help prevent water damage during shipment. When it rains around here, it pours!

I've had a couple of people send a book and not wrap it, but fortunately they showed up on dry days. I've had at least 4 books that were saved on a rainy day (I'm talking POURING) from folks being kind enough to wrap in plastic. And as far as I know, I've not had anyone turn me down because of my RC.

I'm with Terri !  I always feel like I'm in a I LOVE LUCY skit with Lucy and Ethel when I start trying to use any kind of cling wrap.  ;D  Fortunately, I am much better coordinated with packing tape!  I never use the cling or Saran type wrap.  I always use a loose type of plastic that might be found around the house.  I've used the "air pillows" that come as packing materiel (cut them open and use 2 if they are too small for one to cover a book),  dry cleaner bags cut down to size, shopping bags, produce bags (after making VERY sure they are clean and dry), product packaging like the plastic bags that underwear comes in or even the Charmin outer wrapping plastic.  I figure if it kept the toilet paper dry - it can keep books dry!  I can always find something to use that isn't going to be hard for anyone  to remove and still keeps the books dry and safe.  If the books are in plastic the PBS wrapper can be taped to it and that makes the wrapper more stable!   So far no one has complained to me about it.  But I am seriously considering putting RC's about it since we are coming in to the fall and winter when we are more likely to get rain.  If they don't want to save the fruits of their labor and $$ then fine with me - I won't have a wet book either!

Ruth

Cling wrap is the devil. I like foil or tupperware for food.

I use grocery bags to protect the books I mail.

I don't care for cling wrap either.  I end up with the huge wadded up balls of it and a plastic bag on my books when I finally give up:P  I like generic bread bags myself.  Cheap, easy to use, and you can tape them shut for multiples, or just roll them up with a single book inside.

For some reason, my husband has magic hands when it comes to saran wrap. :-) He is the one who wraps all my books anyways. He makes it looks sooo easy!! Me...I end up wrapped in it!