Like many Americans across the country, I recently opened my front door to find to find a very large and heavy  “Collection of Source Books” from Restoration Hardware.  I have my opinions about it, but here is what others had to say:

‏@LaurenIacono: Work husband did bicep curls with the Restoration Hardware 17lb catalog set delivered to my office today. #sustainability

‏@natechinen: This Restoration Hardware mailer weighs more than my 10-month-old. #WTF pic.twitter.com/CKBCxQdhFL

@mcalpinetank: Uses for the new Restoration Hardware catalog #1: door stop pic.twitter.com/zjmpk7MeVL

This isn’t the first time that Restoration Hardware has dropped a heavy load on the doorstep of its potential customers, nor it is the first time that the delivery produced a lot of negative feedback.  In fact, there is even now a Facebook page devoted to stopping Restoration Hardware from sending its large catalogs through the mail.

So why does Restoration Hardware continue to drop these books on the doorsteps of consumers?  Well, media frenzy aside, Restoration Hardware claims that doing so is more eco-friendly than producing several catalogs throughout the year. Additionally, these books are fully recyclable and a certified carbon offset has been purchased to balance the ecological impact of delivery via UPS.  More importantly, Restoration Hardware sees these catalogs as one piece of their new marketing strategy that is focused around drawing customers to one of its several flagship stores.

Personally, I’d like to see the catalogs stop.  But I’m curious to hear what you think.  Drop us a note on Facebook or send us a Tweet, @SmartSeatCover.  Oh, and if you’d prefer not to receive their catalogs by mail, you can opt out here.