+roygpa Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 My family and I visted 5 caches here in Southwestern, PA yesterday and found most of them jammed packed with advertising. It's a piece of paper about 3.5 inches by 8.5 inches with a poem title "IF" by Rudyard Kipling on one side and the other has an advertisement to get a deck washed for $84.99. It includes a business card with a phone number. It wasn't like there were a couple of them, but some had about 50 or 60 copies. Well I am rather new to Geocaching, but I have to believe that this sort of thing is frowned upon. Am I right? We had my 14 year old son with us and he complained about it for about 2 hours. He likes to complain about everything at his age. It's probably been covered before, but my search didn't turn up any hits. Thanks. Roy Quote Link to comment
+Pyewacket Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 I agree that these flyers don't belong in caches. I understand that cachers want to promote their businesses, but in this instance, the flyers may have the opposite effect, actually turning away prospective clients. I've placed several Today's Cacher business cards in my own cache, but they're in with the log book, have my caching info on them, and I hope people will take them as a sig item. When placing them in other caches, I put in only one, and I hope they're not seen in the same light as non-caching advertisements. It was less expensive to have just one set made with all my info instead of having two individualized sets made. And I'm cheap. Quote Link to comment
+SixDogTeam Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 We don't mind business cards, but unless the poem is some really nice framable thing, I'd consider the stuff cache trash. Quote Link to comment
+LthrWrk Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 At each of those "finds'.. I would have taken them out as in CITO.. Though being the sort I am.. I would have also soaked all in a bucket. Taken em to the Owner.. not the manager of the business.. and said.. Hey I think you misplaced these. oops.. ok .. less confrontational.. just take em and put em in the trash. I do leather work helps feed my varied interests. My personal and biz websites are combined so it never gets put up in my profile. With my second and first traditional cache today, I left a signature item. and a sigcard that has general info about myself. Working on a different one though. I did not leave a business card. though maybe that would be ok. Quote Link to comment
+Anonymous' Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 I'd consider it advertising. Quote Link to comment
+BlueDeuce Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 (edited) I'd consider it advertising. Ah yeah. A subway card with enough stamps for a free sub is one thing. Business cards with a coupon? (sigh) Edited October 5, 2004 by Elf Danach Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 One you could see as a calling card. 50 or 60 is Spam. CITO is in order. Quote Link to comment
+Thot Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 I recently ran into a cache with advertising flyers in it. I put all of them in my bag and in the trash when I got home. Quote Link to comment
+Mericalis Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 It is sad to hear that caches have begun to get advertisements in them, but one could possibly see this coming. With the bit of lime light that geocaching has gotten lately, people have started seeing it as another way to get spam to individuals. My suggestion, unless it is a prize left behind, would be to take it out, or at least talk to the owners of the cache. In the Deep East Texas area, we have not seen much of this, but we have seen coupons being placed in the caches--usually they are for prizes. Hope that the advertisement spam is not a trend. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 Hope that the advertisement spam is not a trend. I wouldn't say its a trend. I've seen it since I started this 3+ years ago. I don't mind a brochure, or business card or two. Not a big deal, I just ignore them, but stacks of 50 pamphlets is going overboard and I'd certainly remove them as trash. Quote Link to comment
+CookCrew Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 If they are coupons or discounts for geocachers, then I would consider it a trade item. Some people even collect business cards. I have no problem with someone leaving a business card or two. But 50-60? trash Quote Link to comment
+Robespierre Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 I can sure understand one's enthusiasm for an income-producing venture mixing with one's enthusiasm for the game. I wouldn't label anyone harshly because of this desire. Many a person has designed a party to be a tax write-off, or invited over some friends - only to hold an Amway meeting instead - and it is just as misguided as that, to put commercial advertisement in a cache. Go to the supermarket and stick it up on the bulletin board. Quote Link to comment
+hookedoncache Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 I don't know about anyone else but one of the reasons that I go Geocaching is to get away from commercialism, addvertisments... After all we are in the outdoors not at home watching TV. I'd rather not see business cards, poems with discounts on the back or any other kind of advertisements! It's bad enough to find old MacDonald's give away toys that no one wants, so please lets not trash the caches. Hey I like that no trashing the caches. Don't you just love the way that we all give our .50 worth and no one stops anyone from doing it anyway! Quote Link to comment
Ditchdigger Posted October 10, 2004 Share Posted October 10, 2004 I see no problem with items with business info on them.(eg pens, golf balls, highlighters etc.) One person in our area puts a coupon for a free pizza at his restaurant, another puts seed packets from his Seed and Feed store. One or two of these is O.K., but to load up the cache with several flyers is going too far. I read a comment on cache swag that said " If it's not worth walking half an hour into the woods for then it's not fit for trading" Quote Link to comment
byGosh Posted October 10, 2004 Share Posted October 10, 2004 I love the poem. I'd trade out the flyers. Take all 50 and leave a decent trade item or two, you'll be improving the cache. Quote Link to comment
PatrickD Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 One person in our area puts a coupon for a free pizza at his restaurant, another puts seed packets from his Seed and Feed store. One or two of these is O.K., but to load up the cache with several flyers is going too far. Mmmm... You can't go wrong with free pizza. ...especially after a long day of caching. Quote Link to comment
+PNWWizard Posted October 12, 2004 Share Posted October 12, 2004 I agree with the previous posters, but it brings a related question to mind. I get lots of promo gifts, nice pens, small flashlights, carabiners, etc. The thing is that they all have a business or product name on them. I've not placed any of these items in a cache for fear that they're advertising, but I'd like your opinions. Quote Link to comment
+Ianara Posted October 12, 2004 Share Posted October 12, 2004 I agree with the previous posters, but it brings a related question to mind. I get lots of promo gifts, nice pens, small flashlights, carabiners, etc. The thing is that they all have a business or product name on them. I've not placed any of these items in a cache for fear that they're advertising, but I'd like your opinions. I personally would distinguish between those promo gifts that are usefull (like you mentioned: nice pens, small flashlights, etc.) and those without any usefulness. Everything I think someone else might be happy about is feasible for a cache. So: A coupon for a free pizza is fine, only a sheet of paper saying "we have the best pizza in the world"... well . But as often: It depends on ones special point of view. What I think might be usefull for someone else might be useless from this someone elses point of view. Quote Link to comment
Blue Contrails Posted October 12, 2004 Share Posted October 12, 2004 (edited) The "IF" poem is a rather nice one; it's one of my favorites. But, with that amount of advertisement flyers I'd consider it CITO. Edited October 12, 2004 by Blue Contrails Quote Link to comment
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