This morning I spoke with a pleasant young woman in Gannett's Louisville KY customer service center and ended my subscription to the paper Democrat and Chronicle. Though I've been hard on the D&C in
recent posts, the reasons I canceled were mainly the environment and my wallet.
In the past couple of years, my family has been getting most of its news from the Internet. As a result, unread papers were piling up around the house. I just couldn't justify the waste of paper and petroleum for a newspaper that was rarely read by the members of my household.
By canceling the D&C, I'll save $260/year, which is the EZ Pay rate plus tips to my delivery man. I pay just a little more than that for a broadband Internet connection, which provides far more value than 30 or so ad-laden pages of newsprint. Even the Sunday coupons, which sometimes save me a buck or two, are less of a consideration today than in years past. The stores where I shop all have buyer reward programs, and most of them mail (or e-mail) coupons and discounts.
Getting rid of the D&C turned out to be a no-brainer, and in retrospect, I'm surprised that I waited this long.