| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name
 | Date | Lines | 
|---|
| 653.1 |  | SIMUL8::RAVAN | Tryin' to make it real | Thu Jan 14 1988 14:43 | 4 | 
|  |     But, Marty, maybe they are simply taking into account that your
    secretary may be male...
    
    -b
 | 
| 653.2 | Doesn't really matter | SSDEVO::YOUNGER | It's the LAW! 186,000 miles/second | Thu Jan 14 1988 20:34 | 4 | 
|  |     Whether his secretary is male, female, or other, why would he/she/it
    be buying him underware?
    
    Elizabeth
 | 
| 653.3 | Burp your boxers | XANADU::RAVAN | Tryin' to make it real | Thu Jan 14 1988 22:16 | 9 | 
|  |     Underware? Is that like Tupperware (c)? Hermetically sealed, perhaps?
        
    Rather than ask why the secretary would be buying under-whatever
    for the boss, how come the company is sending mail to the boss on
    behalf of the secretary? (Maybe they want to be sure that everyone's
    secretaries have clean underware - damn! Now you've got *me* doing
    it!)
    
    -b
 | 
| 653.4 | Hmmmmm | CAM2::PAPISON | You see what I'm saying..... | Thu Jan 14 1988 22:23 | 8 | 
|  |     
    Are we getting a little thin skinned???  Mailing list are pretty
    generic, and .1 seems to be jumping to the conclusion that by sending
    mail to his sec this company is implying presents be bought for
    him.  If this is so please see that my secretary is on the mailing
    lists for Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, etc :-)
    
    
 | 
| 653.5 | Keep Dreaming | APEHUB::STHILAIRE | Food, Shelter & Diamonds | Fri Jan 15 1988 08:34 | 7 | 
|  |     Re .0, speaking as a secretary, hell will freeze over before I ever
    spend one damn cent on any boss I've ever worked for :-).  People
    who make 3 and 4 times my pay and treat me like a maid can take
    care of their own underwear needs.
    
    Lorna
    
 | 
| 653.6 |  | SSDEVO::YOUNGER | It's the LAW! 186,000 miles/second | Fri Jan 15 1988 09:25 | 6 | 
|  |     I understand about the mailing lists being pretty widespread, but
    why does it have to be address to "the secretary of...", rather
    than to either the boss himself, or to the secretary if they have
    her name?
    
    Elizabeth
 | 
| 653.7 | It comes down to whose names they have access to | STAR::BECK | Paul Beck | Fri Jan 15 1988 10:14 | 13 | 
|  |     re .6
    
    Probably because more "bosses" are on corporate mailing lists than
    secretaries. If a mail-order place wants to target secretaries (I
    always assumed the L'Eggs mailing was intended to be received by
    secretaries for their own purchases), they generally don't have any
    other means of addressing them other than as "Secretary to The One
    We Have On Our Mailing List".
    
    As to why there are male paraphernalia in the mailing - even
    if the assumption is that the secretary is female, it's generally
    the case that the "boss" is not the only male in the secretary's
    life for whom the additional products may be applicable.
 | 
| 653.8 | Ain't marketing wonderful? | SCRUFF::CONLIFFE | Better living through software | Fri Jan 15 1988 10:58 | 12 | 
|  | As an aside on mailing lists: 
 When I worked in ZKO, I had occasion to go down to the local Rdio Shack to
 buy a couple of co-ax connectors for our IBM terminals (back in the days when
 BTS was a product!).
 Some later, in my mailbox at work, I found a radio shack flier addressed to:
		Nigel A Conliffe
		or family residing at
		110, Spitbrook Road,
		Nashua NH.
 
 | 
| 653.9 | "professional" women get them too | CADSYS::SULLIVAN | Karen - 225-4096 | Fri Jan 15 1988 14:18 | 6 | 
|  | 	Reminds me of the time I attended a workshop for women in
	business.  After the workshop, I received advertisments
	at work for stockings.  Of course with the same error in
	spelling my name as the workshop had.  How professional.
	...Karen
 | 
| 653.10 | You can sell my name, but you can't sell me. | TRCO01::GAYNE | Cappucino anyone? | Mon Jan 18 1988 12:21 | 19 | 
|  |     I believe .7 is correct. The company is targetting the secretary,
    not the boss. And I am sure they addressed it to the secretary because
    they are targetting women and making the assumption that most
    secretaries are women.
    
    It is interesting, how general these mail-order sales things get.
    I am male, my first name is Leslie, which can be both male and female.
    So I get a lot of stuff intended for women. I know the stuff is
    for women because I will be addressed as Ms. or Miss.
    
    As an aside, almost all mailing lists can be purchased. If you
    subscribe to any magazine, have gone to any trade show, shown up
    at a "new housing development" where you are kindly asked to sign
    the guset book, chances are your name has been sold to someone.
    
    When ordering a magazine subscription you can request that your
    name NOT be sold.
    
    /Les   
 | 
| 653.11 | who wears the underpants in this office! | 3D::CHABOT | Rooms 253, '5, '7, and '9 | Thu Jan 21 1988 16:37 | 3 | 
|  |     Some people have also been making assumptions about "the boss": after
    all, maybe she wears men's underwear and maybe she doesn't.
                                                             
 | 
| 653.12 | "sock" it to them | EDUHCI::WARREN |  | Fri Apr 08 1988 09:57 | 11 | 
|  |     I think Paul had L'eggs figured right.  Not as many companies "bother"
    to maintain lists of secretaries as lists of "executives," so this
    is a way to hit the secretaries...who are, of course, women and who
    are, of course, the purchasers of underwear for their families.  grrr
                                                        
    And I bet it's been a very effective marketing ploy.    
                   
                   
    -Tracy
    
 | 
| 653.13 | I'm surprised they don't also mail to "wife of" | EDUHCI::WARREN |  | Fri Apr 08 1988 10:01 | 1 | 
|  |     
 |