Parent appalled after opening 'manipulative' mail from child's school: 'Emotional ploy'

Not everyone is ready to enter the digital age. A Reddit post went viral after a parent sounded off about a school portrait company's "manipulative" business model. 

What's happening?

The parent explained that a portrait company printed and shipped a complete package of photos to every family whose child participated in school picture day. The instructions said the families should pay for and keep the photos they like, and then return the unwanted images. 

While the parent shared their tale in Reddit's r/mildlyinfuriating, they seemed more than a little ticked off, writing: "I despise this manipulative and wasteful business model!" Based on the 35K upvotes and thousands of comments on the post, others overwhelmingly agreed.  

"It is an emotional ploy to get you to pay for them all because you can't stand the idea of sending them back to be destroyed. It's dirty," one of the commenters vented. 

Why is this important?

First and foremost, receiving unsolicited packages is a major inconvenience. 

"This is how they did it when I was a child. My poor mom would fret about having to return them. Like she needed that stress," one commenter shared. 

"Send me a watermarked digital proof and let me [decide] if I want it and if I want it printed," another suggested. 

While going digital isn't without its flaws — i.e., electronic waste — school portrait packaging can contain plastic, a dirty fuel-derived material that doesn't readily break down in nature. What's more, the pulp and paper industry is a significant driver of global deforestation, accounting for up to 40% of the industrial wood trade, according to the World Wildlife Fund. 

With just one mature tree soaking up at least 48 pounds of planet-warming carbon, forest loss contributes to rising global temperatures and leads to less biodiverse and ecologically healthy ecosystems. When nature suffers, the protective balance we rely on to limit disease spread and keep our food systems humming along breaks down, and chaos can ensue.   

Are schools doing anything to combat unnecessary waste?

One Rhode Island elementary school slashed lunch waste by up to 90% after swapping its flimsy plastic trays for durable stainless steel alternatives. Some cities have passed legislation to phase out single-use plastics, including in public schools.  

Should schools teach more about gardening and lawn care? It should be a main subject 💯 Probably 🤷 It's fine as is 😐 It should not be taught in school 🙅 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

And as several commenters suggested, not every school portrait system is equally wasteful, suggesting that transitioning toward a less wasteful format doesn't have to be difficult.

"I have gotten this exact envelope from my kids school, and it was just one small print with a form for ordering more," one person shared. 

"Omg they sent [a printed packet]? They sent us watermarked digitals," another said.

What can be done about this more broadly?

You can get involved with parent groups to raise awareness about how school policies influence whether future generations will inherit a cleaner planet. Individually, you can avoid single-use products. For instance, you can pack school lunches in reusable silicone stasher bags.

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