Padding the bill

In the mail: the Consumer Reports 2010 Annual Questionnaire, lots of questions about things we own and how well they work. Maybe I’ll fill it out & mail it back; maybe not.

Also, a personal message:

Mailing the Annual Questionnaire to some 2,300,000 subscribers costs more than $700,000 for paper, printing and postage. We feel this annual event is an essential part of our tradition and part of what makes Consumer Reports unique. It is also the single most expensive research effort in our reporting program.

This year we are asking you to enclose a voluntary contribution of $6.75 or more to help cover the cost of the questionnaire. Your donation will help us to continue this valuable service.

My calculator tells me that $700,000 ÷ 2,300,000 = 30¢. So what’s the other $6.45 for?