envelope stuffer

• envelope-stuffer

envelope stuffer (plural envelope stuffers)

1. One whose job is to manually insert sheets of printed paper into envelopes for mailing, especially as an example of a person whose work is menial and unfulfilling.
   • 1992 June 8, Dr. Irving Karten, "Computers cited in wrist injuries, The Hour (USA), p. 7 (retrieved 6 Feb 2013):

     [C]arpel tunnel syndrome […] is seen in many workers who do repetitive tasks by hand, including telephone operators, envelope stuffers, cashiers and meat processors.

   • 2007 June 3, Pamela Paul, “Summer Reading: Travel, New York Times (retrieved 1 Feb 2013):

     In one survey, dishwashing ranked No. 735 among 740 occupations in terms of status (only envelope stuffer, prostitute, street-corner drug dealer, fortuneteller and panhandler ranked lower).

   • 2009, Dan Fante, Spitting Off Tall Buildings: A Novel, →ISBN, "About the Author" p. 156 (Google preview):

     Fante had worked at dozens of crummy jobs, including: door-to-door salesman, taxi driver, window washer, telemarketer, private investigator, hotel night manager, chauffeur, mailroom clerk, deckhand, dishwasher, carnival barker, envelope stuffer, dating service counselor, furniture salesman, and parking attendant.

2. A machine that mechanically inserts sheets of printed paper into envelopes.
   • 2002, Bryan Bergeron, Essentials of Shared Services, →ISBN, page 109:

     [I]n processing the payroll, the production capacity, as measured in the maximum number of checks that can be printed and stuffed into envelopes per hour, may be limited by the mechanical sorter and envelope stuffer.

3. An advertisement, flyer, or other unsolicited printed material contained in an envelope received by mail.
   • 1923 April 3, “Your Bills: Suppose your best salesman presented them in person”, in Pittsburgh Press, retrieved 1 February 2013, page 9:

     Such an enclosure is sometimes thoughtlessly called an "envelope stuffer."

   • 1984 October 16, “Banks Must End Check Fees for Some”, in Harvard Crimson, retrieved 1 February 2013:

     Joseph Leonard, Massachusetts First Deputy Banking Commissioner, said that banks must post conspicuous signs to let customers known about the new law, and they must include an envelope stuffer in their next mailing.

   • 2008 July 16, Tim Beyers, Dayana Yochim, “5 Signs Your Bank Is the Next IndyMac”, in The Motley Fool, retrieved 1 February 2013:

     The envelope stuffer in your next statement is for the "Save the Bank" fund.