OfficeMax Makes Big Mistake. Huge!

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Good lord, OfficeMax. According to The Los Angeles Times (and many other stunned publications) a grieving father in Lindenhurst, Illinois received a mailer from the big-box retailer that was overtly creepy. It was addressed to—are you ready for this?—"Mike Seay, Daughter Killed in Car Crash."

Unfortunately, the gruesome epithet is true. Seay's daughter was involved in a fatal car crash last year. But how did the retailer know that? (And, frankly, WTF?) No word on that, though OfficeMax did claim that the tremendous faux pas came from a "third-party provider" who had purchased customers' info.

Seay has no plans to sue the company, but he has asked for a letter of apology from OfficeMax's chief executive.
· Dad Gets OfficeMax Mail Addressed 'Daughter Killed in Car Crash' [LA Times]
· Mindblowing [Racked National]