Opinions Wanted: Emailing Customers

[val]

I'd like to know what the LM community thinks about emailing Customers who have NOT subscribed to one of your lists.  A Customer, IMHO, is a person who has made a purchase from your business within the past 12-24-36 months.

Do you...
1)  Add them to a Customer List and email them special offers (along with an opt-out link)?
2)  Email them individually?
3)  Never email them?
4)  Somethng else?

Thank you for your thoughts!

[mr.trevor]

My personal thoughts:
Option 1, Unsolicited commercial email (SPAM) or sending offers that were not requested should always be avoided.

Option 4, Add customers to a list within a reasonable time (a month maybe) sending a 'Thank you for your custom' note with a confirmation link that they would like to receive offers in future might be acceptable.