United States Postal Service

Experienced woman says size matters

What I am experienced at is mail delivery, and I am referring to the size of your mailbox.

When rural delivery was established in the early 1900s, mail routes were established, and farmers were able to receive their mail by erecting a box on the route to accept their mail. This led to increased farm productivity by saving farmers lengthy trips to town.

Much has changed since then, but the concept stays that the customer has the responsibility to facilitate delivery by putting up an adequate box to receive their normal mail volume.

Mail delivery today is very different with all the parcels. Each route probably averages between five to six hundred customers. They also serve schools and home businesses. If you divide even a ten-hour work day by six hundred, you see that the carrier has one minute per customer and this includes sorting the mail, loading the truck, driving to the route, delivering the mail, and picking up and dispatching the outgoing mail.

There is really not time to drive down dozens of long driveways each day to deliver parcels that do not fit in the mailbox. I retired eight years ago and I still do not like people who put up small boxes or even worse ones that are locked.

Please give your mail carriers a chance to do a good job by erecting the largest size box, having the street address clearly printed on the side the carrier approaches from or on the door, and keeping it clear of brush or other obstructions. If you often receive even larger parcels it is helpful to have a large plastic container that the carrier can use near your driveway.

– Marie Bradley, retired rural letter carrier