It seems every month some new crisis arises for the Post Office, from the agency being billions of dollars in the red, to the arrest of some postal carrier who has horded hundreds of thousands of pieces of undelivered mail.
And let's not get started on the increasing costs of mailing a basic letter. It's at 44-cents now & the Postal Service wants the cost to increase. It's that ... "We're losing money" thing.
If it were not for magazine subscriptions & "junk mail", some people would not get any mail at all. With the current "electronic age", many people no longer write letters or need stamps to pay their bills. It's kind of similar to the current state of many daily newspapers & weekly news magazines; the Internet & electronic media are making them obsolete.
For many years I have utilized the U.S. Post Office more than most people. I have -- mostly -- only good things to say about not only about their services, but also the individuals who work for the Post Office.
Since way back in the 1970's, I have always rented a postal box at my local Post Office. I had one in mid-town Memphis, the same one I kept even when I moved to (exclusive) Bartlett, Tennessee. One of the first things I did when preparing to move to Central Arkansas, was to rent a P.O. Box locally.
When I was working -- & traveling -- I had much of my mail addressed to the P.O. location. When I returned home from my travels -- or just when I felt like retrieving my mail -- I could get it 24/7. Very convenient.
I also like the Post Office because of the stamps; having been -- & still am -- a "collector". Most all the letters & payments I mail utilize "commemorative stamps". These colorful stamps seem to coordinate with my envelope colors.
My most recent stamp purchase was for the Holiday Stamps shown above. While I buy most of my postage stamps on-line, these I bought at my local Post Office.
Through the years, visits to the Post Office have brought me into contact with the many fine people who work there. These folks are always helpful & seem to enjoy their jobs. Said visits have also brought me some "surprises" when it came to my mail.
The biggest surprise -- & one I still remain curious about -- occurred at the Post Office in Memphis .
Picking up my mail one day, I received a Sports Illustrated magazine. It being in the month of May, I was curious to see the cover photo & graphics proclaiming the Super Bowl results. The magazine appeared to be about four months late.
It was not until I got home & had a closer look that I realized the magazine was FOUR YEARS & FOUR MONTHS LATE. It was in perfect condition, not a rip or a tear on it. Just ... "late".
I have always wondered where the magazine had been for all that time.
I had a "surprise" again yesterday when I went to the Post Office. Entering the outer lobby, on the table to my right, I noticed a single piece of mail which looked similar to a weekly newsletter I subscribe to. Sure enough ... it was the newsletter -- ADDRESSED TO ME.
I can only assume this piece of mail was put in the wrong box & whoever received it, tossed it on the table, rather than taking it into the service desk, or at the very least, putting it in the outgoing mail slot for re-delivery.
I mentioned it to the agent on duty, who was most apologetic. I've received mail previously addressed to others, but I take care to see the mail is re-handled, & would never leave it on the outer lobby table.
I continued to contemplate the chances of my timing & arrival at the Post Office yesterday afternoon which enabled me to find MY misplaced mail, before anyone else might have picked it up, or toss it in the rubbish can.
Was it "LUCK" ?? As in ... "Time-to-get-to-the-airport-&-get-a-flight-to-Las Vegas", lucky ??
Maybe ... just another Post Office "surprise".
I've received mail previously addressed to others, but I take care to see the mail is re-handled...
ReplyDeleteMy family has lived at the same address since 2000 and even now we receive mail from the past two families that lived here before us. One had an at home business which makes the deliveries of office supplies and other stuff even more curious.
We have talked to the post office several times but the essentially shrug and say if the stuff has our address it gets sent here. I often wonder if any of our mail gets "lost" the same way.
I like this post : )
ReplyDeleteAnd to piggy-back on what you wrote, I have to say - NOTHING beats a letter in the mail from someone special. I LOVE getting mail, expecillay surprise mail that makes my day.
Now that is a strange story.
ReplyDeleteOccasionally, we buy things online and never have a problem with delivery. But this year, something that was supposed to be delivered by Dec. 2 has yet to arrive. Amazon is telling me wait until Dec. 13 before requesting a replacement. They are confident my package will arrive before then. I'm not so sure. Maybe I'll get that "freebie" in the mail in about 4 years.
All --
ReplyDeleteI always sort my mail prior to leaving the P.O. If there is mail in my box which is not mine, I take it to the counter or re-deposit it.
I have tons more "good stories" than negative ones about the Post Office, i.e. -- the box of lizards I received with only a part of the zip code left on a ripped mailing label. The guys at the P.O. called me at home, since there was also the word "ALIVE" written on the box. It was for me.
I write my Mother in Florida a letter every day, since she LOVES to get mail & doesn't have a computer. It's sort of a "diary" of my life, but written to her.