Mail Boxes Being Sealed Up in Waltham? (Springfield: design, post office)

[Japanfan1986]

It used to be that you could drop any package in the mailboxes around here as long as it was 13 oz. or less, had fairly small dimensions and met the general USPS criteria (IE no hazardous waste). Recently I noticed mail boxes are essentially being sealed up. It used to be that you could open up these fairly big slots to the mail box. Now a bunch of them are sealed off and maybe have a tiny letter size slot (though I think some have been sealed off altogether).

Is Waltham the only place this is happening to?

I find it incredibly annoying. As an online seller of smaller items I prefer to take my stuff directly to the post office. But sometimes those mail boxes are really helpful in a pinch.

I’m sure there are still plenty around Waltham that still have the big slots, but my guess is those will be sealed up now with just the letter size slot before long. I just went to the Main Street USPS Office and they must have just changed those ones because a few days ago all but one had the regular slots.

Anyway what gives?

[mdovell]

Your best bet is to talk to the post master. I would argue that the wider a slot is the more apt it could be to get more trash. In Springfield they set up a wide variety of trash bins that are slotted and block people from picking them. With the postal service and other shippers I know that there's sometimes notes about penalties for trash.

I'd argue mail is more packages than letters but it also puts the post office in an odd bind. In areas that have higher volume there can be less of a need (i.e. cities) but in rural areas there's less volume but much more of a need.

I used to ship too and some post offices take awhile to get though. I feel sorry for the employees.

[BosYuppie]

Nah, I’ve seen those all over. My guess is that they want people to drop packages like the common 3 inch amazon return boxes at the PO.

[BostonMike7]

If it’s over 10 ounces, or 1/2” thick, it must be handled at a post office. The slot restriction is meant to discourage this practice.

https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Outgoing-Mail-Pickup

I’m guilty however of handing packages directly to my mail carrier. He still takes them.

[Brave Stranger]

Mailboxes are being changed everywhere to allow only regular sized letters. One of the main reasons being that criminals were gaining access to the wide-drop mailboxes and stealing the contents.

[robr2]

With the huge volume of packages going through the USPS, it is also to ensure that the proper postage is applied to the package.

[P Larsen]

Yes, it's designed to frustrate the criminals who've been stealing from mailboxes.

[timberline742]

People have been using them as trash cans

[redplum33]

Just schedule a pickup instead.