Postal Service Demands Missouri Residents Check Their Mailboxes

My dad worked for the United States Postal Service in Missouri for more than 30 years. I mention this because I take instructions from the postal service seriously. Know that the USPS is insisting that Missouri residents check their mailboxes right now.

If you had your mail delivered in Hannibal, Missouri in the 1960's, 70's or 80s, there's a better than average chance that my dad delivered your mail at some point. I've been told that knowing my dad was a postal worker explained my behavior. I'll take that as a compliment.

With my personal postal story out of the way, the United States Postal Service wants you to check your mailbox this very second. Don't wait. It's urgent. What's the big rush? I'll tell you. It's officially Mailbox Improvement Week. This is a real thing and it really is more important than I'm letting on.

This is so important to the USPS that they issued a BULLETIN. Not kidding about that. Here's what they're asking you to do. Make sure your mailbox is in good shape and easily accessible to the postal carrier. That means checking to see if there are any objects or vegetation growing around it that would make life harder on the USPS delivery person. They also advise that you make sure there are no loose hinges or sharp edges that might injure a carrier. It really is something you need to put eyes on to make sure your mailbox is up to a safe standard.

While I'm not really recommending that you stop whatever you're doing and go outside to look at your mailbox, it's only fair to the Missouri postal carriers (especially the rural ones) to make sure delivering mail to you is safe and as easy as possible.