Geoff’s wife tried to mail a padded envelope full of love to his mom for Mother’s Day, but the post office returned it to Geoff’s house the next day with the above label, which says the item could not be delivered due to “heightened security requirements.” That’s all well and good, but what Geoff wants to know is, if this envelope is potentially dangerous, why would you bring it to the person named on the return address?
By Geoff’s estimate (and ours), either it’s a huge flaw in their security plan, or the USPS doesn’t really believe in their own rules.
The whole process makes no sense to me. In fact, I’m so confused why the Postal Service is doing this, I asked them to comment.
The rule actually predates 9/11, going back to the mid-90s. The weight limit, recently lowered to 13-ounces, complies with the weight limits for Priority Mail.
In an email response response, Doug Bem from the US Postal Inspection Service included this all purpose line:
“Unfortunately I won’t be able to get into the specifics of those security issues because someone who could misuse that information might be a reader of your blog; all I can say is that the issues still exist today.”
When he posted this story on his blog, it got picked up by a USPS-related website and he received several comments from possible postal service insiders. This morning, someone calling himself “VaguelyPostal” (which is a troubling name in itself) wrote:
I believe your basic concern is why if your wife’s package was considered suspicious or dangerous was it returned with the carrier as a regular piece of mail.
I agree, the explanations you are getting are not logical. But, to make it logical to you would require revealing information that would detract from postal security.
Being intentionally vague, I will tell you that your package was returned through normal delivery channels only because it violated the 13 oz. rule, not because it was deemed suspicious, dangerous, or hazardous. If the package had been classified as those latter categories it would not be entered into mailstream.
So the final, vague summary seems to be: if you get an item returned to your address for violating security rules, odds are high the USPS doesn’t really think it’s dangerous, but rules are rules and they can’t accept it.
If you don’t have a scale at home, an unopened can of soda weighs between 13 and 14 ounces, so you can use that as a rough guide.
“My 13-Ounce Dilemma” [GeoffFox.com]
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@MyCokesBiggerThanYours:
yea the whine factor here is out of control.
@scoobydoo: @aparsons: @schwnj: @bostonmike:
The USPS doesn’t own planes…the use extra room on either Fed/Ex or UPS, I forget what it is this month.
Re: Credits cards for ID purposes: Get one of those visa pre-paid things from Wal-Mart
So what have we learned here? If your plot to terrorize the country involves 13 oz or larger packages, use UPS.
In the future, just put the shipping address in the return address area and they will mail it for you, for free!!
And for our next topic — dumb rules and the dumb people who try and justify them.
What amuses me the most about this requirement is that if you go into a Post Office and deal with someone at the counter, the only additional “security” that occurs is that the clerk asks you “does this package contain anything liquid, fragile, perishable or potentially hazardous?”
you know how someone mailing a bomb or drugs is going to respond to that question? “no.”
Here’s another one from the Absurd USPS security play book: They are removing stamp machines from all post offices because they are a security risk. Yes, I am afraid of being stamped to death.
@tape: They don’t even ask me that.
First, I wanna know why all the hate for the Post Office? If you do not like the USPS, ship Fedex or UPS.
And stop complaining about the 13oz rule, before that the rule was 16/18oz, not much difference.
@AtomicPlayboy: Certain items can not be shipped by the US Mail. These include dangerous and hazardous items, and the rule just applies to stamped items– which are untraceable…
So, if I take a 16-ounce package, put stamps on it, and put the address I want it to go to in both the “To” and “From” areas, what happens then?
@camille_javal: @sabrinad:
@radio1:
That makes sense. Thanks.
Yeah. I work at a Chamber of Commerce in my city. We frequently send out our business directory/visitors guide by way of Priority Mail envelopes. Our now retired mail carrier was super-cool and used to take them for me anyway, but when he wasn’t working I had to hoof it to the line at the office; Where it would get weighed, bar-coded and then stamped with a red certification logo and placed in a “special box”. (even the dude working there said it’s totally pointless and ridiculous) In fact, I once had a PO employee forget to red-stamp my envelopes and they came back to my office in the…you guessed it… next days mail. Frackin’ Stupid.
I always use Paypal (or you can use USPS Click-n-ship, or the self-serve kiosk at larger postal branches) to print out postage at home, and then as long as the package fits in my mailbox, a USPS mailbox or the self-serve shipping drop box at the post office, I’m good to go.
Electronic postage is the way to go.
USPS “security” regulations are truly baffling. At the Chamblee, Georgia, post office, we used to be able to drop our pre-paid packages at the counter without standing in the excruciatingly long lines. Then the clerks started encouraging us to take our packages around to the loading dock. Next they have posted signs at each clerk’s station that say we must take prepaid packages to the loading dock. There is often no one in sight at the loading dock, and unattended packages are piled high. Secure??? BTW, our packages won’t fit into mailbox slots, so that’s not an option.