Thanks to e-mail and online bill payments, mailboxes are a lot less personal than they used to be. According to WalletPop, each week, the average American receives 1.5 pieces of mail they might actually be interested in (yes, including bills), but 16 pieces of junk mail. Evidently, “OCCUPANT” is a pretty popular guy. But when unwanted solicitations are 90% of what’s in our mailboxes, why do they keep on coming? How can you make them stop? [More]
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Obtain Free Shipping Supplies From The USPS
By 12.11.09
It’s the time when people start mailing out gifts, so we thought we’d remind you that you can obtain free Priority or Express Mail supplies from the USPS. [More]
PayPal Abandons Another Scammed Seller
By 12.8.09
Todd got ripped off by a scammer on an eBay purchase. He made sure to insure the device before shipping it off via the United States Postal Service, but it turns out that an insurance claim won’t help him get PayPal to step up. [More]
North Pole, Alaska Will Answer Letters To Santa After All
By 12.3.09
Letters that children mail to “Santa Claus, North Pole” will be destined for North Pole, Alaska after all, and the letters personally answered by dedicated volunteers. The program was initially shut down for logistical reasons, but restored after Rudolph paid a visit to Fairbanks and taught everyone the true meaning of Christmas. Or something like that. [More]
North Pole, Alaska, Forced Out Of Santa Letter Program
By 11.19.09
New security rules have proven too complex for Alaska’s post offices to bear, so they’re ending their participation in Operation Santa, the 50-year-old program where letters addressed to “Santa Claus, North Pole” are answered by volunteers. The program will continue elsewhere, reports the Associated Press, but when I called the USPS to find out where letters should be addressed I was told parents should contact their local post offices for information.
U.S. Postal Service Tests Post Office Greeting Card Sales
By 10.29.09
One of the few things that people still use the U.S. Postal Service to do is send greeting cards. Americans receive an average of 20 greeting cards per year, and they have to come from somewhere. So why not save a trip and buy those cards right at your local post office?
Top 10 Crappiest CEOs (According To Their Employees)
By 10.27.09
Glassdoor released its report of the 50 lowest-rated CEOs as determined by employee reviews on its site. I scractched out all the companies you don’t care about and ended up with this list of the 10 Crappiest CEOs (of consumer-facing compaines) (according to their employees)…
USPS: No Stamp Price Increases In 2010
By 10.17.09
You can rest easy and stock up on booklets of Simpsons stamps instead of boring old Forever stamps. The United States Postal Service assures us that it is not planning any stamp price increases in 2010.
US Postal Service Redefines "Contiguous" United States
By 10.2.09
Steve was mailing some packages from his home in Virgina to various points in the country, and noticed something strange on his receipt. The packages destined for Pennsylvania and Washington state are leaving the contiguous United States. What?
Thermos Replaces Travel Mug That Lost Its Way
By 9.19.09
Brent’s excellent Thermos travel mug lost its rubber bottom somewhere in its travels, making it difficult to use. Instead of throwing it away, he contacted Thermos to see about a replacement part. He ended up having such a great experience that he had to write in and share what happened.
USPS Charges A Buck For Online Change Of Addy
By 8.19.09
Joe’s plight proves it’s always a good idea to keep your credit card addresses updated, otherwise you’ll find it tough to forward your postal address.
See The US Postal Service's List Of Proposed Closings
By 8.5.09
Is your post office on the list of locations (PDF) the USPS is considering closing to save money? We checked and our last one in Brooklyn isn’t, which proves that they didn’t base the list on degree or intensity of suck, or it would have been closed, burned down, and the earth salted.
Are Blu-ray Netflix Customers Paying Extra Because The Discs Keep Cracking?
By 7.6.09
Do you rent Blu-ray discs from Netflix? Have you had any show up with a crack on the outer edge that makes the disc unplayable? Victor just wrote to us that he’s received several Blu-ray discs lately that are damaged, and he’s wondering if it’s just him or part of a wider problem.
Woman Moves From NY To New Hampshire But Her Mail Won't Follow
By 7.6.09
Veronica moved to New Hampshire, and as punishment the bitter, jilted New York post office refused to send her mail along. She has complained to anyone who would listen, but may as well be yelling at her mail box for all the good it’s done.
Postal Service Gettin' It On With eBay
By 6.17.09
The USPS is getting all modern-like, hooking up with eBay to let sellers be billed later for postal services rather than pay immediately. Also, a new tool will let sellers roll streamline the shipping process by letting them buy and print labels without having to juggle accounts or wait in line at the post office.
Use a PO Box to Thwart ID Thieves
By 5.30.09
A Post Office Box, or PO Box, can be a very useful tool in your fight against would be identity thieves. Use them to add a layer of anonymity and thieves are likely to look for softer targets.
Reminder: Don't Pay Private Companies For Postal Jobs
By 5.27.09
For those readers who are job-hunting for the first time, or for the first time in a long time, let this serve as a reminder: you do not need to pay a private company to get a job with the post office. No study guides. No sample exams. As T.J. learned, these companies will be happy to sell you all kinds of unnecessary exam-taking supplies…whether there are any postal jobs available or exams planned near where you live, or not. Multiple companies are masquerading as hiring for the post office.
