Yes, there is such a thing as "Mailbox Improvement Week", and we are currently in the midst of it. During this week, we are reminded that it is important to maintain the receptacle that receives household postal mail. For many of us who live in single-family homes, this amounts to a streetside box on a pole. But how many of us know there are detailed specifications for the size, design, and position of these boxes? This effort to standardize home mailboxes is intended to make the postal carrier's life easier and delivery more efficient. From speaking to postal carriers myself, I gather the thing they like best is for you to have a well-maintained, sturdy and clean box of sufficient size for daily mail delivery. And in these days of increased parcel delivery (from Amazon and similar vendors) a box that will accommodate at least the smaller parcels is greatly appreciated by working mail carriers. Beyond that, there recently have been increasing reports of mail theft, both from home boxes and from blue collection boxes. The latter is a headache for the US Postal Inspection Service but the former is something we must deal with individually. For myself, I recently installed a sturdy, lockable box made by a company called Mail Boss. It relies on a long chute and baffle arrangement to receive mail and hold it in a steel box with a locked door. Even though I live in a sleepy, low-crime suburban community, I sleep better knowing that checks (yes, they are still used, on occasion) and other important documents are protected from casual pilfering. Whatever choices you make regarding your mailbox, this week is the right time to think about it being properly maintained, clean, and usable for the purpose it was intended. Write on!
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